...also, that PS5 re-release which I'm surprisingly hyped for!

So, the final days of February was an amazing time for gamers. We got a Nintendo Direct. A State of Play. Pokémon announcements. Final Fantasy VII Announcements! The last one is significant because there were three announcements instead of one!

• The mobile RPG: #EverCrisis

• The PS5 updated release of #FFVIIR

• A Battle Royal set in FFVII universe:

Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

Wow! A FFVII Fortnite!

That was my impression of the game's trailer. (Link Here!) It was the most unexpected announcement I've seen in a while. A Battle Royal game set in Final Fantasy VII universe. Set 30 years before the events of FFVII, the story tells the early days of Shinra Soldier Military Squad.

A shooter in FFVII world isn't something new. have already made one: Dirge of Cerberus, with mixed reception. The Battle Royal part is the surprise!

To be honest the game looks cool. It seems to have PvP and PvE modes if the bosses scattered in the trailer are any indication. There will be also Sephiroth in his early days. I'm excited to see that! (Probably the only thing I look forward towards about The First Soldier.)

Despite having some concerns about potential retcons/franchise incoherency, I have confidence The First Soldier will have a good story for a Battle Royal. What I'm not sure about is how the game will feel compared to other FFVII games, and how fun it'll be as a Battle Royal.

Someone said online that Square Enix wanted to make a Battle Royal game but didn't think it'll be successful without attaching a popular IP to it, they had to choose FFVII. If that's true, I wouldn't expect the game to be good addition to the franchise.

I hope however, that Square Enix proves me wrong!

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis

"This is the remake I wanted!"

At least Ever Crisis looks closer to how I imagined a Final Fantasy VII Remake than the actual Current-gen Remake.

Ever Crisis (Trailer Link) is another reimagining of Final Fantasy VII. It's a mobile 3D RPG with a "nostalgic visual twist." The graphics in this game use

This Remake is similar to the De-make of FFXV for mobile phones & Nintendo Switch: Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition. From the trailer though, it looks much less polished.

The gameplay of FFXV:PE was an overly simplified version of Final Fantasy XV's which removed most of the fun out of it.

Based on the trailer, I can assume that the gameplay of Ever Crisis preserves at least some of the strategy of the original Final Fantasy VII or its Remake.

I don't know how the Battle System will work in Ever Crisis. but it looks way cooler than it needed to be! The models look too good for a mobile game, and if they published it like that, I wonder which budget-level of mobile phones they are targeting.

Seems it'll closer to FFVII Remake's battle system than the original version. It's different from both. Other than the touch interface, we didn't see enough to know how it plays.

The Compilation thing is what hyped me the most though! "Zack story & Cloud's in the same game? Same graphics?! YES!"

Final Fantasy VII: Remake Intergrade

The PS5 updated re-release Final Fantasy VII Remake. This updated version of the game makes use of the power of PlayStation 5 to offer better experience. Graphics & Gameplay will get updated. Loading times will shorten.

This version will also contain the exclusive PS5 DLC Episode featuring Yuffie. One of the optional characters of the original FFVII. Since then, Yuffie became one of the most popular characters in the franchise, and I'm glad she's getting her own DLC. (Intergrade Trailer Link)

I talked more about Intergrade in my State of Play reaction post.

I find it interesting that Sony still wants some kind of Final Fantasy VII Remake exclusivity. PlayStation will lose the exclusive rights to the PS4 version of the game next month. By announcing Yuffie DLC as PS5 exclusive & offering the PS4 version for free to PS Plus subscribers for a whole month. Final Fantasy VII will be remembered as a Sony property for much longer...

The best thing is: All updates will be available for free to those who bought the game for PS4 if they want to upgrade to the PS5 version. (Excluding DLC. PS Plus version won't receive the updates as well.)

What do you think?

• All images are taken from the respective press releases.

• This article is crossposted here on Read.cash & on HIVE's PeakD.