Wark Digest #51 - Twenty Years in Vana'Diel
Ever Crisis Expected to Arrive by September
It’s been about a year since Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, a mobile game that will retell the events of the Compilation of FFVII, but we may finally have its release window.
Why it matters:
According to a financial briefing from CyberAgent, who is co-developing the game with SE and Applibot, the game is set to launch within the second quarter of the 2022 financial year—meaning we should see it by the end of September
Ever Crisis will retell the events of FFVII and its spin-offs: Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, and Dirge of Cerberus (and even The First Soldier)
Story sequences will have a “super-deformed” or chibi-sequel style like the original game, while battles will adopt a 3D style reminiscent of the remake
Tetsuya Nomura called it an “alternate remake” of FFVII, and said it will present the stories in a more unified form, given the different gameplay styles of each title
What we thought:
This has been one of the more intriguing titles that Square Enix is keeping mum about, since it will make these stories playable and accessible for new audiences who may not want to watch them on YouTube or hunt down old technology
It also presents an interesting opportunity for SE to reframe the original games’ narratives and keep relevant plot points fresh for players of future FFVII Remake installments
There may be a fly in the ointment for some in the form of loot boxes, since it is a mobile game… but we suspect the core game and story should be accessible without requiring investing in them, much like Dissidia Opera Omnia and Record Keeper
The most exciting part: This will be the first time Before Crisis will be officially translated in any form. Given the way history is beginning to forget Japan-exclusive phone games like it, this will also be critical for preserving the game’s events.
FF Marks Mother's Day with Cloud's Mom
To celebrate (North American) Mother's Day last Sunday, the Japanese FFVII Remake social media shared artwork of Claudia Strife, Cloud's mom, and in turn has sparked some fresh speculation about the second installment.
Why it matters:
The tweet (roughly translated) says "Introducing the art of Cloud's mom, Claudia! Thanks Mom!" and includes the character's concept art, a close up, and a comparison of her scenes in the remake and original
Despite their choice of words, the concept art already appeared in the Material Ultimania book that was released in English at the end of 2021
What we thought:
The social media team had a lot of other mothers from the series they could have highlighted (even including Sephiroth's infamous "I'm going to see my Mother" line)
Between that and the absolute drought of information for the next game, it seems like the company took the opportunity to remind us that FFVII Remake exists in a more natural way
Honestly, with everything that happens in FFVII Remake, it's easy to forget her brief scene was included at all, so it’s nice to be reminded (and to highlight how well they reinterpreted the original scene)
The next game should start with the Kalm Flashback sequence, which means we should see more of Claudia in Part II—but will her role be expanded like other NPCs in the first part?
What's next: Between Ever Crisis, FFXVI, the slim possibility of hearing more about the next Remake installment sometime this year, and the barren state of the game release calendar, it’s starting to feel like the news dam is about to burst.
Final Fantasy XI Turns 20
Square Enix has been hyping it for a year, and now the big day is within sight: Monday marks the twentieth anniversary of Final Fantasy XI!
Why it matters:
Final Fantasy XI released in Japan on May 16, 2002 for PS2; the PC version followed for North America and Japan later that year, while European PS2 players had to wait until 2004, and a Xbox 360 version (of all things?!) followed in 2006 globally
Hironobu Sakaguchi conceived of the idea for a massively-multiplayer online Final Fantasy after trying EverQuest, and the project was revealed at the Square Millenium Event in 2000, alongside FFIX and FFX
Over its lifetime, FFXI included 5 playable races and 22 jobs, and has seen 5 main expansions and various add-on storylines
Updates were discontinued in 2015, but the player base remained strong enough to keep the servers' lights on—and then 2020 brought such a resurgence in activity that Square Enix announced brand new story content
In 2006 it was estimated that FFXI saw 200-300 thousand daily users, while today it's estimated to have almost ~12k
What we thought:
Final Fantasy XI was a big gamble in its time; trying to replicate the success of EverQuest and Ultima Online with a MMORPG that debuted on the PS2, and calling it a mainline Final Fantasy?
However, it paid off, despite its notorious difficulty and all the infrastructure complications it encountered (like its reliance on the PlayOnline network, and the fact that many people still had dial-up at home in the early aughts!)
Its take on the Job System was novel, allowing for use of a secondary Support Job at half your main Job's level, to diversify or strengthen your skillset
It is unfortunate that the project to make its story available in a different, offline, subscription-free model fell through, because it's an experience that most fans have missed out on, and one that's daunting to get into today
Nonetheless, it's incredible that FFXI has stayed around so long, and saw such a rebirth while its successor FFXIV is at all-time highs, all while requiring a subscription (which, to its credit, has never increased)
What's next: It's likely that the celebratory WE ARE VANA'DIEL website will have something big in store for the big day, at least another art gallery. Will we see any other major announcements?
Around the Union
Anticipation for the next mainline Final Fantasy is becoming palpable, so join us as we regroup and discuss "Everything We Know So Far" about Final Fantasy XVI!
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