Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
Developer:	Square Enix
Publisher:	Square Enix
Release date:	September 29, 2004 (JP)
Genre:	Action RPG
Game modes:	Single player
ESRB rating:	Not applicable
Platforms:	NTT DoCoMo FOMA 900i Series
Media:	Monthly subscription

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2004. It was the first original (i.e. not an enhanced remake) game to be produced by Square Enix for mobile phones, and was released on NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 900i line of phones on a monthly subscription basis. Because of its dependency on the FOMA wireless network, it is unlikely that the game will see commercial release in North America.

Before Crisis is a prequel to the 1997 Sony PlayStation video game Final Fantasy VII. It is also the first installment of the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" series, which also includes the games Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, as well as the CG movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Story

Before Crisis's story begins immediately following the war between the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company and the Wutai tribe, a conflict described in passing in Final Fantasy VII. With the Wutai crushed, Shin-Ra finds itself the dominant economic, military, and political power in the world. But there are those who remain dedicated to the destruction of Shin-Ra, chief among them the newly emerged insurgent movement known as AVALANCHE. Before Crisis concerns the earliest conflicts between Shin-Ra, represented by the Turks, and AVALANCHE. In contrast to Final Fantasy VII, which was told from the point of view of AVALANCHE, Before Crisis centers on the Turks. AVALANCHE is generally portrayed as the enemy.

The game unfolds through a series of "missions." Because of the subscription-based nature of the game, more missions are added on a fairly regular basis, each developing the story more fully.

Gameplay

At the start of the game, the player is given four characters to choose from, two male and two female, each of whom specializes in a different type of weapon and has different statistical attributes. The male characters use melee weapons, while the female characters use range weapons (specifically guns). Square Enix has announced that future updates will make more characters available. As in Final Fantasy VII, skills are imparted through Materia. Unlike in Final Fantasy VII, Materia is gained through a synthesization process at Shin-Ra's laboratories.

Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis E3 Screenshot 1

Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis E3 Screenshot 2

References

• Suzaku (AKA NeoStrikedramon). "Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII FAQ Ver. 1.0." GameFAQs. September 24, 2004. Accessed on January 20, 2005.