Throughout the better Remaining Fantasy continuum, the Remaining Fantasy VII model has solid an id of its personal for a few years. Spin-off titles corresponding to Dirge of Cerberus, Introduction Youngsters, and Disaster Core helped flesh out overarching narratives and proved highly regarded with followers. Now, Sq. Enix‘s consideration is seemingly as soon as once more transfixed on Remaining Fantasy VII‘s supporting properties. Alongside Remaining Fantasy VII Remake and the upcoming Remaining Fantasy VII Rebirth, we’ve additionally seen a remaster of Disaster Core and, err, Remaining Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. As a result of all of us needed a cell MOBA sport primarily based on a critically profitable RPG! I digress, however following scorching on the heels of 1 failed-and-already-closed-down cell sport, we now have Remaining Fantasy VII Ever Disaster! 

Let’s reduce straight to the chase: Ever Disaster is the Remaining Fantasy VII universe, gacha-fied. The premise is to witness occasions from Remaining Fantasy VII, Disaster Core, and The First Soldier in digestible story chunks. It’s designed from the bottom as much as play like a cell sport — regardless of varied types of advertising and marketing obscuring this truth, it’s not a “remake” of any of the Remaining Fantasy VII properties. You choose a mission from a menu, a cutscene performs, and an auto-battle follows. Rinse, repeat. That’s the primary construction. Some areas are barely fleshed out to be “dungeons,” however they’re solely two or three screens in size and are largely simply there for flavour.

You play by means of them within the story missions, which additionally unlocks them formally as replayable Criterion Dungeons. It’s cute sufficient to romp by means of acquainted areas as soon as extra, however the immersion issue is basically absent. Even iconic areas corresponding to the primary Mako Reactor from the opening sequence of Remaining Fantasy VII really feel like little greater than tick-boxes of obtained loot and battles fought. It’s a humorous factor, actually; most subject maps in RPGs are only a visible set dressing for cutscenes, battles, or opening chests, but their presentation in Ever Disaster rings a contact extra hole than conventional RPGs. I suppose, when the remainder of the sport is navigating menus, it makes one surprise if superficial explorable areas are mandatory.

It’s unlucky that loads of the advertising and marketing for Remaining Fantasy VII: Ever Disaster appears to painting the sport as a one-for-one remake of the unique sport with up to date subject map and battle graphics when that’s merely not the case. Nonetheless, regardless of the jarring nature of a beloved sport and two of its spin-offs reconstructed in a really middling cell format, it’s pleasing having these aspect tales accessible with a constant supply. I didn’t even realise The First Soldier had a storyline till I performed Ever Disaster, nor that it’s thought-about canon alongside Disaster Core. I believe that is the largest takeaway of the sport for individuals who aren’t within the inevitable grind and energy creep of cell video games.

The order wherein story segments change into out there is staggered throughout the three video games, so that you begin with a piece of Remaining Fantasy VII, then transfer throughout to what’s at present out there for Disaster Core (i.e., little or no), after which spend a while with The First Soldier. It’s a contemporary method that may most likely be extra pleasing to these already accustomed to at the very least one of many video games. It fully shakes up how the narrative is delivered and means you’re fascinated by totally different story components from throughout the IP. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless rehashing storylines that we already know, they usually’re clearly going to be drip-fed to us over a very long time interval to maintain the sport sustainable as a stay service.

Certainly one of Ever Disaster‘s simple robust factors is its visible presentation. The graphics in non-combat scenes are closely influenced by Remaining Fantasy VII‘s beloved model however up to date to make extra sense with trendy character fashions. These are extra detailed; gone are the blocky fingers and three-piece ponytails of yore. Among the influence from particular animations is misplaced — Yuffie’s repeating intestine punch springs to thoughts — however I believe this highlights what a superb job the unique Remaining Fantasy VII crew did to create such memorable moments with their comparatively restricted know-how. The fight graphics additionally mirror Remaining Fantasy VII‘s method of getting way more element and reasonable character fashions. Those utilized in Ever Disaster are paying homage to these seen in Remaining Fantasy VII Remake. They’ve a barely PS3-era vibe to them, which could possibly be to maintain necessities decrease for various cell units or just because free-to-play video games are there to generate income whereas having shoestring budgets.

Having such lush pre-rendered backgrounds and sparkly battle graphics made me want only one factor: that Sq. Enix had given the newer releases of Remaining Fantasy VII, Remaining Fantasy VIII Remastered, and Remaining Fantasy IX the identical consideration. I can respect that we’re speaking about totally totally different builders right here, with Remaining Fantasy VII: Ever Disaster developed by Applibot somewhat than in-house at Sq. Enix. The trouble that Applibot put into these visuals highlights how way more work Sq. Enix might have finished on the trendy variations of their traditional catalogue, however I’m certain somebody in a board assembly is aware of extra about that type of factor than I do. After which there’s that lingering bitter style that Ever Disaster‘s preliminary advertising and marketing appeared to wish to push the sport to be one thing that it wasn’t (a remaster consistent with Remaining Fantasy Remake), but retaining extra classically-inspired graphics: one thing akin to Remaining Fantasy XV: Pocket Version. 

