500 Years Later: An Oral History of Final Fantasy VII

by Matt Leone

Featuring over thirty interwoven voices, this beautifully produced book offers unprecedented insight into the creation of the revered PlayStation role-playing game Final Fantasy VII .  500 Years Later offers a thrilling deep dive into the creation of the revered PlayStation RPG Final Fantasy VII . Comprising of over thirty interwoven voices, this beautifully produced book oers unprecedented insight into the craft and ambition behind the game. An extended adaptation of author Matt Leone’s celebrated 27,000-word history, published online by Polygon, this physical version has been enhanced for print, featuring original illustrations by the artist sparrows, eight new standalone interviews, a foreword by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, and design by Rachel Dalton (ex-Spin/Unit Editions). Interviewees include Shigeo Maruyama, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Motonori Sakakibara, Tomoyuki Takechi, Tatsuya Yoshinari, Kyoko Higo, Yoshihiro Maruyama, Hiroshi Kawai, Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura, Kazuyuki Hashimoto, Keith Boesky, Yoshitaka Amano, Shinichiro Kajitani, Darren Smith, Junichi Yanagihara, Shuhei Yoshida, Jun Iwasaki, George Harrison, Hiroki Chiba, Frank Hom, Nobuo Uematsu, Alexander O. Smith, Kazushige Nojima, Seth Luisi, David Bamberger, Elaine Di Iorio, William Chen, Rex Ishibashi, John Riccitiello, Yoichi Wada, and Yusuke Naora. 50 color illustrations

240 pages, Hardcover

Published January 16, 2024

Reviews

[Kyle Hebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book interesting, but also dissatisfying in many ways. It’s not truly an oral history of FF VII. It’s more of a history of Squaresoft leading up to and slightly past the point of FF VII’s release.

I would have loved to hear more about where the characters came from and about early versions of the game.

[Plain Butter Croissant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up with this game, I thought the sense of importance of the game is only as I made it to be; Right on time with my entry to teenage life, it then became an important part of my life, a definitive game, carved deeply into my memories, along with FFVIII and FFIX.

Time moved on since my teenage years, yet Final Fantasy VII names can still be found running through networks of the latest game consoles. Apparently it wasn't only definitive for me, it was also for the overall game world and industry. The birth of the game was a cultural shift not only in Japan but also in the West, where people cares for a game not for its “muscle” but for its story.

am still a fan of the game, though no longer an allnighter player like I used to. I graduated from school, I work, and now in a position of leadership of a company rooted in creativity. The facts that exactly what makes this book resonates, and help me reconnect with the game. The accounts around how the game was built pictured though interviews with key persons of the game development gave me chills. From Hironobu Sakaguchi (the father of FF they said), Nobuo Uematsu, Tetsuya Nomura, and CEOs, VPs, Translators, Marketer, etc of Square companies at that time. It connects, and put things in parallel, of how thrilling and loved the game was for the player and also for those who made it on the background.

It shows as well that sometimes a major cultural icon/key events in the society is not and cant be made, there’s an accumulative effect of effort, believe, idealism, that meet the right moment through sheer luck. To create an important/ impactful work one could only try and be loyal to the work, then see what will happen.

This book makes my heart alight with the longing and desire to create things. Creatively. Passionately. Pushing the edge together with other people, with a team that is comfortable with challenge, and is trying to shoot in the same target/direction to finish in the same place.

[Terry Lakins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting telling on the development and history of Final Fantasy VII. Just like the title suggest this is an oral history book and it doesn't read like a normal novel. It's more of a series of collected interviews, and responses from those who worked on the game. This also includes some before and after stuff to the development, as well as some general history. Due to the structure of this book it's a very light read and can be done in doses without losing your sense of where you were at.

[Bex · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone interested in the industry, and a lifelong fan of FFVII, I thought this was a pretty interesting read. I enjoyed hearing about the industry around Square at the time, especially as I didn't play the game until a good decade after it came out.

[Chad Alexander Guarino da Verona · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 / 5 Sephiroths

[Daniel May · Rating 4 out of 5]

just a bunch of quotes. but they are good quotes. and the order of the quotes... it is excellent.