Summary
One of the biggest games of the year is set to release this week on Thursday, and fans around the world are waiting for it with great excitement - of course, we meanFinal Fantasy VII: Rebirth.It is the second title in the new remake series of the belovedFinal Fantasy VII, a game that remains a favorite for many gamers everywhere. The first game in the series,Final Fantasy VII: Remake, was well-received, with an 8/10 score from IGN, and a 93% Google satisfaction score.
Now, 4 years after its release, the world is waiting for the next chapter in the series. Many new and long-time fans alike are already excited, especially considering the game just got a 9/10 from IGN over the weekend - aneven higher score than its predecessor. So what can they do while they are forced to wait a few more days? At this point, if you want to replay any of the other games in the series and haven’t started yet, it’s too late, especially if you’re working or a student. But what it is not too late for is an anime that you may or may not have heard of before. That’s right, there is aFinal Fantasyanime! And not just for anyFinal Fantasyseries, but one that is specifically set in theFinal Fantasy VIIuniverse. The anime is calledLast Order: Final Fantasy VII. Because it never got any big press, a lot of people didn’t even know it existed. Plus, it came out back in 2005, so even if you did watch it then, chances are you could use a rewatch.
Spoiler Warning: From this point, there are spoilers for parts of theFinal Fantasy VIIfranchise that may or not affect the story inFinal Fantasy VII: Rebirth.
1
Score
7.29 (MyAnimeList)
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII(hereinLast Order) came out in 2005. It is an OVA, so it is only one episode long, making it only a 25-minute commitment of your time. It tells the story, yet again, of one of the most famous and important sequences in theFFVIIstory - how Sephiroth went from being a nice guy tothe series' lead villain. It follows Zack Fair on his journey to protagonist Cloud Strife’s hometown, Nibelheim, to investigate a problem with the mako reactor there.
When they reach the reactor, Sephiroth discovers the truth about his parentage, and takes it out on the town. The significance ofLast Orderis that it tells a side of the story that is unknown to people who did not playFinal Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.Until the game was re-releasedin 2022 asCrisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunionfor PlayStation 5, that was a lot of people, considering the original only released on the PlayStation Portable.
This story is important because, if you only play the originalFFVIIgame, for most of it you will believe that thewhole time Zack does not exist, and is instead replaced by Cloud. By watchingLast Order, you can fill in the gaps with the missing story without having to playCrisis Core. While you don’t get Zack’s entire story, of course, you can at least see the most impacting part in the rest of theFinal Fantasy VIIstory, which is the Nibelheim Incident.
Why Should I Watch the FFVII Anime Now?
There are a couple of reasons why right now, this week, is the perfect time to watchLast Order. The easiest one is what we already highlighted above; there is probably nothing else you can actually finish beforeRebirthcomes out on Thursday, especially if you are not started replaying one of the previous games. At only 25 minutes,Last Ordercan scratch yourFFVIIitch just a little bit while you wait, and can easily be fit into anyone’s busy schedule.
Second, the events that take place inLast Orderare going to be really critical to the story ofRebirth. While we don’t know yet just what Square Enix has planned to change in this latest installment from the original, the demo that is already out also follows the same story. Only in theRebirthdemo, you play through the events as Cloud, which is how he believes everything happened. If you take the time to watchLast Order, you will be more familiar with Zack and the true events of this important part of the story, andbring you up to speed easily.
In the originalFFVIIgame, Cloud does eventually learn the truth about himself, and about Zack. We are not certain how that is going to be handled in the upcoming game, but considering how often Zack is in the trailers (and on the official art!), we knowhe is going to have a significant role. Especially for anyone who has not playedCrisis Core,Last Orderis a great introduction to Zack’s character, and his role in the story. Plus, once you see how Zack acts compared to Cloud’s usual demeanor, theRebirthdemo has more meaning. If you were wondering why Cloud was acting so out of character, well, now you know!
Whether you’re doing a rewatch almost 20 years after the anime was originally released or watching it for the first time, there is no better time than now to check outLast Order: Final Fantasy VII. It may be short, but it shows an important part of theFFVIIstory. You still have a little bit of time before you can enjoyFinal Fantasy VII: Rebirth, so why not take a little time to watch a quick anime to hold you over?
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
