When it comes to Final Fantasy, what do you think of? Do you think of the epic conclusion of Final Fantasy VII or the bro trip of Final Fantasy XV? If not some of the more epic moments, do you think of the hatred of Final Fantasy XIII and spin-offs? What about the criticism of online-only Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV?
When it comes to Final Fantasy there is always something for gamers to criticize. Even though we loved the demo that we played of Final Fantasy XVI at the prelaunch event, others hated it. This leads us to suspect that some gamers will hate Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, even though we had a good time with it.
Almost Missable.
Even though Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis was available to preview at Summer Game Fest, it was not the primary focus of the meeting. In fact, it was almost a side quest for people to tackle if they had the time. Instead, the primary focus of the meeting was showcasing Foam Stars. Now we will get to Foam Stars in a different article, but now it is time to go over our time with Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis.
After previewing Foam Stars, we had the option to choose between checking out Power Wash Simulator on VR, The Spongebob Square Pants expansion of Power Wash Simulator, or Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. Honestly, it was very easy to overlook Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, not because of the game itself, but the other games were on gaming stations.
Meanwhile, Ever Crisis was at the bar on Ipads; in fact, more people were interested in getting a free drink than checking out the demo. Not in the mood to drink, we decided to check out the demo on the iPad.
SGF Preview
Prior to trying out Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, I was rather skeptical. The trailer showcased chibi-style characters running around Midgar while fights were fully rendered and animated. For some, that style difference could be rather off-putting or could lead to disastrous consequences. Instead, the game seemed to blend the 2D and 3D styles almost effortlessly.
For the demo, you played through the level where Cloud is working with Barett and Tifa to attack the Shinra Mako reactor. The demo itself is rather short but we still gained a good bit of information from it.
While exploring and in non-pivotal moments, characters will run around in a chibi-style; it is almost as if, Square Enix took the original FFVII and updated it slightly to be on mobile. In fights, the game switched to the Final Fantasy VII Remake modern art style.
Combat within the game was fairly simple to understand with only having to tap every once in a while on the screen. The only time combat ever got complicated for Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis was when fighting the Scorpion Sentinel.
During this fight, the game showed us finally how to use defensive abilities, that at first seemed rather awkward. Rather than having a menu at the bottom to scroll through, the game had a button on the right-hand side to block. In regards to mobile accessibility, this makes things a lot easier for those playing on phones or tablets.
The boss fight itself was rather short and felt like a dumbed-down version of the original fight. During the demo, the fight lasted less than three minutes and felt like it flew by instantly almost as if Cloud and Barret were power leveled beforehand. The demo ended as Cloud and the team escape the Midgar reactor.
Impressions
In a way, the short Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis demo felt kind of lacking. The demo did showcase how Square Enix plans to rotate between the art styles within the game but showcased nothing new. A demo of something we had never seen before would have been drastically better.
Leaving the demo, the controls to play the game seem well adapted, but why should someone play this over playing Final Fantasy 7 on a PS4/PS5 or on a PC? Yes, it opens up who can experience the story, but what should we expect when the game is fully out?
Looking at it, there was more information provided afterward than there was with the demo. It will be interesting to see how loot boxes and the ability to jump between timelines will play out.
To be honest, Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis being there seemed more like an afterthought rather than showcasing it. Will I try it when it comes out? Yes, but will I put it down quickly if it seems like it is fully loot-box-focused? Absolutely. Honestly, we expect that it will eventually be accessible on PC after its launch.
