Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Overview

Part of the Final Fantasy franchise, the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a collection of games, movies, and other media created to expand upon the story, characters, and universe of Final Fantasy VII. Projects in the compilation have been produced for a variety of platforms, and the stories told take place throughout the timeline before, during, and after the events of the original game. Currently, the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII includes the following:

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII

Before Crisis is an episodic cell phone game that was released only in Japan. This game covers a seven-year period prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII's present, and puts the player in the role of a Turk whose name, appearance, and weapon are chosen by the player. The game features numerous Final Fantasy VII characters in cameos as well as major and minor supporting roles. Notably, AVALANCHE, the anti-Shinra resistance organization that several player characters are members of in Final Fantasy VII, takes on an antagonistic role in Before Crisis.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Crisis Core is a PSP action RPG in which the player takes control of Zack Fair, a member of SOLDIER and an important figure in Cloud Strife's past. The game covers a period of time from Zack's earlier days as a SOLDIER to his death while on the run with Cloud. Crisis Core also formally introduces Genesis Rhapsodos, another member of SOLDIER who goes rogue before Sephiroth destroys Nibelheim.

Final Fantasy VII

The seventh title in the Final Fantasy series, originally released on the PlayStation, focuses on Cloud, who has escaped Shinra custody and has had his memory mixed up with stories of Zack's days as a SOLDIER. Believing himself to be an ex-SOLDIER, Cloud meets up with old friends and encounters new ones as what begins as simple assistance to AVALANCHE grows into a struggle to stop Sephiroth from destroying the world.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

A CG animated movie set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII directed by Tetsuya Nomura. The film's plot centers around Cloud's struggle to come to terms with himself as the population suffers from Geostigma, a disease infecting the population as a result of Jenova's contamination of the Lifestream. He is also confronted by a trio of men that are "remnants" of Sephiroth searching for Jenova's remains so that Sephiroth may be reborn.

Advent Children was also released with a companion novella "On the Way to a Smile", included with the North American Limited Edition Collector's Set as "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - The Novel." The book contains stories revolving around Barret Wallace, Tifa Lockhart, and Denzel, an orphaned child introduced in the film.

Advent Children was eventually re-released under the title Advent Children Complete, which added twenty-six minutes of footage and featured alterations and adjustments to previously existing material. The Blu-ray disc release of Advent Children Complete also included an animated version of On the Way to a Smile: Denzel, adapted from Denzel's portion of the novella.

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

A short animated movie that recounts the tragedy in Nibelheim and Zack and Cloud's escape from Shinra custody. The film's recounting of the events differs from that of Crisis Core's and is not considered canon. Last Order was included in the Limited Edition Collector's Set of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Set one year after the events of Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus is an action game for the PlayStation 2 starring Vincent Valentine. The game's plot revolves around an uprising staged by Deep Ground, a forgotten experimental military force created in secret by the Shinra Electric Power Company. The game explores Vincent's past as a Turk and his relationship with the scientist Lucrecia Crescent. The game ends with a plot hook involving Genesis which may become the subject of a later compilation project set after Dirge of Cerberus.

Later on, a mobile game called Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII- was released, shedding light upon events that took place within the same time frame as the original Dirge of Cerberus game.

Future of the Compilation

Though no new games or films in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII have been produced since the international release of Crisis Core and the Complete version of Advent Children, Square Enix has not officially closed the door on future entries. However, no plans regarding new projects have been announced.

For years, employees and representatives of Square Enix went on record to state various levels of desire to remake the original Final Fantasy VII for modern hardware, but have also repeatedly stated that no such project is currently underway. This finally culminated in the announcement of Final Fantasy VII Remake.