This can come as no shock to anybody who’s accustomed to music from the Remaining Fantasy VII video games, however the accompaniments in Remaining Fantasy VII Ever Disaster are excellent. With an exquisite pool to attract from (haha gacha pun), each monitor ranges from instrumental updates to all-out preparations of the unique soundtrack. It was attention-grabbing to listen to interpretations of tracks used recurrently in Remaining Fantasy VII however maybe not a lot in Remake, such because the World Map theme. And that’s not even touching the music from Disaster Core and First Soldier, which holds up exceptionally effectively when in comparison with Nobuo Uematsu‘s iconic mainline compositions.

It’d be remiss of me to gloss over Ever Disaster‘s monetisation schemes, however they’re just about the business customary at this level. I’ve talked about beforehand that the sport utilises a gacha system; whereas that is true, it isn’t the traditional apply of drawing for characters. All the characters are unlocked totally free with the gacha in place to attract their weapons. On the floor, this can be a kindness, and sure, it means everybody can play their favorite character with out breaking the financial institution. It’s rather less consumer-friendly while you scratch the floor, nonetheless, and see the weapon attracts for what they’re: the one actual option to strengthen your character. That you must acquire a number of duplicates of weapons to advance their rarity and unlock their degree caps to pursue the perpetual objective of strengthening your characters. Additional proof on this level is characters’ capability to equip a number of weapons concurrently, with every weapon granting talents and stat boosts relying on their slot. That’s loads of gacha attracts.

Additional monetisation ways embody the omnipresent season go, with rewards starting from Gil to improve supplies and, actually, not a lot else. It’s very boring, but limits your development behind a paywall. Nothing on the season go is unobtainable by means of common gameplay, however with the same old restraints corresponding to Stamina and each day quests, you’re realistically time-gated with how rapidly you can also make any significant progress. This received’t be a problem for individuals keen to take issues slowly; as with all cell sport, you may expertise the story totally free, and paying actual cash would solely enchantment to these with restricted restraint (corresponding to myself) or a want to play competitively.

Other than the season go, there are additionally choices to purchase premium foreign money, which you should use for premium currency-gated gacha spins. Sure, this sport differentiates between foreign money you’ve earned in-game and paid foreign money, and the builders will not be afraid to discriminate which banners you may take part in primarily based on how a lot you wish to spend. “Free” foreign money is available in at an abysmally sluggish fee when you’ve gotten previous the preliminary sugar rush of Present Field redemptions, which is a reasonably embarrassing hook-line-and-sinker tactic for coaching gamers to consider they should pay. Professional tip: you don’t. The extra we collectively push again towards predatory monetisation ways like this, the much less financially profitable such practices might be, and the extra these video games will flop, maybe indicating to builders that their prospects deserve high quality video games as an alternative of being groomed into gamblers. You may say it’s not that deep, however it’s, and it’s why video games like this both thrive or crash and burn.

Anyway, doom and gloom apart, Ever Disaster has loads of story alternatives for these within the Remaining Fantasy VII universe. It breaks narrative factors up into digestible chunks, and whereas there may be restricted content material out there at launch, it might doubtlessly cowl three video games’ price of full storylines sooner or later sooner or later. I wouldn’t maintain my breath on this occurring anytime quickly. What’s going to they do when the video games’ storylines are full? Make up new ones? It leaves an uncertainty that makes me query the longevity of this title, however on the similar time, will probably be a enjoyable little sport to play alongside the Remake releases. All cell video games, nay, all stay service video games generally, should come to an finish sooner or later, and if this could hold going till the third and last Remake installment, then it’ll have served a goal. From what I’ve seen to this point, the First Soldier storyline is compelling and drew me in simply as a lot as any of the opposite Remaining Fantasy VII arcs, however as soon as this cell sport is closed down it’ll, as soon as once more, vanish perpetually. It’s a disgrace Sq. Enix isn’t concerned with investing these storylines into extra tangible and everlasting video games, however that’s trendy gaming for you.

Total, Ever Disaster is a straightforward advice for followers of Remaining Fantasy VII — in any type — when you go into it figuring out what to anticipate with its cell caveats. As long as you aren’t weak to extreme spending to your detriment, it brings three Remaining Fantasy VII IPs to trendy audiences whereas giving them a constant aesthetic that helps all of them really feel really related. Applibot’s different Sq. Enix cell challenge, NieR Re[in]carnation, has been operating for over two years now, in order that helps set up some religion that Ever Disaster received’t shut down after we blink. Video games like this are greatest loved as a sluggish grind over an extended time period — months and even years — so bear this in thoughts when deciding how a lot you wish to decide to it. Benefit from the sport for what it’s, development partitions ‘n’ all, and maybe come again to it each few months to see what’s new.