Square Enix has released the Close Beta Test for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier mobile game. The beta test is available on Google Play for Players in the NA region.
Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier is a Battle Royale game set in the world 30 years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. I’ve managed to sneak in some games and here are some of the pros and cons that I would like to talk about.
Like any Battle Royale game, you’ll be seated on the same air carrier along with other Players and “drop-off” based on each game’s random pathing. However for First Soldier, Players will have their own Transport Helicopter thus you can actually fly them to your designated spot before the “drop-off”.
Once landed, you’ll be greeted by familiar landmarks based on Final Fantasy VII: Remake. The first playable map is the slums in Midgard. If you have played the Remake, you’ll see the exact same layout of the Sector 5 and 7 slums.
The game tries to differentiate itself from other Battle Royale games by adding some PVE elements. Players will find some of the iconic monsters from Final Fantasy VII throughout the map. Killing them will give you EXP to level your character, Gil for purchasing items from the Vending Machine or various other items. At certain stage of the game, you will also be randomly assigned Quest such as killing X amount of people or killing a certain Boss.
However, you’ll need to remember that all of these are just a distraction. The ultimate goal is to be the last soldier remaining on the battlefield to win the game.
One of the issue I have with the game are the controls. Playing on a 250+ Ping was making things worse (this is understandable as the Beta is meant for NA Players). I feel that the default positioning of the buttons are not friendly for fast-paced action. Luckily, you are able to customize the positioning of each button.
Overall, I feel that Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier is a decent Battle Royale game and what makes it really special is the nostalgic feel from the environment and overall character design. The beta will last for a week so for those of you who would like to try out the game, you can download the APK on taptap.
