Final Fantasy

The story focuses on Shinra Inc., an evil mega-corporation responsible for all the world's high technology. Shinra supports this technology with Mako Energy, Shinra's patented source of power. Unfortunately, Mako is the lifeblood of the living planet and by using it up Shinra is slowly upsetting the balance of nature.

In comes AVALANCHE, a rebel group of disenfranchised citizens who have taken it upon themselves to oppose Shinra's ambitions. The main character is an ex-Shinra soldier named Cloud Strife, an angst-ridden fellow with a complex history that is explained as the game goes on. Cloud joins up with AVALANCHE as a mercenary for hire, and together they take on Shinra's maniacal executives and their army of shock-troops, robots, and mutants. However, after a while, it becomes apparent that there are other forces at work, and ultimately Cloud must not only fight against Shinra but also stop a powerful man from his past from destroying the world.

Each character has a set of unique attacks called "Limit Breaks". By sustaining enough damage without dying, a character's Limit Gauge builds up, which can be expended to do a highly damaging attack when filled. More powerful Limit Breaks are unlocked as previous ones are used, and acquiring the most powerful Limit Break of each character will require the completion of sub-quests.

The game features 3D character models, pre-rendered backgrounds with varying camera angles, and CG movies used as cutscenes. The world map navigation and battle screens are done in 3D, while mini-games are optional. Players can explore the game world using various vehicles that gradually become accessible as they progress through the game.