I’m Surprisingly Excited for Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis

Last week, Square Enix announced the enhanced version of Final Fantasy VII Remake for the PS5, as well as a PS5-exclusive DLC starring Yuffie.

(If you have the PS4 version, you can upgrade your game to the PS5 version for free, although not if you have it through PS+.)

Alongside that news, Square Enix also revealed the truth behind the mysterious trademarks “First Soldier” and “Ever Crisis,” which fans speculated might be related to Final Fantasy VII.

They are, and they’re both mobile games.

I have no interest in Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, which is a mobile battle royale prequel set 30 years ahead of Final Fantasy VII. However, although I was disappointed when I saw both games were mobile, I’ve become much more interested in Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis.

It is a single-player, chapter-based game that covers the entire Final Fantasy VII compilation timeline: Final Fantasy VII, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, Advent Children, and Dirge of Cerberus, along with new story content as well.

Meanwhile, a Famitsu interview about Intergrade, First Soldier, and Ever Crisis, translated here, revealed even more details.

Ever Crisis is a command-based (ATB) JRPG that uses chibi character models in the field and full models in combat. In addition to the compilation titles, it will also cover the First Soldier story and a new prequel scenario written by Nojima about “THAT legendary hero” (presumably Sephiroth).

New chapters will be added each month, and each title will be separate from the others with its own chapters to choose from (so you won’t have to play through the Final Fantasy VII chapters first if you want to play the Advent Children game, for example).

Honestly, that sounds fantastic. I’d love to play through a new turn-based version of all the Final Fantasy VII timeline events, and the trailer calling it “another possibility for a remake” together with Nomura saying it’s the response to people who preferred the command-based battle system sounds like it’s exactly that.

The only thing that has me worried is that the official website says it’s free-to-play with in-app purchases.

I’m hoping that just means you’ll buy new stories or bonus items or something. It doesn’t sound like a gacha game, but that sort of wording always makes me nervous. We should learn more as we get closer, since Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is planned for 2022.

So here I sit, looking forward to a Final Fantasy mobile game. How about you? What do you think of Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, and do you intend to play it?