The original Final Fantasy 7 on PlayStation 1 sold over 10 million units, solidifying it as a very iconic Japanese Role-Playing Game. Its success has led to numerous spin-off games, a movie, and a multiple-part remake. The remake on PlayStation 4 and 5 has found massive success as well.
The original release and remake have many differences in terms of gameplay and story, but they are equally enjoyable and hold a special place in our hearts. Well, this list will help those seeking games that contain similar characters, world design, combat, and otherwise to both versions of the game.
10 Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve is an action horror PS1 game developed by Square Enix. Similar to the original Final Fantasy 7, the combat uses an Active Time Battle bar. A difference, however, is the ability to dodge attacks by moving around while the meter is filling up.
Both series contain many references to each other. A poster of Final Fantasy 7's party members, a Chocobo, and a stuffed Moogle appears in Parasite Eve, while Aya Brea appears on a city mural in Final Fantasy 9. Aya can also fight Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, and many other Final Fantasy legends in Dissidia 012.
9 Super Smash Bros Ultimate
At launch, Cloud, Midgar, and merely two songs were the only Square Enix representation in this massive crossover game. While being able to fight a wide selection of legendary video game characters like Cloud is incredible, the real attraction for Final Fantasy fans comes within the Sephiroth DLC pack.
The one-winged angel brought with himself a new stage, nine additional songs, three Miis, and fourteen Spirits. Cloud's Advent Children alternate costume also received a separate Final Smash animation in a free update. These additions make Super Smash Bros Ultimate much more worthwhile for Final Fantasy 7 fans.
8 Dragon Quest 4
From gameplay to world design, early Final Fantasy games have taken a lot of inspiration from Dragon Quest. The Dragon Quest game that most Final Fantasy 7 fans might enjoy is Dragon Quest 4 because of its similar story and character concepts. Both games give out the message that human greed can lead to a lot of suffering.
Psaro and Sephiroth share more than just a similar appearance. They are both villains that have gained tremendous power through scientific experiments, want to meet a loved one again, and will stop at nothing in their attempt to cause the complete destruction of humankind. Alena is a protagonist for one-fifth of the game's story. She and Tifa are both the physical powerhouses of their respective parties. The best version is the phone port, but the DS version is almost equally good for those who prefer playing on gaming hardware.
7 Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is a time-travel-themed SNES-era RPG. It's considered a younger cousin to Final Fantasy, as it inherited many spells, characters, and weapon names from Square Enix's series. Seeing Wedge, Biggs, and the Masamune will make Final Fantasy fans feel right at home. Additionally, the combat style is Active Time Battle (ATB). Despite being on an older console than the original Final Fantasy 7, Chrono Trigger has many ahead-of-time features.
Rather than having random encounters, it has monsters roaming around the overworld. It is also one of the oldest games with a New Game+ feature. Many of the party members fit similar archetypes to FF7's cast. Ayla is a brutally strong brawler like Tifa, Marle is a strong-willed healer reminiscent of Aerith, and Frog shares Red XIII's role as the nicknamed animal of the group. Chrono Trigger is available on many older systems, but the best version is the DS remake, which adds multiple new endings.
6 Final Fantasy 15
Most older entries in the series use ATB combat, so if you're a newer fan who prefers action combat similar to FF7 Remake, Final Fantasy 15 is the best next game in the series to play. Some attributes of FF7 Remake were actually borrowed from FF15. For instance, the character model of Noctis was used as a base to create Cloud.
Compared to FF7 Remake, FF15 has less focus on puzzle solving. Instead, it focuses on exploration. There's a massive world full of side quests, hidden bosses, and magnificent views that players can explore. It can be played on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For PS5 owners, the Royal Edition is included in the PS+ collection.
5 NieR Replicant Ver 1.22474487139
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NieR Replicant is another Square Enix action game that got a remake recently. With a talking Grimoire, a foul-mouthed intersex warrior, and a friendly young skeleton boy who can turn anyone into stone, the cast of NieR Replicant is uniquely memorable.
Those who enjoyed the Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children movie may enjoy Replicant's declining population plot line. Much like Geostigma, the Black Scrawl is a disease that affects a large majority of humanity in NieR. The remake of Replicant can be found on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
4 Final Fantasy 10
Most Final Fantasy games do not share a connection with each other, but 7 and 10 are an exception. Their main plots have little to do with each other, but they share the same universe. A character named Shines in X-2 does research on planet life energy and talks about traveling to a different planet in the future. Surprisingly, FF7 Remake has a painting of him inside Shinra HQ, implying he created the company.
This shared universe makes it an interesting stand-out within the series, but it's not the only reason to play FF10. If you enjoy summons and the character romance aspect from FF7, FF10's summon lore and romance focus are some of the best Final Fantasy has to offer. The HD remaster can be played on all modern consoles.
3 Final Fantasy 7 ~Crisis Core~
Out of Final Fantasy 7's many spin-offs, Crisis Core is the best one. It is a prequel that focuses on Cloud's best friend, Zack Fair. The combat style is action, so it may be more interesting to those that prefer FF7 Remake's gameplay.
Even if you prefer the original's combat style, you would not want to miss out on Crisis Core's extended Shinra experiment lore, the deeper look at how Sephiroth was before he became evil, and one of the most emotional endings in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. The original release was stuck on PSP for a while, but the remake is accessible to fans on all modern consoles.
2 Kingdom Hearts
The Kingdom Hearts series is a crossover between Square Enix and Disney. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Cid, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and a plethora of characters from other Final Fantasy entries make appearances in early Kingdom Hearts games. Additionally, many spells and a few Keyblade names were inspired by Final Fantasy. Fans of FF7 Remake's gameplay will greatly appreciate Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3's combo-heavy combat.
You will, however, have to play every game in the order of release to understand the narrative. This includes non-numbered games like Chain of Memories, Birth By Sleep, and Dream Drop Distance. The entire series is bundled together in a collection called the All-In-One-Package. It is available on all modern platforms, but the Nintendo Switch version is cloud-based, meaning you will need a very stable internet connection to play. However, it is much more enjoyable on other platforms.
1 Xenogears
Xenogears was originally pitched as the story for Final Fantasy 7 but was rejected due to its much darker storytelling that Squaresoft did not think fit the series' tone. They later considered it for a possible Chrono Trigger sequel before ultimately deciding to make Xenogears its own series. It is a must-play for Final Fantasy 7 fans that want to experience what the game's story could've been like if it had kept the originally pitched concept.
Both games make reference to each other. Xenogears contains a Tifa poster on a wall, while Cloud mentions Xenogears by name in an optional dialogue. The world design makes exploration in Xenogears fit in perfectly with all PS1 Final Fantasy games. PS3 and PSP are the newest consoles on which you can play Xenogears.