Square Enix
PlayStation 5
IN 1997, the world鈥檚 nations met in Japan to sign the Kyoto protocol, the first global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But this wasn鈥檛 Japan鈥檚 only big contribution to the environmental movement that year, as 1997 also saw the release of Final Fantasy VII, a game that wears its eco-consciousness on its sleeve and is widely regarded as one of the best ever made.
For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy spans 16 鈥渕ain鈥� games to date, each set in its own fictional universe and accompanied by a dizzying array of spin-offs. But don鈥檛 let that scare you off, as you can ignore the numbering and treat each game on its own merits.
Advertisement
FFVII follows the story of Cloud Strife, a spiky-haired mercenary with an improbably large sword. He joins an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche that is fighting Shinra, an evil power company (also Cloud鈥檚 former employer). Shinra鈥檚 goal is to exploit 鈥渕ako鈥�, a form of energy derived from the spiritual essence of the planet. We aren鈥檛 exactly dealing with subtle metaphor, but for hordes of fans, it was an introduction to ideas that resonate even more strongly now.
I never played the original, as I didn鈥檛 own a PlayStation, but the game is so loved that its developer, Square Enix, has been remaking it as an updated and expanded trilogy. The first, Final Fantasy VII Remake, released in 2020, covers the exploits of Cloud and co. in a city called Midgar. The group bombs a Shinra mako reactor and flees in pursuit of Sephiroth, Cloud鈥檚 former commander, out to take control of the mako.
The latest game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, picks up the story and sees you on a mission to find and stop Sephiroth. This focus on exploration reinforces the game鈥檚 environmental theme, as debates about exploiting natural resources hit much harder when you are running around beautifully rendered locales marred by industrial infrastructure.
It is worth examining mako, and how different interpretations alter its message. Both the name and appearance of mako reactors point to a nuclear analogue 鈥� driven home in Rebirth when you find a destroyed reactor near the home town of Barret, the most anti-mako member of the group.
Personally, I view nuclear power as incredibly safe and think it is a shame anti-nuclear sentiment has derailed efforts to tackle climate change by hobbling a carbon-free source of energy. After the 2011 , for example, which , Germany mothballed its nuclear fleet. As a result, its annual CO2 soared by 100 million tonnes, adding an estimated 1100 deaths a year .
That is why I prefer to read mako as oil, a non-renewable liquid extracted from below Earth鈥檚 surface and derived from the lifestream of all living things. Squint a bit and it isn鈥檛 dissimilar to oil鈥檚 ancient organic origins.
The FFVII world also features mako-derived 鈥渕ateria鈥� that provides its people with magical powers, in the way that petroleum products make up many trappings of our world. During a visit to a Las Vegas-like amusement park, there is even a discussion on whether such a frivolous use of mako energy can be justified.
But whichever interpretation you choose, it is clear FFVII wants us to think about our impact on the planet. To do that while telling an epic story of magic, friendship and much more shows why the game deserves its classic status.
Jacob also recommends鈥�
Free Lives
PC, Android, iOS
An anti-city-builder that I reviewed last year, in which you rewild landscapes by removing human-made infrastructure to restore natural habitats.
Thatgamecompany
PC, PlayStation 3, 4 and Vita, iOS
Play as the wind as you whip up swirling petals in this delightful meditation on the natural world.
Jacob Aron is New Scientist鈥檚 news editor. Follow him on聽X聽@jjaron
