Summary
Since its launch in 1997,Final Fantasy 7has remained ever-popular. Both the original and remake are beloved, with many gamers around the world claiming it as their favorite video game. Final Fantasy 7 is so popular, in fact, that you can find tons of references to it.
Some references are quite simple, such as mentioning Cloud, while others can be quite complex. Regardless of the reference’s depth, it’s always exciting to see Final Fantasy 7 appear in other games. Here, you can check out the best Final Fantasy 7 references in video games.
This does not include characters physically appearing in other games, such as Cloud being in Kingdom Hearts.
8The Simpsons Game
In 2007,The Simpsons Gamelaunched, based on the popular television show. Within the level “Big Super Happy Fun Fun Game”, you may find floating heads that reference a specific evil corporation. The name of this corporation? Rin Sha, of course! This name comes from Shinra, which has a huge presence in Final Fantasy 7.
Interestingly, there are a few other Final Fantasy references in this level. For example, the flying boat in this level is a reference to the flying Airship from the series. This makes sense though, as this entire level is packed full of references, with many being from Japanese media.
7Astro’s Playroom
Astro’s Playroomis a game that comes with every PlayStation 5. It’s meant to help you understand the limits of the console, while also having some fun at the same time. The game itself is absolutely packed with references to games on the console. So obviously, Final Fantasy 7 made an appearance.
In the Turbo Trail section of SSD Speedway, you can findthe Buster Sword sticking out of the ground, with the light perfectly shining down. Around the sword, you can find several bots looking at it. The sword towers over the bots, making them look comically small.
6The Last Of Us Part One
Final Fantasy 7 references have even made their way to games likeThe Last of Us. In the first part of the game, within chapter eight, you can find a poster depicting Cloud and Tifa, with Japanese text saying “Stargazer”.
In the poser, Cloud and Tifa are cuddling together, with the word Stargazer being a reference to Stargazer Heights. This location is an apartment buildingwhere you can find Tifa, giving the location relevance in The Last of Us Part One reference.
5World of Warcraft
World of Warcrafthas been around for a very long time, although not quite as long as Final Fantasy. With numerous video game references in thispopular MMORPG, it’s no wonder that Final Fantasy 7 has made its mark.
In the city of Dalaran, you can find a Blood Elf named Koraud and a human named Aerith Primrose. This, of course, is a reference to Cloud and Aerith. Koraud serves as the bodyguard for Aerith Primrose, who is a florist in Runeweaver Square.
4Terraria
Terrariais another game filled with references. One weapon that you can acquire in this 2D sandbox game is the Breaker Blade, which is strikingly similar to Cloud’s Buster Sword.
The Breaker Blade even has two little spots near the handle; one green and one red. These represent the spots where you may put Materia orbs. Interestingly, this is one of the largest swords in the game, with other two other weapons surpassing its size.
3Yakuza 6
Deep down, we all think that Sephiroth is dreamy. Apparently, so do the characters ofYakuza 6. Within this game, you’ll get the chance to talk to a hostess, who begins describing a man she likes. This man is none other than Sephiroth, and she says, “His beautiful, straight, silver hair cascades down to his waist, and his sword is longer than he is”.
If you’re unsure about this reference, she even follows it up by saying that “he’s the villain of an RPG I played when I was younger”. There is no doubt that this is Sephiroth. Rather than being a real character in the game, Final Fantasy 7 is also a video game in the Yakuza world.
2Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve launched just one year after Final Fantasy 7, but it was also developed by Square (this was before the company merged with Enix, becomingSquare Enix). In this game, you can find a poster depicting artwork of Cloud and Aerith by Yoshitaka Amano. This is an artist who has worked on many Final Fantasy games.
This art originally came from the Final Fantasy 7: Original Soundtrack booklet. If you’ve played the Parasite Eve sequel, you’re able to also find a reference here. Within a laboratory, you can interact with a computer that has a virus, with the anti-virus being called ‘Cloud’. It also seems that more information about the virus can be found in a book called ‘Aeris’.
1Grand Theft Auto 4
Lastly, we have a Final Fantasy 7 reference inGrand Theft Auto4. In this game, you can watch an anime called “Princess Robot Bubblegum”, which seems to be a parody of Final Fantasy 7. In this anime, Princess Robot Bubblegum encounters a hero named ‘Sword Boy’, who carries a giant sword and is wearing an outfit filled with belts and buckles.
This parody of Cloud is seeking to defeat the Shogun of Teppanyaki, as he was the cause of an incident that killed his parents. The parallels between Cloud, his parents, and Sephiroth are obvious here.
