THEATRHYTHM THURSDAY: the FINAL FANTASY VII series
This week, we’re highlighting the incredible music from FINAL FANTASY VII, FINAL FANTASY VII Advent Children and FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE that will put you on cloud nine.Welcome to another THEATRHYTHM THURSDAY.
Today, we’re taking an audio tour through a game series that needs no introduction: FINAL FANTASY VII.
THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE contains music from multiple titles in the series: the original FINAL FANTASY VII, FINAL FANTASY VII Advent Children, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, LAST ORDER: FINAL FANTASY and CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII–.
We’ve talked about CRISIS CORE already (read that here), so today we’re going to take you through three more works from the series. Grab some headphones and let’s go.
FINAL FANTASY VII
If you’re a fan of videogame music, you’ll have listened to FINAL FANTASY VII’s music before - on CDs, vinyl, streaming, in concerts, and of course, in the game itself. It’s often cited as one of the greatest game soundtracks of all time - and with good reason.
In THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE, you get to interact with multiple tracks from that original game:
- Aerith's Theme (BMS/EMS)
- Opening - Bombing Mission (BMS)
- Let the Battles Begin! (BMS)
- Fight On! (BMS)
- The Chase (FMS)
- Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (FMS)
- Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony (FMS)
- JENOVA (BMS)
- Gold Saucer (FMS)
- Cosmo Canyon (FMS)
- The Highwind Takes to the Skies (FMS)
- Judgment Day (FMS)
- Birth of a God (BMS)
- One-Winged Angel (BMS)
Every one of these tracks is incredible, and we could fill a book gushing over them. But for the sake of brevity, let’s focus on just a couple of our favorites:
Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (FMS)
Exploring the world of Gaia has always been a joy, thanks in large part to FINAL FANTASY VII’s remarkable main theme.
This wide-ranging track conjures the sense of adventure and near boundless scale that blew fans away when the game first released on the original PlayStation - and continues to do so today.
Aerith’s Theme (BMS / EMS)
Playing through THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE will evoke many memories of adventures, battles, and characters from throughout the FINAL FANTASY series. But not all of them will be happy.
Aerith’s Theme is a powerful track that perfectly captures the flower girl from the slum’s strength of will, and inherent sense of loneliness. It’s one of the most famous tracks from FINAL FANTASY VII, used in some pivotal moments that… well, if you know, you know.
Making it a Battle Music Stage in THEATHRHYTHM is clever… if a little cruel perhaps. It’s hard to get an SSS ranking when your eyes are bleary from tears…
FINAL FANTASY VII Advent Children
In 2005, fans were brought back to the world of FINAL FANTASY VII with a brand new animated movie.
Advent Children continued the story of Cloud, as he faced the emergence of three oddly Sephiroth-esque adversaries, the return of Shinra and his own feelings of guilt and helplessness.
The movie featured new versions of the original game’s classic tracks but added its own as well to create a unique soundscape. Many of these memorable tracks can be played as music stages in THEATRHYTHM:
- Advent: One-Winged Angel (BMS/EMS)
- Those Who Fight (Piano Version) (BMS)
- Beyond the Wasteland (BMS)
- Aerith's Theme (Piano Version) (FMS)
- Battle in the Forgotten City (BMS)
- Divinity II (BMS)
- J-E-N-O-V-A (AC Version) (BMS)
Cloud Smiles (FMS)
Let’s listen to a couple:
Divinity II (BMS)
The battle with Bahamut Sin is one of the standout sequences in FINAL FANTASY VII Advent Children. After battling through his demons, Cloud stands ready to defend the world against this massive, summoned threat.
It’s a tough fight, but the young hero has help. All his friends join forces to give him a boost and help take down the monstrosity. Accompanied by this thrilling track by composer Nobuo Uematsu, it’s a real punch the air moment!
Cloud Smiles (FMS)
It’s fair to say that Cloud goes through some… challenges over the course of Advent Children. Between Shinra, returning enemies and the geostigma disease ravaging his body, he doesn’t have a lot to laugh and smile about.
So when the day is won, and he’s able to find peace at last, it’s an incredibly cathartic moment. Composer Uematsu palpably captures those feelings of relief and freedom in this uplifting track, which subtly calls back to themes from the original game.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
Revisiting the world of FINAL FANTASY VII was a daunting task for the whole team - and that includes the composers. Working with guidance from Nobuo Uematsu, the team faced the challenge of reinterpreting some of the most beloved music of all time for a brand new generation… and even add to it.
To say they succeeded would be an understatement. The team created an unforgettable soundtrack that built on the work of composer Uematsu but stands proud on its own merits. So many good tracks are included in the game, and many of them are ready to play through in THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE, including:
- FFVII REMAKE: Bombing Mission (BMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: Let the Battles Begin! - A Merc's Job (BMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: The Airbuster (BMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: J-E-N-O-V-A - Quickening (BMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: One-Winged Angel - Rebirth (BMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: Midgar Expressway (FMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: Main Theme of FFVII - Sector 7 Undercity (FMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: Collapsed Expressway (FMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: High Five (BMS)
- FFVII REMAKE: Tifa's Theme - Seventh Heaven (FMS)
Hollow (EMS)
Here are a couple of my personal favorites from the selection:
FFVII REMAKE: The Airbuster (BMS)
Composer Nobuo Uematsu’s iconic boss theme of FINAL FANTASY VII, ‘Fight On!’ features throughout FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE in many different arrangements. In the case of The Airbuster, one of its composers Tadayoshi Makino’s approach appears to have been to go as hard as possible.
Combine thrashing guitars, a ceaseless beat, a bellowing choir and an orchestra turned up to 11, and you get an utterly exhilarating track that can’t help but pump you up for an epic battle.
FFVII REMAKE: One-Winged Angel - Rebirth (BMS)
It’s impossible to pick any song from the original FINAL FANTASY VII as the ‘best’ - there are so many true classics after all. But in terms of popularity, One-Winged Angel is definitely a contender - so its inclusion in FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE had to be done right.
The weight certainly wasn’t lost on one of the song’s composers Yasunori Nishiki. In our FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Revisited series, he explains:
“One-Winged Angel is one of the most important music tracks in my whole life, so when I was asked to arrange it, I felt a great responsibility to make a good version, even if I had to use the rest of my life to do it.”
Fortunately he succeeded. FFVII REMAKE: One-Winged Angel - Rebirth is an incredible track that captures the raw power and fury of Sephiroth in a fresh way. What’s admirable is its restraint - rather than hit us with that choir straight away, the track and the battle build up to the moment. As a result, when it hits it’s incredibly effective.
Ultimately, composer Nishiki says: “I do think I achieved what I set out to do here and created a worthy remake of the track that would not bring shame to my memories of it.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Cue the familiar fanfare because that wraps up another THEATRHYTHM THURSDAY. You’ll be able to experience all these tracks in THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE, which launches February 16, 2023, for PS4 and Nintendo Switch!
Three editions will be available at launch:
Standard Edition: Available physically and digitally, this contains 385 songs from across the FINAL FANTASY series
Digital Deluxe Edition: Contains all songs from the standard edition, plus 27 additional tracks, and Season Pass 1.
Premium Digital Deluxe Edition: Contains all songs from the standard edition, plus 27 additional tracks, and Season Passes 1-3.
All these editions are available to preorder now. All digital preorders come with 15 ProfiCards to use in game:
A new demo for the game is also now available:
To stay up to date with news and information about the game, be sure to follow FINAL FANTASY on social media: