Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is a free-to-play RPG for mobile phones and PCs released on September 7, 2023. Developed by Applibot, Inc. (NieR:Re[in]carnation) and published by Square Enix, the game adapts the events of the various titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The PC version launched December 7, 2023.
Presented in a chapter-based structure, with monthly chapter releases,. Ever Crisis adapts the events of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier and more events in the chronology of the Compilation.
==Gameplay==
Ever Crisis allows players to select a storyline to follow from one of the games in the Final Fantasy VII universe. Each is divided into a series of smaller missions, as is typical of a mobile MMO. The goal of each mission is simply to complete it according to defined parameters. Players may form any party of up to 3 units as conditions permit, equipping weapons and materia in a loadout prior to battle. 
The game uses a command style RPG system, with an overhead view and chibi characters while in the field and full body characters in-battle and more dynamic camera while in combat, approximating the appearance of the original title.
===Battle system===
Ever Crisis follows the battle system for the original Final Fantasy VII, being based on the Active Time Battle system, and using materia, weapons, summons and limit breaks based on the original game.
=== Weapons ===
Weapons function as units' primary augment system, each with a starting rarity rank and a set of abilities built in. Most are obtained via the gacha system. Using parts obtained as rewards, it is possible to enhance and evolve any weapons obtained, for instance from 3★ to 4★. Duplicate weapons can be converted into parts at the player's discretion; and, should the player roll a weapon of the same type with a rank higher than what was obtained prior, all lower-ranked weapons of its type will be adjusted upward to match the higher rank.
In addition to normal weapons, characters can also equip a single Ultimate Weapon, which allows the character an extra attack that does not use ATB. The number of times the ability can be used is limited, but the attack is more powerful than normal attacks.
Weapons can also be boosted using Brands, which randomly assign up to three stat boosts. When branding a weapon that has already been branded, the player must choose between the equipped boosts or the newly-generated boosts, discarding the option they do not choose.
=== Gear ===
In addition to weapons and materia, characters can also be equipped with gear. Each gear has two Reinforcement Abilities (R. Abilities) that give stat boosts to characters, and can be equipped for Battle, which determines the stat boosts, or as a Skin, which changes the character's appearance only.
=== Materia ===
Spells and abilities are gained through equipping materia, each character having 3 slots that can be equipped to. Materia, like weapons and gear, have a rarity rank between 1 and 5. Unlike those though, materia also has (a maximum) of 4 stats related to it, either as a fixed number, or a percentage of the holder's base stats. These can be raised by enhancement.
Materia is gained as level rewards, through synthesis, or bought.
=== Modes ===
==== Story ====
At launch, the following titles were available, with new scenarios and modes of play unlocking as the player advances each storyline:
*Final Fantasy VII (follows the story of the original, while including some character, world and design details from Remake and Rebirth)
*Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier
*Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
==== Solo Content ====
* Daily Quests
* Enhancement Quests
* Summon Quests
* Battle Tower
* Story Quests:
** Cloud - tells the story of Cloud's journey to Midgar and how he reconnects with Tifa.
** Barret - an excerpt from Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile detailing Barret's early struggles and his beginnings with Avalanche.
** Tifa - an excerpt from Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts
** Aerith - a story of Aerith's attempts to have a picnic, including memories of her childhood in the Shinra building and her connection with her mother
* Dungeons
==== Co-op Content ====
In co-op battles, players can fight a selection of bosses each week with the help of two other players. Players can create private matches and invite friends to join their battle, or be randomly matched in a public match. The power level of each co-op battle is based on the power level of an individual character.
==== Events ====
There are limited-time events that players can participate in to earn unique rewards.
==== Expeditions ====
As the player progresses through the game, they will be able to farm items while off the clock, either by keeping chocobos to send away or using the Highwind to gather rare stat boosters.
==Synopsis==
The game follows the events of the various titles of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII as well as new scenarios, including one featuring a young Sephiroth. 
=== Final Fantasy VII ===
 
This story follows an abridged version of the Final Fantasy VII plot.
==== Playable characters ====
* Cloud Strife
* Barret Wallace
* Tifa Lockhart
* Aerith Gainsborough
* Red XIII
* Yuffie Kisaragi 
* Cait Sith
* Vincent Valentine 
=== Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- ===
This story follows an abridged version of the Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- plot.
==== Playable characters ====
* Zack Fair
=== The First Soldier ===
This story follows characters introduced in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, in an original story taking place after the events of that game, following the exploits of a team of SOLDIER candidates and depicting the origins of the legendary hero, Sephiroth.
==== Setting ====
The story of The First Soldier takes place on a new part of the planet known as the Rhadore Archipelago that consists of multiple islands and is home to the native Rhadore, as well as native monsters known as Baloir.
The small island of Sijad is the home of the Eye of Rhadore, a Rhadoran devoting their entire life to monitoring the flow of mana. The Eye of Rhadore uses a chimney on the shore of the island to notify the main island of imminent danger. Most of the island is covered in the lush greenery of Burmun Forest, replete with natural waterfalls. Outside the forested area is the La'paina coast, and beyond that is an orchard that grows bright pink fruit whose smell repels most monsters, including Baloir. 
The Rhadore refer to mako energy as "mana", and consider the world to be made of exceptions, being careful not to rely too heavily on rigid rules. They are fiercely loyal and do not fear death. Shinra nearly wiped out the Rhadoran people in pursuit of mako, so the remnants of the Rhadoran army are hostile towards those associated with the company. 
==== Playable characters====
* Glenn Lodbrok is the team leader. He is upbeat and enthusiastic, often cracking lowbrow jokes with his friends. He relies on intuition, which can lead to impulsive behavior, but his gut feelings have gotten himself and his friends out of many sticky situations.
*Matt Winsord is known as the Professor, and lives up to his title as the intellectual of the group, relying on careful observation and analysis before jumping into action.
*Lucia Lin is a keen sharpshooter who befriended Glenn and Matt after helping them out of trouble on multiple occasions. She is the most contemplative of the three, showing unease with their disposability within SOLDIER's ranks.
*Sephiroth is a teenager during the events of The First Soldier. In [ μ ] – εγλ 1992 he was dispatched to the main island of the Rhadore Archipelago to take command of Team Glenn.
*Angeal is a teenager around the same age as Sephiroth during the events of First Soldier. He first appears in Episode II, where he is given command as squad leader over Sephiroth. 
==== Other characters====
*Rosen is a Rhadoran boy who helps the three SOLDIERs alongside his dog Refu. He acts as the Eye of Rhadore, monitoring the flow of mana from the remote island of Sijad and notifying the main island of imminent danger.
*Russ Bachman is a videographer and chief of Shinra's Records and Archives Division. He was dispatched to Wutai alongside Angeal and Sephiroth in order to get PR footage of Sephiroth in action.
*Alissa Goldie is a SOLDIER: Second Class who was dispatched to Wutai to investigate the Igara Forbidden Zone in the ruins of Robio, on the southern tip of Wutai. She was the sole survivor of her initial mission and was rescued by Angeal and Sephiroth. She bears a striking resemblance to Lucrecia Crescent.
*Masamune is the master swordsmith of Robio and the creator of the blade by the same name. 
====Story====
=====Episode I=====
The story begins in [ μ ] – εγλ 2000 with Sephiroth standing in the rain amidst the remains of multiple Behemoths, attempting to call Genesis Rhapsodos. Genesis does not pick up, and instead Glenn attacks, taunting Sephiroth with knowledge of where his friend might be before challenging him to a fight. The story then flashes back to [ μ ] – εγλ 1992. Glenn, Lucia, and Matt are on their first field mission, and Glenn is trying to find his stride as team leader. 
In Chapter 1, "Rhadore Archipelago Survey", the helicopter the three are riding in is attacked by enemy forces, and they crash-land on the island below. Glenn and Lucia are separated from Matt, so they traverse the island to find him. After reuniting with Matt, the three SOLDIER operatives continue their mission to survey sites for a new mako reactor. They find themselves surrounded by Baloir before a local boy and his dog help them escape to a nearby orchard. Matt is wary of the boy, suspecting that his Rhadoran heritage may make him an enemy, but Glenn decides to trust the boy. 
In Chapter 2, "Rosen's Duty", the boy introduces himself as Rosen and his dog as Refu, and takes the three SOLDIER operatives to his cabin. Despite knowing the purpose of Team Glenn's mission, Rosen simply wants the three to leave the island and let him return to his work. His role is to act as the Eye of Rhadore, living alone on the island his whole life and monitor the flow of mana. The chimney at his cabin notifies the main island of the state of the flow of mana, and that white smoke indicates that the Eye of Rhadore is still alive. Rosen provides Team Glenn with a boat, which capsizes after an attack from a Gallonbaloir. 
In Chapter 3, "An Unfamiliar, Hostile Land", Glenn, Matt, and Lucia end up on the shore of the main island. They make camp, then head to the Logues Ruins to test mako levels. They find a suitable location for the mako reactor and transmit the coordinates, before Rhadore Remnants locate them and begin to attack. The three flee into a cave. 
In Chapter 4, "Attack of the Rhadoran", the trio once again face the Gallonbaloir. On exiting the cave, the three are surrounded by an army of Rhadore Remnants. Sephiroth enters battle, dropped in from a helicopter, and obliterates the army before introducing himself to the team. He informs the team that he was sent to take command of the team as part of a transition away from passive P-class SOLDIERs and towards the genetically modified S- and G-type SOLDIERs. 
In Chapter 5, "A Hero's World", Sephiroth gathers Glenn, Matt, and Lucia by whistling, which angers Glenn, who calls Sephiroth a "cyborg". Sephiroth led the team to the Cawpine Caverns, which the Rhadore remnants were using as a base. Along the way, Sephiroth pulls out a photograph of Lucrecia Crescent, explaining that the woman pictured was Jenova and that Professor Hojo had given Sephiroth the photograph and no other information about her. Sephiroth admits that spending time with the P0 SOLDIERs is the first time he has experienced "having fun" and admits the tales of heroism Shinra told about him were propaganda designed to encourage recruitment in SOLDIER. Sephiroth has no desire to be a hero, and simply wants a normal life.
In the caverns, Sephiroth orders that they eliminate every Rhadoran. Glenn protests, wanting to spare children and the elderly, but Sephiroth warns him that children, much like Sephiroth himself, could be trained as soldiers, and that the elderly could be seasoned veterans with decades of combat experience. While Glenn, Matt, and Lucia eliminate the Rhadorans inside the caverns, Sephiroth chases down those trying to evacuate, killing any survivors. Matt laments that captured remnants could have been used as bargaining chips, but Sephiroth reminds them their orders were to eliminate any resistance, not negotiate. He reveals that he was injured by one of the child soldiers.
In the course of Sephiroth's training, he learned that a good SOLDIER needs to be strong in body, mind, and heart. and that a hardened heart, ruthless and devoid of hesitation, is a sign of strength. When he tells Glenn as much, Glenn responds by pulling Sephiroth into a hug. Glenn apologizes for calling Sephiroth a cyborg, and Sephiroth admits that he never wanted to be one.
In Chapter 6, "Memories of the Planet", with the last of the Rhadorans eliminated, Shinra begins the exploratory dig for the mako reactor. Meanwhile, Sephiroth appears to scavenge corpses, freaking out the engineers. He was searching for his necklace, which he lost in the battle. Unable to find it, Glenn, Matt, Lucia, and Sephiroth bury the Rhadoran dead. The instability of the island from Shinra's dig creates a mana torrent that threatens to destroy the island. The SOLDIERs are ordered to evacuate, but Glenn wants to make an effort to warn Rosen of the danger. The four SOLDIERs defy orders and commandeer a helicopter to fly to Sijad.
In Chapter 7, "The Boy and the Hero", the island of Sijad begins to crumble. Glenn, Matt, and Lucia fight off baloirs and a monster from the Lifestream called Buno D'rhad, while Sephiroth talks with Rosen. Glenn cannot hear the words exchanged, but when he defeats Buno D'rhad, he witnesses Sephiroth murder Rosen. The storm unearths Sephiroth's necklace, but in Glenn's anger he kicks the necklace into the Lifestream.
In Chapter 8, "The Hero Sephiroth", the story flashes forward again to [ μ ] – εγλ 2000. As Sephiroth aims to fight Glenn, Refu intervenes. Realizing Glenn is an old friend, they briefly catch up before Glenn warns Sephiroth that Shinra had planned an air raid on Fort Tamblin to eliminate the SOLDIER defectors. Sephiroth runs off to warn the troops to evacuate, but the path is blocked by a behemoth. Wishing to become a real hero, Sephiroth defeats the beast - only to be greeted by a barrage of cameras and cheering crowds.
He thinks back to his conversation with Rosen, and it is revealed that Rosen requested that Sephiroth kill him so he rejoin his people, imploring Sephiroth to choose whose lives are most important to him. He decides to kill Rosen to save his new friends, at the cost of his friendship with them. 
The episode ends with adult Sephiroth standing at the Edge of Creation, wordlessly staring at the sky.
=====Episode II=====
In "The Story Beyond: Awaiting the Chopper", Angeal reminisces about hosting a birthday party for his mother Gillian Hewley the year before he left Banora to join SOLDIER. Sephiroth dreams of his mother, who shows him unconditional love and support, cooks him pumpkin soup daily, and gifts him a braid to add to his sword as a reminder of her love. 
In September [ μ ] – εγλ 1992, Angeal Hewley is dispatched on a mission to Wutai alongside Sephiroth and videographer Russ Bachman. Their mission is to find and rescue four SOLDIERs who went missing while investigating the ruins of Robio on the southern tip of Wutai.
In Chapter 1, "Wutai's Secret", Angeal, Sephiroth, and Bachman investigate the Igara Forbidden Zone within the ruins. There, Angeal and Bachman make numerous attempts to make small talk with Sephiroth, to which Sephiroth responds with hostility. They find the bodies of three SOLDIERs, all of which Angeal knows by name. The three SOLDIERs were struck down by a blade wielded by an elderly man named Masamune, who challenges Sephiroth and Angeal to a fight, slicing Sephiroth's Nameless sword in half. Angeal finds Alissa Goldie, the sole survivor of the Robio mission, and Sephiroth is shocked to discover that Alissa bears a striking resemblance to the picture of Sephiroth's mother from his lost locket.
Also in "The Story Beyond: Awaiting the Chopper", Bachman journals his impressions of Sephiroth, noting his superhuman abilities but also his standoffish and troubled personality when not on the battlefield.
==Development==
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is intended to be another kind of remake to the original title, one geared towards people that prefer the original command style of RPG.
During development all character portraits were meant to be 3D models, but the development team found this to have issues when emulating the original game's atmosphere, and they considered tasking someone from the main Final Fantasy VII Remake team to aid in character design but felt that was too much workload. It was then that Lisa Fujise, who was working with Tetsuya Nomura on another project, arrived to obtain approval for character designs in that project and the team found that her style fit what they were looking for and asked her to join the Ever Crisis team.
At the time of the reveal, the team was still unsure how to integrate voice acting, if at all. The team felt that not having voice acting fit with the original aesthetic, though found that it was still needed during combat, and that if there were to be any voice acting it would be limited in scope.
==Reception==
Ever Crisis has thus far received strongly positive user feedback, with approximately 1.7 million users pre-registered and over 5 million downloads recorded in its first week since launch. On February 21, 2024, developers updated the total number of unique downloads to 7.77 million; allusions to the number 7 are frequently noted and celebrated. Seven months later, developers posted a third milestone achievement with over 9 million downloads recorded.
==Production credits==
Executive Producer 	Yoshinori Kitase
Producer 	Shoichi Ichikawa
Creative Director 	Tetsuya Nomura
Director 	Motomu Toriyama
Story & Scenario 	Kazushige Nojima
Graphics & VFX Director 	Shintaro Takai
Character Illustrator 	Lisa Fujise
Game Design Director 	Yuuji Abe
Music Director & Supervisor	Keiji Kawamori
Lead Scenario Writer 	Sachie Hirano
Lead Character Artist 	Toshiaki Watanabe
Lead Project Manager 	Kenji Nishikawa
Technical Director 	Masaomi Mizuno
PR Management 	Takashi FuchigamiTakahiro Noma
Art Designer 	Kanae Kawagoe
Character Artist 	Yuko Yabumoto
Assistant Producers 	Minoru MoriAsako Uenishi
Operation Team 	Yu SuzukiShoji HirataMasayuki KizakiYoshiyuki EndoToshihiko Hasebe
Battle Designer 	Nobuyuki Matsuoka
Marketing & PR 	Yuma WatanabeMinako KasaiChika Sannomiya
Project Managers 	Kensei SakuraiMiko ItoNobuyuki UedaNorihisa MakitaMaiko NishimuraRyoko Ohara
Development 	Applibot, Inc.
===Music composers and arrangers===
Final Fantasy VII Original Composer 	Nobuo Uematsu
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis Composers-Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier- Episode Tracks	Junya NakanoTadayoshi Makino (SpinSolfa Co., Ltd.)Reo UrataniKeiki KobayashiMasaya Tsunemoto (JT JAPAN Technicals)Ryo Furukawa (OTONOWA)Shotaro Shima (Globe Enterbrainz)Shingo Kataoka
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis Arrangers 	Ryo Furukawa (OTONOWA)Hibiki Yamazaki (OTONOWA)Noeru Miyagi (OTONOWA)Kazuya Ohata (Flowlight)Ryuta YoshiokaRyoshi TakagiYoshitaka Suzuki (Polion, Inc.)
Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Composers 	Shotaro Shima (Globe Enterbrainz)Tadayoshi Makino (SpinSolfa Co., Ltd.)Yoshitaka Suzuki (Polion, Inc.)Mitsuto SuzukiMasashi HamauzuDaiki Ishikawa
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Composers 	Shotaro Shima (Globe Enterbrainz)Yoshitaka Suzuki (Polion, Inc.)Ryo Furukawa (OTONOWA)Masashi HamauzuReo Uratani
Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Original Composer 	Takeharu Ishimoto
Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier Original Composer 	Hibiki Yamazaki (OTONOWA)
===Cast===
Character 	Japanese
Cloud Strife 	Takahiro Sakurai
Aerith Gainsborough	Maaya Sakamoto
Tifa Lockhart 	Ayumi Ito
Barret Wallace 	Masahiro Kobayashi
Red XIII 	Kappei Yamaguchi
Yuffie Kisaragi 	Yumi Kakazu
Cait Sith 	Hideo Ishikawa
Vincent Valentine 	Shōgo Suzuki
Jessie Rasberry 	Satomi Moriya
Rufus Shinra 	Toru Okawa
Reno 	Keiji Fujiwara
Rude 	Taiten Kusunoki
Elena 	Megumi Toyoguchi
Dyne 	Kenjiro Tsuda
Zack Fair 	Kenichi Suzumura
Angeal Hewley 	Kazuhiko Inoue
Young Angeal 	Tomoaki Maeno
Genesis 	GACKT
Sephiroth 	Toshiyuki Morikawa
Young Sephiroth 	Yuuichirou Umehara
Glenn Lodbrok 	Daiki Hamano
Matt Winsord 	Chiaki Kobayashi
Lucia Lin 	Yuki Tanaka
Rosen 	Daiki Yamashita
Alissa 	Rio Natsuki
Bachman 	Satoshi Mikami
==Gallery==
FF7EverCrisis Keyart.jpg|Keyart
FFVII Ever Crisis promo 1.jpg|Cloud Strife fighting Scorpion Sentinel.
FFVII Ever Crisis promo 2.jpg|Barret Wallace and Cloud conversing.
FFVII Ever Crisis promo 3.jpg|Cloud and Avalanche outside the Mako reactor.
FFVII Ever Crisis promo 4.jpg|Cloud performing Cross Slash.
FFVII Ever Crisis promo 5.jpg|Zack Fair atop a train.
;Home Wallpapers
FFVIIEC Wallpaper FFVII.jpg|Final Fantasy VII's "Before the Mission".
FFVIIEC Wallpaper CrisisCore.jpg|Crisis Core's "Welcome!".
FFVIIEC Wallpaper FirstSOLDIER.jpg|First SOLDIER's "Team Glenn's First Mission".
==External links==
*Official Japanese site
*Official English site
==Citations==
Category:Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis
Category:Games in the Final Fantasy VII series
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ru:Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis