Final Fantasy VIIoriginally was a PS1 exclusive in 1997. From there, its popularity exploded so much so that in the 2000s, a compilation project was started. This included prequel and sequel games along with a movie. One of these games fromSquare EnixwasDirge of Cerberuson the PS2 in 2006.
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The game is the furthest in theFinal Fantasy VIItimeline which saw Vincent fighting off the remnants of a new Shinra organization in Midgar called Deepground. Even thoughFinal Fantasy VII Remaketakes place far before that game, this Yuffie DLC adds a lot from it but not quite everything.
7The Basic Plot Of Dirge Of Cerberus
Dirge of Cerberustakes place three years after the events ofFinal Fantasy VII. It is the last point in the original story’s timeline. The game features Vincent fighting off Deepground who were a secret organization within Shinra that have been biding their time ever since the corporation fell inFinal Fantasy VII. Besides killing innocents, their main goal is to get something called the Proto Materia in order to control Omega Weapon to then destroy the planet.
6Yuffie’s Outfit
Yuffie’s Mog outfit inFinal Fantasy VII Remake’sDLC may seem random but it is not. She wears a similar outfit inDirge of Cerberus. While her clothes underneath are different between that game andFinal Fantasy VII, this seems like a definite connection.
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Yuffie in general is a big character inDirge of Cerberuseven though she is not playable, unlike Vincent. This makes sense as Square Enix could have seemingly done this to give both characters some extra love since they were only optional characters inFinal Fantasy VII. Now Yuffie finally gets her own adventure via this DLC.
5Involved Final Fantasy VII Characters
Other characters fromFinal Fantasy VIImake appearances as well in both small and large roles. Reeve is basically the commander in chief of the anti-Deepground unit known as the WRO. He’s in the game but so is his robotic counterpart, Cait Sith. That character is the only other one besides Vincent who is playable in the game.
Toward the second chunk of the game, Cid makes an appearance as the commander of the WRO’s air brigade. Other characters like Cloud make small cameos in some big cinematic fights. However, they don’t really interact with Vincent, Yuffie, or anyone else in what is considered to be the main cast ofDirge of Cerberus.
4Who Controls Deepground?
InDirge of CerberusReeve says that he believes only Hojo, Scarlet, Heidegger, and President Shinra knew and/or controlled Deepground when the company was still around. It is implied that not even Rufus knew about them duringFinal Fantasy VII’sevents. InFinal Fantasy VII Remakethis seems to be the case at least in the case of Scarlet who is the one that activates the division once she is backed into a corner by Yuffie and Sonon.
Whether they go back underground for the rest ofthe remake sequelsis to be determined. However, since they were activated so early now, it only stands to reason that Square Enix has bigger plans for them instead of segregating Deepground to just one game viaDirge of Cerberus.
3The Tsviets
It is never stated in the main story forFinal Fantasy VII Remakebut Weiss and Nero belong to an elite branch of Deepground. They are known as The Tsviets, with Weiss being their leader. There were many more members inDirge of Cerberusbut the DLC only had these two. Each one of them came with a particular weapon and power.
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For example, in both the original game and this DLC, Nero has the power to control darkness. How that power operates is never really explained in either game nor are any of The Tsviets‘ powers. They were Square Enix’s version ofMetal Gearbosses.
2Digital Doubles
In the original release ofFinal Fantasy VII Remake, Cloud could compete in VR challenges via Chadley. This young scientist didn’t have much of a story role in the main game and yet he does appear in the DLC very briefly. He is shown helping Shinra upload Weiss’ consciousness into a digital realm. This might seem like a simple way to get Weissin the remakeas a boss without Yuffie actually having to face off against this powerful foe so early.
There is more to it than that because inDirge of CerberusWeiss has a similar fate. His body dies, but it gets reused by Hojo who downloads his data into Weiss after Hojo’s body dies toward the end ofFinal Fantasy VII. It should also be mentioned that Shelke, one of The Tsviets, has the ability to jump into cyberspace. This sounds like the setup to a spinoff entry inthe remake serieswherein Square Enix is going to make aKingdom Hearts: Re:codedequivalent which also dealt with digital doubles.
1What Does This Mean For Future Games?
The very idea ofDirge of Cerberuscontent making it into Yuffie’s DLC is no accident. There is a theory going around thatthe remake serieswill be split into two parties. Cloud will be going after Shinra and Sephiroth while Yuffie leads a gang to try and stop Shinra and Deepground. Eventually, both teams will meet for one final game.
Splitting the games would allow Square Enix to not have to stress over putting so many party members into each entry. A smaller controllable party could mean less stress on the developers. Who would be on Yuffie’s team? Since Vincent, Cait Sith, and Cid were all main characters inDirge of Cerberus, that might be the party. This is all just speculation for now but let’s also not forget about Zack who could start a third game serieswithin these remakes.
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