The 'World Soul' or Anima Mundi (in Latin) is the connection between all living things, and like the soul is connected to the human body, it relates to the world as a life force, interacting with each other like neurons in the human brain; it is all one essence, just doing many many things at the same time, interlacing and interconnecting, working together. This can be said for GAIA and her sub-functions in Horizon Zero Dawn, but on a more physical and robotic scale. And for Final Fantasy VII it has the same concept, but more within the spiritual realm, especially in the final moments of the game.
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