Summary
Cloud Strife has easily become the mostrecognizable characterin theFinal Fantasyfranchise. After his initial appearance in 1997, Cloud has appeared in many games, from brief cameos to side character content to being a fully playable character. He has taken over as the poster boy for the franchise.
This topic looks at everyFinal Fantasygamein which Cloud appears as a playable character. While there are several games not mentioned in this list that he appears in, these are predominantly ones in which Cloud cameos or is available as a summon rather than a full player character. Cloud also appears in several non-Final Fantasygames, which won’t be mentioned.
The game that started the Cloud craze,Final Fantasy 7and its subsequent remake trilogy, are beloved by many and familiar to even those who have never played a singleFinal Fantasytitle. Not only did these games introduce the world to Cloud, who would become the franchise’s most playable character across its many spin-off titles, but also his nemesis Sephiroth, another fan favorite. The original 1997 game was the first in the series to embrace 3D graphics. It still maintains the turn-based nature of previous games (utilizing the Active Time Battle system), which sets it apart from its predecessors.
While the modern remakes have transitioned to real-time action-based combat, as was fully introduced inFinal Fantasy 15, they still keep much of the charm of the world the original game introduced. It is impossible to avoid the cultural impact of these games and the way they catapulted Cloud Strife to stardom.
These are two slightly lesser-known games, being exclusive mobile spin-off titles.Final Fantasy 7 Snowboardingwas available on specific phone models between 2005 and 2012 in North America, and 2008 and 2018 in Japan. It was a remake of the mini-game available in the Gold Saucer inFinal Fantasy 7, in which the player took control of Cloud as he followed a snowboarding track, dodging Moogles and collecting balloons.
Final Fantasy 7 G-Bikewas a similar mobile-only game that remade a minigame fromFinal Fantasy 7in which the player could control a character on a bike as they followed a course, destroying enemies and avoiding obstacles. This game is, sadly, also unplayable now, as it was shut down in 2015, just over a year after its release.
Returning to more mainstream entries,Final Fantasy Tacticsis a tactical-RPG developed by Square for the PlayStation, which has been rereleased on the PSP asFinal Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. The player takes control of Ramza Beoulve, who must recruit party members to help him fight against an evil plot within Glabados Church, with gameplay that requires the player to strategize and account for various factors in each battle, making for an interesting and in-depth gameplay experience.
Cloud is available as a character to recruit as a party member and a playable character through the completion of a side quest in which both he and Aerith are summoned from their world. He is a powerful party member, able to utilize all his skills fromFinal Fantasy 7,which can add a nice power boost to Ramza’s party.
Dissidia Final Fantasyand its subsequent sequels are aspin-off series of fighting gamesthat allow players to pit fan-favorite characters from theFinal Fantasyfranchise against each other in a one-on-one fight. With a simple plot revolving around two gods summoning warriors to fight their war for them, the original game is predominantly focused on its gameplay, which is good enough to carry the experience.
Cloud is one of the many warriors chosen to fight, taking a main role in the narrative until he decides to step back, questioning the reasons behind the war and fighting. He appears as calm and collected as ever, being a rock for the others chosen to seek the crystals, but ultimately wishes to stop fighting wars in the name of others.
Like many of the entries on this list,Theatrhythm Final Fantasyand its sequels,Curtain CallandAll-Star Carnival, areunique spin-off games that revolve around some new and gimmicky format for the franchise. TheTheatrhythmfranchise is a hybrid rhythm-action game in which the player must use the 3DS stylus to tap and hold the screen in time with the notes to fight enemies.
Cloud appears in all three and is the default playable character in the first two. He appears in the series’s signature chibi style, with several alternative outfits that harken to his different appearances throughoutFinal Fantasyhistory.
Pictlogica Final Fantasyis a somewhat gimmicky entry, comprised of a once available mobile game in which players must solve puzzles to have their party fight the various enemies that appear in waves. While the mobile edition of this game was shut down in 2018, there was a version released inJapan for the 3DS that allows players to play offline, and therefore still exists for the puzzle-savvyFinal Fantasyfans out there.
Cloud appears as one of the many available party members, with appearances based onFinal Fantasy 7,Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children,andCrisis Core - Final Fantasy 7-. He wields his signature Buster Sword in both his portrait and sprite forms.
Final Fantasy: All The Bravestis the most recent example on this list of apreviously mobile-exclusive game that has been shut down. The game itself consisted of 2D touch-based combat, meaning the player simply tapped on the sprite of the character they wished to use, and it would automatically attack an enemy on the screen. It was a very simple game, with little strategy involved other than party building.
Cloud was a character that could be randomly purchased from the premium shop, meaning a player would have to spend real money for the chance to play as him. As one of thirty-five available characters, the chances were slim for Cloud to appear for any given player, with many other notableFinal Fantasyfaces appearing to fill out the roster.
The final entry isFinal Fantasy Record Keeper, yet another game unavailable to the Western gaming audience.Record Keeperwas a social-roleplaying game in which players could relive memorable battles from the history ofFinal Fantasy,with the twist that the player could assemble their own party of characters, old and new, for each adventure.
UnlikeAll The Bravest,Record Keepergave the player a surefire way to obtain Cloud as a playable member of the party, with him joining once the player clears the Mako Reactor No.5 stage for the first time. Being a moment fromFinal Fantasy 7, this is a fitting way to memorialize the game and bring Cloud into this cute game-based homage to the franchise.Record Keeperis still available to Japanese players, making it one of the few games in which Cloud is still a playable character.
