It’s the eternal dream: Final Fantasy VII on your smartphone. We’ve had just about every single previous release made available by now, but Square Enix continue to play hardball. The company knows that FFVII is its crown jewel, and a bloated cash cow just waiting to be milked should a rainy day ever arrive.
It looks like we’re one step closer to that stage, though, as the company has announced a new streaming service and app for iOS and Android. Called Dive In, it will allow smartphone and tablet users to stream a number of premium Square Enix titles to their mobile devices.
As you may have guessed, one title that will be available at launch is FFVII. As you may also have guessed, possibly by reading the title of this story, it is only available in Japan.
Are we surprised? No. Are we still upset about it? You bet.
If you do happen to live in Japan, though, or perhaps plan on spending enough time in the country to complete a lengthy JRPG some time soon, here’s the skinny on Dive In. Three titles will initially be on offer – Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XIII and Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders.
Rather than pay for the service itself, you instead pay per title. You can then choose how long you wish to ‘rent’ the title for – three days, 10 days, 30 days or a year. For example, FFVII will set you back ¥200, ¥400,¥1,000 or ¥1,429 respectively, which translates to roughly £1.69, £2.34, £5.84 and £8.35. There’s slight variation in pricing from game to game.
It’s also important to remember that the titles are streamed to your device, not downloaded. This means you’ll need a strong Wi-Fi connection to enjoy them. Of course, this service being offered in Japan, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Square Enix’s release calendar for Dive In also promises Final Fantasy VIII and The Last Remnant in November, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Murdered: Soul Suspect in December, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII in 2015.
30 minute free trials are available for all the titles.
Cross your fingers for a Western release, by all means. Just don’t hold your breath.