Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

« Beyond its surprising concept vis-à-vis its license, Final Fantasy VII: First Soldier is a classic mobile Battle Royale but effective in many aspects. Graphically simple but fluid, playable on the touchscreen as well as on the controller, Square Enix's title takes up different ideas from the competition for a BR experience that is both accessible and complete. Finally, despite all its qualities, the biggest stake of First Soldier is to know who it is really for, between the fans of Final Fantasy unaccustomed to this kind of game and the overloaded market of BR on mobile. »

« I'm enjoying The First Soldier and I'll keep it in my BR rotation, but it already seems like a game I'll struggle to get better at. This is a battle royale title that's good enough, smart enough, and different enough to attract and keep a healthy player base--it's bursting at the smartphone's seams. On PC or console, The First Soldier would take a well-deserved place against other BR powerhouses, but on mobile, it's just too cramped. »

« Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier is not the battle royale that will upset the equilibrium of the market or will surpass the industry champions such as COD Warzone and Fortnite Chapter 2, but it is a product that, without particular pretensions, offers a gameplay that is all in all enjoyable and immediate. If you are a fan of the seventh chapter of the Square Enix series and do not disdain the battle royale, The First Soldier would at least deserve a try to explore Midgard in a different context from what you are used to. And who knows, maybe you will also have fun picking up every single quote posted by the development team in the various corners of the map. On the other hand, those who are not a die-hard Final Fantasy fan might in any case find a product a little distant from the usual battle royale and which, compared to the competition, offers a lighter gaming experience and less devoted to unbridled competition. In short, a game that fulfills its duty for a few games in the name of lightheartedness. »

« Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier won't shake-up the battle royale genre but features enough novelties to gather the curiosity of fans and newcomers. While its current shortcomings might be fixed with time and a proper launch on console and PC, the greed of Square Enix is here to stay and some priced content might turn off even the most faithful fan. »

« It's a shame Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier doesn't really run well. The unstable online connection also doesn't do the game any favours. If not for these detriments, The First Soldier would actually make for quite a nice experience, with tons of atmosphere and decent gameplay. Again: shame. »

« A battle royale on Final Fantasy seems surely a strange and apparently venal operation, but there is some study and commitment in this project. It's a fairly engaging shooter that links perfectly with Final Fantasy 7 lore that fans of the original could enjoy, but others may struggle to find attractive in any way. »

« Although mixing "Final Fantasy VII" and "battle royale" sounds like a crazy idea, The First Soldier is a very entertaining game that can convince both fans of FFVII and 'all against all'. A pity that performance issues cause the experience to be far from being as satisfying as it should be. »

« Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier is a proof that a Final Fantasy game can work in battle royale genre. However, it lacks its soul and it won't keep you entertained for very long. »

« I played this game from a week after its release to the moment its servers shut down, and have made a year's worth of content and many friends through it. The gameplay itself was so fun (the weapons and magic set it apart from other BRs/shooters), especially when you played with friends. The graphics were also quite impressive for a mobile game. But everything else was underbaked and downright frustrating. From the get-go, as soon as it was announced, the near-universal feedback was to a) release it on PC and console, b) incorporate more story and depth so that the game contributed to worldbuilding and c) NOT use the gacha/lootbox/live service system because none of us enjoy it or can afford it in the middle **** pandemic and economic crisis. They simply steamrolled ahead, ignoring feedback from fans, ambassadors and reviewers alike and kept pumping out (mostly) mediocre, repetitive events and content as well as predatory microtransactions. The Bahamut raids were a notable exception, allowing players to put aside their differences and take down the dragon together. These raids were where I met many of the gaming friends I have now, and focusing more on this community aspect could've set a whole new standard for BRs. Fast-paced, action-packed and also community-focused, Variant and Blitz Mode were both welcome additions and had they kept diversifying the gameplay like this, along with applying the feedback mentioned above, FS could've been amazing. Instead of forcing people to pay real money for skins, they should've made the use of in-game tickets and currency more accessible so the game didn't feel like such a shameless cashgrab. The abrupt announcement that FS would shut down in a few months left so many people, myself included, devastated and furious. The phrasing of their EOS statement felt like they were framing themselves as victims, as if they hadn't ignored feedback for months and pushed us to fork out hundreds and even thousands of dollars for in-game skins and monotonous gameplay. We didn't give enough of ourselves to keep this game afloat, that's how it read to many of us. For me personally, it was insulting and so manipulative. The resentment was so bad many players swore off SE and mobile games entirely; with all their questionable practices beyond this game, I don't blame them. »

« worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this seventh game in the series. »

« Great BR with great potential, just needs to come to PC to fully realize it. Everything is so much fun to use! »

« A very fun experience, for those who like BR games. Jobs/classes, summons, bosses... Everything you find in a normal RPG, but in a BR game, making it a very unique one. »

« Pros: A new and unique battle royale with lots of brilliant additions to the genre including NPCs, materia (spells/magic), and classes. Set in the FF7 universe which will appeal to fans of the genre. Well supported by the Devs. Constant updates so far and information via dev letters and promise of new maps/classes. Gorgeous graphics and well designed map. Cons: Constant crashing. Supposedly this will be fixed this Friday. Locked to 30fps. Uneven meta. Firaga and Lethal Gaze, that is all. Though matches start to get “sweaty” as you reach the top ranks, there is a general lack of players. Which I actually like oddly because the NPCs keep it interesting and you build a small nit community. All in all, I’m excited by this BR. I think it is a very good game with a a few good ideas. The cosmetics are off the hook too! See you in Midgar playing as Cloud and slaying monsters! »

« Final Fantasy Battle Royale is something I did not expect but after trying it it is pretty much the game of the year for me. It helps that I am used to mobile gaming and the controls do feel natural to me. The review is based on weeks of daily playing from a paying gamer with Battle Pass lvl 96/150 and plenty of skins purchased. The core gameplay is good and innovates on the basic Battle Royale concept with the monsters. The monsters add nice variety to the gameplay. Opening chests during the match also helps with the sense of long term progression as some of the items obtained through them can be carried outside the matches. Chocobo breeding is slightly confusing as you don't really know what the nuts do (do they helpemphasizing those stats or do they random roll those stats?) but overall they are a nice addition to the game. Graphics and music are solid as you would expect from FF7 game. The main problems with the game come from the lack of players. Since people are hesitant to try the game matching times can be long especially on team matches if you are playing with just 1 friend. The game could also use some co-op PvE mode like Comrades from FFXV to cater more to what Final Fantasy fans would expect. Monetizationwise the game is still pretty player friendly. The skins can be bought with direct purchases instead of gachas so if you have a style you want you can snipe it pretty easily. There are some nice skins available through the gacha as well if you prefer those. The game can definitely evolve and be a great platform for fanservice with content based around older FF titles like 6 or 8 that haven't gotten a modern remake yet. I think 8 as a score is pretty fair considering pros and cons but for me personally it is 10/10 and I can't wait to get back to the game again later today. »

« How about we make a game based on another game that have an incredible story, an intresting open world, well made characters, cool backstories.... AND SCREW EVERYTHING MAKING A GODDAMN BATTLE ROYALE?! »

« Ngl this games is so addicting if played with friends who love FF7 just as much as you do ! »