When you think of a fairy tale, what comes to mind? A medieval European setting, with soaring castle spires, imposing forests, brave knights, and fair maidens?
Your first example probably wouldn’t be a video game from the late 1990s that opens with a group of eco-terrorists planning to bomb an electricity plant. And yet, Final Fantasy 7 has tons of narrative elements plucked directly from fairy tales — and it’s likely part of the reason this story has continued to resonate with players for nearly three decades.
But Square Enix’s beloved adventure goes a step further, giving us an ensemble cast of flawed and fascinating characters who wouldn’t be out of place in a prestige TV drama. The anime-inspired aesthetics might be colorful and cute, but FF7 isn’t a kids story — it’s a fairy tale for adults. Here are seven reasons why.
Whether it’s the Knights of the Round Table or Cinderella , one of the most recognizable tropes of a fairy tale is a castle at the center of it all, which represents strength, wealth, security, and the prevailing social order. FF7 may not have Camelot, but it does have Midgar, the epicenter of the Shinra Corporation’s planet-devouring operation and a gleaming metal monument to its power. Sure, it’s a lot larger than a typical castle, but it’s got soaring towers in the form of Mako reactors and the skyscraper at the center of it all. It’s even got a pseudo-royal family in the form of President Shinra, his son Rufus, and a gaggle of dipshit henchmen.
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