Reviving Lost Legends: The Quest to Preserve Before Crisis Final Fantasy 7

Game preservationists have embarked on a mission to make a Japan-exclusive prequel to Final Fantasy 7 more accessible than ever, despite the fact that the action RPG has been offline for over six years.

Set years before the events of the renowned JRPG, Before Crisis Final Fantasy 7 centers on the Turks. Initially released by Square Enix in Japan in 2004, the mobile game was supposed to come to the West, but those plans never materialized. Because of this, Before Crisis is notable as the only compilation of Final Fantasy 7 games that are not available outside Japan.

The final episode of the action RPG was released on April 1, 2006, bringing the series to a total of 25 episodes, including a special chapter focused on Tseng's backstory. The game remained somewhat accessible until 2018 when it was taken down along with some older Square Enix mobile services.

In essence, the game was never very accessible, and its accessibility has worsened over time. This is where dedicated fans come into play. One such preservationist, Yuvi, is committed to making obscure and lesser-known games more accessible. Yuvi's efforts to revive Before Crisis are evident through various milestones shared on their Twitter page, showcasing the project’s gradual progress.

As an added bonus, there’s also a separate initiative to restore Final Fantasy 7's snowboarding game.

Although Square Enix once considered porting Before Crisis to the Nintendo 3DS, the most you can expect nowadays from an official release is through another mobile game, Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis. This gacha RPG periodically recounts all the canon titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 series, including Before Crisis. While you won't get the game itself, you will eventually experience its story. For those seeking a more authentic experience, a fan-made project has been fully remade before Crisis for play on PC.

The co-director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has assured that the third part of the series will answer any remaining questions and provide an even greater conclusion than the original JRPG.