Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
A metaseries expanding the Final Fantasy VII universe.
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a metaseries produced by Square Enix, encompassing video games, animated features, and short stories set in the world and continuity of Final Fantasy VII (1997). Officially announced in 2003 with the reveal of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the series was conceived by Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura, and includes core products such as three video games and one film release, alongside tie-in products and spin-offs.
- field
- Video game and media metaseries
- known_for
- Expanding the Final Fantasy VII universe across multiple media
- first_title_revealed
- Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2003)
- first_title_released
- Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII (2004)
- latest_core_release
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024)
- upcoming_title
- Final Fantasy VII Revelation (2027)
Lore & Background
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII was conceived by Yoshinori Kitase, the original game's director, and Tetsuya Nomura, the main character designer, with Nomura becoming the main designer for each entry. Other returning staff include writer Kazushige Nojima, art director Yusuke Naora, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The video games belong to different genres, with none being traditional role-playing games due to production pressures. The first title revealed was Advent Children, but it ran into delays, so the first released was the mobile game Before Crisis in 2004.
Core titles include Before Crisis (a prequel focusing on the Turks), Crisis Core (following Zack Fair), Dirge of Cerberus (a sequel following Vincent Valentine), and the Remake trilogy (starting with Final Fantasy VII Remake in 2020). The series also includes films such as Advent Children and the OVA Last Order, as well as books like On the Way to a Smile and The Kids Are Alright. Later expansions include mobile games The First Soldier and Ever Crisis.
Reader's Guide
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII holds significance as an early example of a multimedia franchise expansion within the Final Fantasy series, inspiring the later Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy subseries. Its reception has been mixed: Advent Children was praised for visuals but criticized for confusing narrative; Before Crisis, Crisis Core, Remake, and Rebirth received critical praise, while Dirge of Cerberus garnered mixed responses. The presentation of the Compilation as a whole met with mixed reception, and later staff linked it to the decline of the Final Fantasy series' prestige in the West. Despite this, the Compilation has maintained a dedicated fanbase and continues to expand, with the Remake trilogy concluding in 2027. Its legacy includes influencing how Square Enix approaches interconnected storytelling across games, films, and books.
Did You Know?
- Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII is the only core title still unreleased in the West due to platform compatibility issues and staff changes.
- Last Order: Final Fantasy VII was removed from the official Compilation listing after the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
- The Compilation inspired the creation of Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, a similar subseries of linked video games.
- Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier was a battle royale game shut down on January 11, 2023.
More in Square Enix franchises 1-24
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