The release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake has reignited fan excitement over what's very likely Square Enix's most popular iteration of the Final Fantasy franchise. At the time, it took years for Square Enix to capitalize on Final Fantasy 7's success with the release of Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, and Crisis Core. In 2021, Square Enix is better prepared, but in 2021 the spin-off is a battle royale instead of a single-player RPG. Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier now has a release date and it's sooner than expected.

Square Enix has released a new cinematic trailer for Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, which is also the battle royale game's opening cutscene. Alongside the trailer's release, Square Enix also confirmed that Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier will be arriving on November 17. The First Soldier is a free-to-play mobile game, exclusive to mobile devices.

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As for the cinematic trailer, Square Enix goes out of its way to tie Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier to the JRPG from which it takes its name. However, the connection is looser than many might assume. Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier takes place decades prior to the events of the JRPG. The new trailer provides a quick timeline for the Final Fantasy franchise, setting up why players will be battling each other with plenty of Final Fantasy flair.

The basic idea seems to be that this battle royale style of competition is being used by Shinra to recruit for the company's new SOLDIER program. Recruits appear to be infused with mako energy, allowing them to use magic and summoning abilities. This framing lines up with past Final Fantasy 7 lore, which explains that Shinra uses the SOLDIER program as propaganda across the world. SOLDIERs are looked at like heroes by the world's citizenry, and what better way to create heroes than with a battle royale competition to decide the program's "First Soldier."

Regarding pre-registrations, Square Enix is offering free bonus content to players to pre-register ahead of Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier's release. More content is unlocked depending on how many players preregister. For example, players have already unlocked a face mask, chocobo egg, and bike skin, and need more than a million additional pre-registrations to unlock a helicopter skin.

As exciting as it is that Square Enix is launching Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier in less than two weeks, the team has been very withholding of gameplay footage for the battle royale. Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier's TGS trailer featured a bit less than two minutes of action, but that's it. It'll be a trial by fire for Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, which is worrying. Final Fantasy fans will learn Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier's value soon enough, one way or another.

Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier releases November 17 on Android and iOS devices.

MORE: The Case for 'The First Soldier' as a Final Fantasy 7 Remake Prequel