Final Fantasy 7 was always on that list of games I said I'd get to eventually, but we all know how that goes. Backlogs grow faster than they shrink, and 'someday' quickly turns into 'never'. But with the upcoming release of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the third entry in the Grand Remake or similar to FF7, I can't help but feel this weird feeling that I'm about to miss out on being a part of something incredible.
After watching Summer Games Fest 2026 and seeing the buzz in the FF7 community preparing for the conclusion they've been waiting for for years, I knew that if I was going to jump into FF7, the time was now. I don't want to see the reaction to FF7 Revelation as an outsider. I wanted to be a part of it.
The path to light begins here
With just over six months to catch up, I faced the dilemma faced by all new FF7 players: do I play the original 1997 release or go straight to the remakes? Naturally, instead of deciding for myself, I looked to strangers on the Internet for answers. Some fans argued that a remake of the original was necessary to appreciate, while others warned that the dated original could completely turn off new players.
Since some of my favorite games are from the late '90s and early '00s, I'm not intimidated by the idea of features showing their age. However, I also thought that playing the remakes first would help me develop a deeper appreciation for the original, and not the other way around. who
In the end, I settled on a chaotic compromise. I used to play both. simultaneously.
Trust me, I know this is not something anyone would recommend. But the moments appearing side by side made for a fascinating real-time comparison between the two versions of the story. Of course, once I get to the end of Rebirth, I want to finish the rest of the original before Prakash's release.
That's what nearly 30 years of hype does to the first playthrough
When most of you sat down to play FF7 for the first time, you didn't know much about it beyond what you saw in the trailer or heard from word of mouth. In 2026, however, if you're not actively looking for information about something, spoilers have a way of finding you.
Memes spread across social media, character deaths plastered on every YouTube thumbnail, and in this case, characters appearing in games outside of their franchises. While I managed to avoid learning the details of the story, I couldn't avoid every detail or the millions of people shouting about how special FF7 was from every corner of the internet.
Even though it was nearly impossible, I still tried to get the most authentic first playthrough I could, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much mystery there was still for me. I knew Cloud was the hero, Tifa was a love interest, and Sephiroth was the villain. But I didn't know Cloud wasn't the white-knight hero-type I expected, that Tifa wasn't the only love interest, and that Sephiroth was someone Cloud looked up to.
For every detail I learned about FF7, there were ten layers of mystery yet to be uncovered. No, this was not the experience I had before the internet made everything common knowledge, and I don't think you can get a real first impression of this game. But, if anything, having some of my expectations actively debunked made those moments stand out even more.
Most of those 'expectations' are that if I've never heard of a character, it's probably because they died early and weren't relevant. I can't tell you how convinced I was that Barrett was a goner on those first few missions. The community needs to mention him more often!
So, while I don't think it's possible to have a truly untouched first playthrough of Final Fantasy 7, I can say that it's still entirely possible to have a phenomenal first experience.
Final Fantasy 7, I'm sorry I'm late
After all these years, finally hopping into Final Fantasy 7 was weird, but in the best way. Instead of discovering something new, it was like I was finally filling in the blanks of a story I'd only heard in passing.
From that first close-up on Cloud's face in the FF7 remake, I had goosebumps. It was so obvious that this moment was deliberately created to give fans of the original the re-introduction they've been waiting decades for. And even without my own memories of Cloud, that feeling washed over me like a wave of borrowed nostalgia, and my excitement continued to build with each passing moment.
And then at some point during my playthrough, it clicked. I finally understand why Final Fantasy 7 has endured for nearly 30 years. Why Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth have become bigger than the FF franchise. And most importantly, a world I had never experienced for myself still managed to feel like home.
Each character was unique and completely out there, and I couldn't wait to learn more about them. I desperately needed to know Cloud's backstory and understand his relationship with Sephiroth. I wanted to know Barrett, Marilyn's father, not just Barrett, the vigilante.
What started the avalanche? What was Sephiroth's ultimate goal and how will they stop him? The questions never stopped, and the more I discovered, the more I wanted to know. The time spent with these characters didn't feel like enough, and I began to panic at how quickly the chapters flew by. The world kept growing, and I didn't want to leave it.
I imagine the same feeling is why the community has worked together to keep it alive for so many years. So, I may have arrived here 30 years late, with a bag full of spoilers, little character knowledge, and a lot of secondhand gameplay advice, but Final Fantasy 7 surprised me in a way that never would have been possible after all this time.
I've seen firsthand that nostalgia isn't the only thing keeping this series alive. Such is the care and passion that the many talented minds at Square Enix put into every part of it. Now, with the Final Fantasy 7 reveal finally on the horizon, I can't wait to share this conclusion with the rest of the community, who I should have heard a long time ago.
