10 Video Games That Exploited Your Nostalgia

5. Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

Final fantasy 7 First Soldier
Square-Enix

On release, Final Fantasy VII was rightfully lauded as one of the best entries in the series and one of the most integral games of its genre. Then Squaresoft went to work on the next game as was their modus operandi. Final Fantasy sequels were unheard of back then and it took a long time for Square to return to the world of FF7.

In the mid-00s we had a spin-off, prequel and CGI movie before it all went quiet until the eventual Final Fantasy VII Remake in 2020. This game’s success and thus renewed interest prompted another flurry of additional material, as always varying in quality.

The most outrageous of all of this was The First Soldier. Who’d have thought that this charming little 1997 JRPG could one day grow up to be a battle royale?

Unsurprisingly most Final Fantasy fans lean more towards roleplaying over high octane gun combat so the concept wasn’t all that appealing. And those that did enjoy The First Soldier found themselves tiring of it quickly as, even though it presented some novel ideas, it felt cramped and stunted by nature of being exclusively a mobile game.

If Square-Enix wanted a piece of the Fortnite pie, they could’ve done it in a myriad of ways. The laziest would’ve been to attach it to one of their most popular universes… so that’s exactly what they did.

 
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