Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
Developer(s)Applibot
Square Enix Creative Business Unit I
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Motomu Toriyama[1]
Tetsuya Nomura
Producer(s)Shoichi Ichikawa
Designer(s)Yuji Abe
Nobuyuki Matsuoka
Artist(s)Shintaro Takai
Lisa Fujise
Toshiaki Watanabe
Writer(s)Kazushige Nojima
Sachie Hirano
Series
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Android, iOS
  • September 7, 2023
  • Windows
  • December 7, 2023
Genre(s)Role-playing, Gacha game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis[a] is a role-playing video game developed by Applibot and Square Enix, who also publishes it for Android, iOS and Windows. It forms part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a series of media spin-offs from the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII.

It is a mobile gacha game that reimagines the timeline of Final Fantasy VII and the Compilation. It launched on September 7, 2023 for Android and iOS, followed by Windows via Steam on December 7 of the same year.

Content

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is a mobile game. Planned to be released in monthly episodic installments, the game retells events from the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII, and all canon titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII media franchise, including the film Advent Children and the video games Before Crisis, Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus.[2][3] The game also features an original storyline focusing on three new characters, Glenn, Matt, and Lucia, that expands on the backstory of The First Soldier and on Sephiroth's past. The game borrows several presentational elements from Final Fantasy VII Remake and Crisis Core Reunion. Chapters can be freely selected from a timeline, allowing players to jump between different entries in the series. The battle system draws from the original game's Active Time Battle system.[4] Character voices are only available in Japanese. The title is free to play, but offers loot boxes that include random selections of weapons and costumes.[5]

Development

Ever Crisis forms part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a collection of media which expands the universe and narrative of Final Fantasy VII.[4] Ever Crisis is developed by Applibot and Square Enix who also publish it.

Its staff features Shoichi Ichikawa as producer, Kazushige Nojima as story & scenario writer, Yoshinori Kitase as executive producer, Tetsuya Nomura as creative director,[6] Motomu Toriyama as director, Shintaro Takai as graphics & vfx director, Lisa Fujise as character illustrator, Yuji Abe as game design director, Sachie Hirano as lead scenario writer, Toshiaki Watanabe as lead character artist and Nobuyuki Matsuoka as battle designer.

The Compilation originally only included four official titles, concluding with Crisis Core in 2007.[7] Beginning with the 2020 remake, Kitase revived the Compilation and put multiple spin-off projects into production, including Ever Crisis.[4][8]

Nomura described Ever Crisis as an alternate remake of Final Fantasy VII. In addition to remaking the original storylines, original scenario writer Kazushige Nojima incorporated new material including the backstory of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier and stories from the childhoods of various Final Fantasy VII characters.[4][9]

The graphics were described by Square Enix as a "nostalgic visual twist" on the super-deformed or "chibi" graphical style of Final Fantasy VII.[3] Nomura originally wanted the character portraits to be 3D rendered moving portraits, but technical constraints forced the team to use 2D artwork. These portraits and other character artwork were created by Lisa Fujise. Voice acting was under consideration, with the mobile platform's technical limitations needing to be taken into account.[4] Nomura also noted that the games vary widely in technology, style, and mechanics, and this title allows the games to be presented in a unified package.[9] The music also features new arrangements.[10] It marks the Western debut of Before Crisis, which was previously exclusive to Japan.[11]

Ever Crisis was first hinted at in January 2021 with trademark registrations of the title in Japan, North America, Europe and Australia. The title followed naming conventions for the Compilation.[12] The game was later unveiled in February alongside the PlayStation 5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake, known as Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, and the battle royale mobile spin-off title Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier.[2][6] It was planned for worldwide release, excluding mainland China & SEA, starting with a closed beta version in 2022,[6] but was later delayed to summer 2023.[13] A closed beta test ran from July 6 to 13. Ever Crisis was released on September 7, 2023,[14] followed by a Windows release on December 7 of the same year.[15]

Reception

By November 2023, Ever Crisis had surpassed seven million downloads.[16]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVII エバークライシス, Hepburn: Fainaru Fantajī Sebun: Ebā Kuraishisu

References

  1. ^ "『FF7 エバークライシス』少年セフィロスも登場する新規物語に注目。ゲームの基本を紹介しつつ開発陣インタビューもお届け【先出し週刊ファミ通】". September 6, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Yin-Poole, Wesley (February 26, 2021). "Square Enix announces two new Final Fantasy 7 mobile games". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Bankhurst, Adam (February 25, 2021). "Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier and Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis Announced for Mobile". IGN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e PS5『FF7 リメイク』＆スマホ『FF7』関連作を野村哲也氏にインタビュー。ユフィを使ったバトルやヴァイス登場の由来、PS5の機能の活用に迫る. Famitsu (in Japanese). February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Purslow, Matt (March 19, 2021). "Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis Will Be Free-To-Play, Supported by Loot Boxes". IGN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c 【FF7EC】スマホ『FF7 エバークライシス』発表。コンピレーションを含めた『FFVII』すべての物語が楽しめるコマンドバトルRPG. Famitsu (in Japanese). February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Leone, Matt (January 9, 2017). "Final Fantasy 7: An oral history". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania (in Japanese). Tokyo: Studio Bentstuff. April 28, 2020. ISBN 978-4-7575-6586-9.
  9. ^ a b Tolentino, Josh (March 17, 2021). "Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis Story Chapters Will Be Free-to-Play". Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Fuller, Alex (March 17, 2021). "Tetsuya Nomura Provides Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Ever Crisis Info". RPGamer. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  11. ^ Gach, Ethan (February 26, 2021). "Square Enix Is Finally Making The Final Fantasy VII Cinematic Universe Playable". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Romano, Sal (January 11, 2021). "Square Enix trademarks Ever Crisis, The First Soldier, and Shinra logo in Japan [Update 4]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Madnani, Mikhail (2022-12-12). "'Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis' Gets New Gameplay Trailer, Closed Beta Test Delayed to Summer 2023". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  14. ^ @FFVII_EC_EN (August 10, 2023). "Release Date Announcement!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-08-11 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Romano, Sal (September 26, 2023). "Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis coming to PC". Gematsu. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis tops 7 million downloads - News".

External links

Games directed by Tetsuya Nomura
Final Fantasy VII and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Categories