Are you able to imagine it’s 2024 and Remaining Fantasy 7 continues to be a large entry throughout the bigger Remaining Fantasy collection? It began in 1997, when Sq. Enix launched the unique FF7 on PlayStation 1, full with 3D graphics. Quick-forward roughly 27 years and it’s now one of the acclaimed video video games of all time and has seen quite a few variations and spinoffs since its preliminary launch.
Right here’s a brief sampling of the choices accessible to Remaining Fantasy 7 followers. You’ll be able to play the unique RPG, which has been ported to fashionable consoles. There’s the gloriously corny CGI film Introduction Kids, which is ready two years after the occasions of the unique recreation. Aspect character Zack Honest even has a whole dang prequel set earlier than the occasions of Remaining Fantasy 7 that Sq. Enix remastered. Different characters like Tifa and Aerith don’t have their very own video games, however they do have complete novels devoted to telling their backstories. And none of those examples contact the varied rereleases of the unique Remaining Fantasy 7 and its associated spinoffs.
The discharge of a lot Remaining Fantasy 7 media would possibly immediate a form of… disaster… for followers. The creators haven’t clarified what’s canon and what’s not, and it has gotten to overwhelming Marvel ranges of intricacy. Nonetheless, it doesn’t should be so sophisticated. With the discharge of Remaining Fantasy 7 Rebirth, now is usually a nice time to revisit older video games with a purpose to put together. On this listing, we’ll offer you a spoiler-free rundown of what associated media may assist enrich your expertise of Rebirth based mostly on characters and plotlines within the recreation and what the story touches on.
Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake
The place to play: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
As an alternative of simply updating graphics, the event staff at Sq. Enix opted to make use of the unique Remaining Fantasy 7 as a supply of main inspiration and cut up it into three totally different video games for a full-on remake trilogy. The primary two titles are Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake and now Remaining Fantasy Rebirth. (Sq. Enix hasn’t launched any particulars on the third installment but, however developers say it’s on its way.) Out of all of the video games on this listing, Remake is an important recreation it’s best to play earlier than diving into Rebirth, which picks up proper after the occasions of Remake.
Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake follows the story of Cloud Strife and his involvement with the rebel group Avalanche within the metropolis of Midgar. Along with introducing gamers to the principle forged of characters you’ll be enjoying as in Rebirth, it additionally supplies an intimate have a look at Midgar and the residing circumstances that end result from Shinra’s rule. Rebirth picks up in the midst of the motion from Remake, simply as Cloud and mates flee town.
Rebirth doesn’t hassle to provide gamers a full-fledged recap of who’s who and what it’s essential know, though you don’t essentially should play Remake to get pleasure from Rebirth. You do get snippets of what occurred earlier than, so it’s doubtless simply sufficient to get an concept of the most important actors on this world and the staff’s bigger mission. Nonetheless, there are simply so many emotional beats that may hit tougher or will make extra sense should you do play it, and should you actually need to save time, you’ll be able to skip Remake’s DLC, Episode Intermission. I personally loved it, however Rebirth does an honest job of exhibiting the additional Yuffie backstory.
Remaining Fantasy 7 (1997)
The place to play: Home windows PC, Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake departed from the unique story advised in Remaining Fantasy 7 in a number of methods, zooming in on the primary part of the sport set in Midgar. Rebirth departs from the unique story much more by simply utterly switching up the order the staff visits sure areas and a few of the occasions. Due to this, the unique model of the sport is just not wanted to play and revel in Rebirth. Actually, I’d argue Remake is each extra essential to play to grasp Rebirth’s story and likewise extra pleasing.
Nonetheless, enjoying the unique offers you a strong basis of the characters and world that impressed your complete franchise. These video games nonetheless share the identical principal forged of characters and most of the locales that seem throughout video games. Additionally, fashionable ports of the sport for consoles like Nintendo Swap include loads of quality-of-life options — you’ll be able to velocity up fights or use battle enhancements — that make it comparatively simple to beat with out having to grind ranges or fear about logistics.
Disaster Core: Remaining Fantasy 7 Reunion
The place to play: Home windows PC, Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Disaster Core: Remaining Fantasy 7 Reunion is a remastered rerelease of Disaster Core: Remaining Fantasy 7, a prequel Sq. Enix launched on PlayStation Transportable roughly 16 years in the past. Each variations of the sport inform the identical story roughly and observe the lifetime of Zack Honest, Cloud’s good friend from the military, and the occasions that led as much as the start of Remaining Fantasy 7.
The connection between Disaster Core and Remaining Fantasy 7 is usually a bit complicated. Remake and Rebirth at the moment are taking the story down a special course, so it’s unclear if it’s a prequel to the unique FF7 or the newer trilogy of video games. Sq. Enix’s website describes it as a prequel to the original game, however Tetsuya Nomura also said in an interview that the staff was “positioning Disaster Core Reunion as a prequel” to your complete three-part remake trilogy and that the story is essential.
No matter the place it stands within the timeline, it’s best to nonetheless play it. Its story exhibits why Zack performs such an essential function within the bigger Remaining Fantasy 7 world and divulges much more about his relationship with Cloud. It additionally supplies an excellent window into Sephiroth’s life earlier than the occasions of FF7 as effectively, which issues as a result of, effectively, his motivations information your complete destiny of the planet.
My solely caveat is that this: When you’ve solely performed Remake and are unaware of the most important story beats from the unique FF7, you then would possibly need to maintain off enjoying Disaster Core. Sure components may be finest skilled with the newer reimagined story, but it surely’s all the time there if you wish to dive in.
Different shoutouts
Rebirth pulls generously from the forged of characters that seem within the wider Remaining Fantasy 7 universe. You may be assembly folks and scratching your head questioning what the hell is up or the place any person got here from. There’s Glenn Lodbrok, who seems as a personality within the now-shuttered battle royale spinoff recreation Remaining Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, and seems within the free-to-play gacha recreation that collects a number of tales from throughout video games, Remaining Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster. These aching for extra Vincent Valentine can decide up Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7, but it surely isn’t accessible to play on fashionable consoles, which makes it arduous to get. Hell, you’ll be able to even brush up on a few of your Midgar historical past by enjoying the Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake maps in PowerWash Simulator.
And these are all simply video video games. You may get even deeper with different kinds of media. Superfans of Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough can learn an entire novel about them and dive into their full histories as characters. Final however not least, there’s Introduction Kids. I personally adore that film and all its foolish antics, however I’d say keep away should you haven’t performed the unique and had been as soon as blissfully unaware of a sure main plot level like I used to be.
Ultimately, although, approaching a recreation with a lot “required studying” is usually a bit a lot, and albeit, it’s simply not possible relying on how a lot spare time you have got. Due to that, I wouldn’t put an excessive amount of stress on experiencing all of it. Begin with the tales and gameplay that curiosity you, and you’ll go from there. I personally advocate to my mates that they only play Remake, sans its DLC. It’s all non-compulsory, and typically the very best Remaining Fantasy expertise is one once you’re entering into on vibes solely.