The release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehas reignited fan excitement over what’s very likely Square Enix’s most popular iteration of theFinal Fantasyfranchise. At the time, it took years for Square Enix to capitalize onFinal Fantasy 7’s success with the release ofBefore Crisis,Dirge of Cerberus, andCrisis Core. In 2021, Square Enix is better prepared, but in 2021 the spin-off is a battle royale instead of a single-player RPG.Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldiernow has a release date and it’s sooner than expected.
Square Enix has released a new cinematic trailer forFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, which is also the battle royale game’s opening cutscene. Alongside the trailer’s release, Square Enix also confirmed thatFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldierwill be arriving on November 17.The First Soldieris a free-to-play mobile game, exclusive to mobile devices.
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As for the cinematic trailer, Square Enix goes out of its way to tieFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldierto the JRPG from which it takes its name. However, the connection is looser than many might assume.Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldiertakes place decades prior to the events of the JRPG. The new trailer provides aquick timeline for theFinal Fantasyfranchise, setting up why players will be battling each other with plenty ofFinal Fantasyflair.
The basic idea seems to be that this battle royale style of competition is being used by Shinra to recruit for the company’s new SOLDIER program. Recruits appear to be infused with mako energy, allowing them to use magic and summoning abilities. This framing lines up with pastFinal Fantasy 7lore, which explains that Shinra uses the SOLDIER program as propaganda across the world. SOLDIERs are looked at like heroes by the world’s citizenry, and what better way to create heroes than with a battle royale competition to decide the program’s “First Soldier.”
Regarding pre-registrations, Square Enix is offering free bonus content to players topre-register ahead ofFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier’s release. More content is unlocked depending on how many players preregister. For example, players have already unlocked a face mask, chocobo egg, and bike skin, and need more than a million additional pre-registrations to unlock a helicopter skin.
As exciting as it is that Square Enix is launchingFinal Fantasy 7 The First Soldierin less than two weeks, the team has been very withholding of gameplay footage for the battle royale.Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier’s TGS trailerfeatured a bit less than two minutes of action, but that’s it. It’ll be a trial by fire forFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, which is worrying.Final Fantasyfans will learnFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier’s value soon enough, one way or another.
Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldierreleases November 17 on Android and iOS devices.
MORE:The Case for ‘The First Soldier’ as a Final Fantasy 7 Remake Prequel
