Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (2006)

Dirge of Cerberus was a PlayStation 2 sequel to Final Fantasy VII. Set three years after the events of the original, it sees the former Turk Vincent Valentine facing off against an organization called Deepground. In a major departure from the series, the game was a third-person shooter instead of a JRPG.

The focus on Vincent and genre shift were a result of the times. In his retrospective for The Spinoff, Matthew Codd wrote that “the popularity of angsty anti-heroes found a natural ally in Final Fantasy VII‘s brooding side-character, brought to life through Tetsuya Nomura – a character designer famed for his eccentric designs and obsession with belts and zippers – at his least restrained.

“Meanwhile, producer Yoshinori Kitase had wanted to make a shooter for some time, but Square Enix’s development staff were far more familiar with role-playing games. The result was a JRPG/third-person shooter hybrid that used a generous aim assist and RPG mechanics to appeal to people more used to turn-based combat than action games.”

The game was not a hit with critics, with a Metacritic score of only 57. However, a new trademark for the game was filed recently, so perhaps it might be remastered into a better-received game.

A midquel called Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode was made for the Amp’d Mobile handsets.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (2007)

Another prequel, Crisis Core was a PlayStation Portable action RPG set between the events of Before Crisis and Final Fantasy VII. It takes place seven years before the main game, where Midgar has yet to be fully completed. The game focuses on Zack Fair, a Shinra SOLDIER and the owner of the Buster Sword before Cloud.

“When Genesis, a prominent SOLDIER 1st Class in Shinra’s private army disappears with his contingent, young prodigy Zack is given the task of seeking him out,” explains the game’s description.

Like Before Crisis, it features a few familiar faces. Sephiroth, Aerith, and Cloud make appearances in the game, with Crisis Core helping to shed more light on Cloud’s past as a Shinra infantryman. The game also shows us Sephiroth’s heel turn and how the Nibelheim incident occurred.

Due to the game’s timeframe, the events of Last Order are naturally also covered (and retconned) here.

On the Way to a Smile (2009)

On the Way to a Smile is a series of short stories written by Kazushige Nojima that fills in the gap between Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children. They cover the aftermath of Final Fantasy VII‘s ending, with people trying to adapt to a world without Mako energy and the spread of the Geostigma disease.

According to the Square Enix store page, the collection contains the revised editions of Denzel and Tifa’s stories, along with the Barret, Nanaki, Yuffie, Shinra, and Lifestream stories that came after. The Denzel story was also adapted into an OVA.

Final Fantasy VII: The Kids Are Alright: a Turks Side Story (2011)

The Kids Are Alright is another short story collection by Kazushige Nojima that also takes place between Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children.

“A lot has changed the in two years since the Lifestream erupted, and a new city, Edge, has been born from the wreckage,” reads the description.

“There, a young man and woman run a private detective agency, but then they run into the infamous Turks of the Shinra Electric Power Company… The world of Final Fantasy VII expands with this prequel to the events of Advent Children!”

Characters like Cloud and Tifa make cameos here, while Advent Children villain Kadaj shows up too. All in all, a quaint read with some fanservice for the die-hards.

Which FFVII spinoff is your favourite among the lot? Let us know either here or on our Facebook page. 

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