Following Square Enix’s reveal of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for the Playstation 5, they made another reveal. The gaming company announced Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. A battle-royal shooter game set in the world of Midgar, Square Enix showcased a teaser trailer that allowed fans to witness its core gameplay and multiplayer combat. They also mentioned that it will launch for Android and iOS. No news whether it’ll get a console or PC version later down the line. Fans can only hope that Square Enix expands the game’s platform and possibly include cross-play as one of its features.
What we do know is that Square Enix is already taking steps into the BR-shooter genre. They will place themselves in direct competition against the popular Fortnite and Player Unknown’s Battleground. The genre reached peak popularity in 2018 and has marked itself as one of the most played multiplayer games to-date. The iconic gameplay of pitting multiple players on a battlefield unarmed has caught the attention of many competitive players. In fact, it took a spot in the Esports world. Now the iconic RPG developer is trying to stake their place in battle-royale. How they’ll fare is another question entirely.
Shinra Corporation’s The First Soldier Program
Judging from the trailer, the events of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier’s take place before the story of Final Fantasy VII. The Shinra Electric Company is looking to upgrade its military and the Soldier program appears to be the answer. Despite the video’s lack of story, we could make the assumptions that the players are test subjects.
Humans will meet on an isolated battlefield with the hopes of defeating one another. These soldiers are skilled martial artists but they can also wield different magic. Some are seen to use materia to employ tactical advantage. Though it remains unknown whether they are genetically enhanced or not.
The battlefield might also include some environmental hazards. The trailer showed multiple hostile creatures running around the battlefield. Players can either team up to defeat them or wait for the opportunity to deliver the finishing strike. Combatants also have the ability to wield materia as some are able to cast Firaga and Barriers.
The video also showed Ifrit being summoned to the battlefield. It seems Square Enix was able to put most of the battle elements of the Final Fantasy franchise while staying true to the foundations of Battle Royale. Though it looks exciting on-video, the actual gameplay will be the final judge if this game can keep up with the BR giants.
Squeenix’s Entry To The BR Shooter Genre
Overall, Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier looks like a promising battle-royale shooter game. If they took great pains in developing a canon storyline, we might see how Sephiroth, Zack, and Genesis came about. As for the gameplay, it’ll be fun to see what more surprises this title has in store for players.
You also get to summon eikons which is pretty exciting. The ability to cast magic while shooting also adds flavor unique to this title and unavailable anywhere else. It can be the deciding factor that separates this game against other BR titles. In terms of combat animations, almost anyone who played FFVII Remake or Dissidia knows Square Enix is up to par.
But the true verdict will lie when it’s released to the public. It appears to be an ambitious game meant for mobile devices, but can the current-gen phones handle it? So far there is no actual release date, and no specs yet either. All we can do is wait for more updates and hope that Square Enix lives up to players’ expectations and not under-deliver.
