Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII- Preserved After Years of Inaccessibility

The full version of Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII- has finally been preserved, making the previously unavailable mobile spin-off playable again.

The preservation was announced by feature phone preservationist Yuvi, who worked together with members of the Keitai game preservation community to recover the game data. The complete version was obtained from someone who still owned the original mobile phone SD card containing the game, but the encrypted files made accessing the data impossible.

Solving the issue required a significant personal effort, including the creation of custom tools and additional hardware resources. The entire process cost more than $900 in total.

Released for mobile phones in North America in 2006 and Japan in 2007, Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode is a fully voiced midquel to Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The game follows Vincent Valentine during previously unseen events as he travels toward the Shinra Mansion while Deepground pursues him in search of the Protomateria. Players also learn more about Vincent's past and Deepground through the story. The game became unavailable after the service required to download and switch between episodes was shut down on March 31, 2018.

Lost Episode never received a modern release, meaning preservation efforts are currently the only practical way to experience this missing part of Final Fantasy VII history.

Source:

medium.com

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About FINAL FANTASY VII

First released in 1997 on the PlayStation® computer entertainment system, FINAL FANTASY VII will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027. The game is universally regarded as a landmark title of the RPG genre. The original title received high praise for its epic storyline, unique characters, and movie sequences that utilized the most cutting-edge technology of the time. Since then, the game revolving around iconic hero Cloud Strife and his pursuit of the antagonist Sephiroth has sold over 15.7 million copies worldwide and continues to receive widespread acclaim from critics and fans around the world. The popular game has expanded into spin-offs, films and merchandise.

Now, Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Series, created by a team of original and new developers, retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. The first game of the trilogy, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, is available for PS4® consoles. The expanded edition, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE, and the second entry, FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, are now available for Nintendo Switch 2, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX PC, PS5® consoles and PC. FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION, the climactic conclusion of the series, will release for PS5 consoles, Nintendo Switch 2, XBOX Series X|S and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and XBOX PC, in Spring 2027.