Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis: Gameplay, Story, Gacha and more

Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis is the ambitious mobile gacha RPG that reimagines and unifies the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII saga, from Crisis Core to Dirge of Cerberus, and even original side stories, into one episodic experience. In this article, we’ll break down how it plays, what its story covers, how its gacha system works, and more.

Gameplay: Combat, Exploration & Systems

At its core, Ever Crisis blends narrative-driven progression with Active Time Battle (ATB)–style combat. The exploration is somewhat pared down: many story sections are presented in a semi-visual‑novel or guided traversal style, with only modest free-roam and side content.

In combat, players build a team (typically three characters) and time skills, limit breaks, and abilities in real time. You switch characters, trigger abilities, and manage your ATB gauge, very reminiscent of classic FF mechanics adapted for mobile. On harder content, gearing, rarity, and upgrade materials become crucial. There is also co‑op battle mode for tackling tougher enemies together.

Gameplay At-a-Glance

Story: What It Covers & Original Additions

Ever Crisis retells the stories from across the Final Fantasy VII universe, the original FF7, Crisis Core, Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, and Advent Children. The timeline is restructured in episodic form, letting players jump between arcs.

Additionally, Ever Crisis includes an original storyline set roughly 15 years before Final Fantasy VII’s core events, focusing on a younger Sephiroth and new characters Glenn, Matt, and Lucia. Chapter releases are monthly, so not all content is unlocked at launch. Some fans note that the adaptation omits or truncates parts of the original content, one comment suggests ~70% coverage of original FF7 content is included initially.

Story pacing is brisk, and many cutscenes or narrative transitions lean on fast progression, sometimes prompting player criticism that the “scenes felt truncated.” Still, for fans wanting to experience the full FFVII saga in one accessible format, it’s a major draw.

Gacha: Mechanics, Rates & Strategy

One distinctive twist: Ever Crisis does not make you pull characters, instead, you summon weapons and gear via a gacha system. Each weapon has rarities and built‑in ability sets; upgrades, evolution, and enhancement are done via parts and materials.

Gacha Key Points

• You use Crystals (blue/normal & red/paid) or Summoning Tickets to perform draws.
• Featured draws spotlight weapons tied to certain characters and may include costume pieces.
• A unique pity mechanic: you’re guaranteed to get the featured weapon after 5 pulls, and the featured costume piece after 10 pulls.
• Stamp rewards (1 to 12 stamps per pull) further factor into progression.

Some community posts discuss how spending for repeated ten‑pulls often ranges between US$15–35 depending on the bundle. Others warn that for players chasing full completeness or meta setups, costs may climb steeply. One Steam forum comment even remarks: “if you take away the gacha part, the entire game system has to be reformed” — meaning the gacha is deeply baked into design.

Strengths, Weaknesses & Final Thoughts

Strengths:

• Nostalgic appeal: weaving together multiple FFVII spinoffs in one mobile package
• Free story content: many chapters can be played without paying, at least initially
• Solid presentation: charming art style combining chibi and fully rendered scenes

Weaknesses / Critiques:

• Heavy reliance on gacha: many systems are gated behind pulls and upgrades
• Truncated or altered story pacing may disappoint purists
• Potential for high spending to stay competitive in meta setups

If you’re a Final Fantasy fan craving a consolidated, playable version of the FFVII universe on mobile, Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis is a compelling pick. Just be aware that the gacha system is central to its design, while you can get through much of the story without paying, deck‑building and late-game competitiveness often demand investment.