Why Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Deserves Another Chance

On the 26th of January, 2006, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII was released on the PlayStation 2. Prior to this, there hadn’t been a third-person shooter in Final Fantasy, but considering it had Vincent Valentine as the protagonist? It worked. Fans learned more about Vincent’s past, and he was also joined by Yuffie Kisaragi, thus focusing more on the two optional player characters in the original Final Fantasy VII.

You may be wondering: hold on, what do you mean Dirge of Cerberus deserves another chance? Well, according to Metacritic, the reviews are… Mixed. It’s essentially described as an action shooter with RPG elements, but I, a dedicated fan of one Vincent Valentine, believe that it deserves to be looked at again.

 

In Dirge of Cerberus, Vincent is working with the World Regenesis Organisation (WRO), headed by Reeve Tuetsi. Naturally, Yuffie also works for WRO, as the group goes to war with an underground group of Shinra elites known as Deepground. Led by their upper echelons: the Tsviets, these enemies are powerful, and were also experimented on by… that’s right, good ol’ Hojo.

As Vincent faces Deepground in the present, he’s also haunted by his memories of Lucrecia, and we learn more about their past together. It’s also revealed that Vincent’s father, Grimoire, was also a Shinra scientist, and his death was a major factor in Lucrecia keeping her distance from him.

The game isn’t only a third-person shooter, as there are plenty of opportunities for the usual action RPG combat. Vincent can jump, kick, flip, and also transform into his Limit Breaks: Galian Beast and Chaos (who, admittedly, is only available later in the game). It’s revealed that the Tsviets are after the Protomateria inside of Vincent, and without it, he struggles to control Chaos. But the Tsviets have a chance at controlling Omega, the final Weapon that is a last resort to destroy everything that will threaten the planet.

Chaos has a role in all of this, where he has to send every living thing into the lifestream, so that way Omega can yoink it all up and bring it all up into space. So, essentially, the Final Fantasy VII team have to stop the end of the world again, due to something that, of course, Hojo is to be blamed for — I will fight anyone who solely says Sephiroth is to blame, because whose fault was it that he became the way he was? — all within three years of the last near-apocalyptic event.

Compared to the other Final Fantasy games, Dirge of Cerberus actually leaned in more to horror. Magic didn’t really play a vital role, and instead, it felt more like a warzone. Plus, the Tsviets were pretty damn creepy. The fact that Nero and Weiss eventually returned in Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade? Absolutely gobsmacked me. I was delighted. Now that more time has passed, and with the third part of the Remake trilogy coming up, there’s a chance we’ll get another look at Dirge of Cerberus.

Yes, the gameplay wasn’t perfect, but in terms of story? It was compelling. It explored different angles and gave another look into the world of VII in a way that felt like a pretty satisfying farewell to the series. It cleared up Vincent’s story, and with it, the remnants of the past that loomed over everyone.

Truthfully, I’d love to see Dirge of Cerberus get another chance. Whether it’s as a remaster or a remake, it’s a title that was ambitious. Plus, they did get rid of some elements from the original Japanese release, such as a multiplayer mode, which could have been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it never made its way into the Western release, but who knows? Maybe there’s a chance with the latter games.

After all, you’ve taunted me with Nero and Weiss, Square Enix. You’ve given us Crisis Core: Reunion and delved into Genesis’s story… Just give us the game that introduced Genesis. Oh, and if you can keep “Redemption” by Gackt in the ending credits? I’d appreciate that. Just… please. Just give us Dirge of Cerberus fans another chance.