The mid-2000s were an incredibly strange time for Final Fantasy 7. Before cinematic universes became media’s favorite business model, Square Enix was experimenting with expanding one of gaming’s most beloved worlds, which was no easy feat.
2005’s Advent Children continued the story of Cloud and his companions as a feature-length CGI film. Before Crisis turned the Turks into protagonists in a Japan-exclusive mobile game years before smartphones were commonplace. Last Order retold the Nibelheim Incident in the form of an anime. Crisis Core reimagined Final Fantasy as an action RPG centered on Zack Fair.
The resulting universe of content known as the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 was a mixed bag of wildly different ideas. Not every one of these ideas worked, certainly not as well as the foundation — or even its later remakes. But for all the criticism those other titles might’ve received, none of it matches the amount of derision aimed at the Vincent Valentine-starring Dirge of Cerberus.
A third-person shooter set in the world of Final Fantasy 7 sounds ridiculous on paper. Even in 2006, it felt like Square Enix was chasing a trend that didn’t belong anywhere near Midgar. But that’s what makes Dirge of Cerberus so interesting two decades after its release. It’s one of those rare swings that codified the era it released in: high-octane, third-person, over-the-shoulder action with a darkly cool and slightly mysterious man behind the guns.
In the wake of massive hits like Max Payne, Dead to Rights, Gungrave, and Resident Evil 4, who can blame Square Enix? Instead of simply making another RPG as fans might’ve expected, director Takayoshi Nakazato and producer Yoshinori Kitase took the brooding gunslinger, whose primary weapon had always been firearms and built an entirely different genre around him. It was a gamble, the kind of gamble Square Enix rarely makes anymore.
Sure, the shooting feels dated by 2026 standards, the enemy AI isn’t exactly revolutionary, and some levels overstay their welcome. But Dirge also contains ideas that are far more ambitious than its middling reputation suggests. Rather than handing Vincent progressively stronger guns as the story unfolds, the game lets you customize nearly every aspect of your arsenal. Across three gun slots, you can swap between frames, barrels, scopes, materia, and accessories to improve the weapon’s performance in a variety of different ways, encouraging experimentation instead of simple stat upgrades. It gives the combat a satisfying layer of personalization.
As for its story, Dirge of Cerberus takes the Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End approach by asking what happens after the heroes save the world. It digs deeper into Shinra’s darkest experiments, introduces Deepground as a hidden military force lurking beneath Midgar, and finally gives Vincent a complete character arc. His guilt over his lover Lucrecia’s tragic fate, his connection to Hojo’s experiments, and his struggle to stop defining himself by past failures give the game an emotional backbone that’s surprisingly compelling beneath all the gothic melodrama.
That same willingness to push beyond expectations extends to the design of the game itself. One chapter leans into straightforward shooting galleries, while the next turns into a horrifying trek through abandoned Shinra facilities. Boss encounters grow increasingly cinematic until they resemble the kind of over-the-top action sequences Square Enix would later embrace in games like Final Fantasy 16. Dirge never sits comfortably in one genre for very long, and while that inconsistency can make it feel uneven, it also keeps what’s essentially an arcade shooter remarkably unpredictable.
The villains are absurd in exactly the way only mid-2000s Square Enix could deliver. Rosso the Crimson, Nero the Sable, and Weiss the Immaculate are dripping with anime excess, while Hojo somehow finds yet another way to make everyone’s lives worse. None of it is remotely subtle, but Dirge never apologizes for its commitment to the bit. In an era where so many big-budget games feel carefully focus-tested for broad appeal, there’s something refreshing about a game that’s willing to be this unapologetically weird.
That confidence culminates in one of the coolest finales in the entire FF7 universe. The final confrontation with Omega Weiss — and even the one before with Rosso — embraces spectacle with giant transformations, explosive set pieces, and a sense of escalating insanity that feels perfectly earned after everything that came before. It’s messy and excessive. It’s also exactly the kind of ending a Vincent Valentine game should have.
Looking back, it’s easy to understand why Dirge of Cerberus became a punchline. It launched during a period when third-person shooters were rapidly evolving, and it couldn’t compete with the genre’s biggest names mechanically. Review scores reflected that reality, with the game currently sitting at a 57 on Metacritic, the lowest within the Compilation. The game’s reputation never really recovered over the years.
But time has a funny way of changing perspective. What once looked like Square Enix awkwardly chasing trends now feels like a studio genuinely willing to experiment with one of its most successful properties. It could have made another traditional RPG with Valentine as the lead, but it built a shooter with RPG progression, extensive weapon customization, horror influences, and a protagonist who had spent nearly a decade waiting for his time to shine. It’s a legacy that sets Dirge of Cereburus apart from other spinoffs, and despite the game’s middling reviews, Square Enix clearly hasn’t forgotten about it.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade and Rebirth have steadily folded more Compilation material into what was once considered the “main” story. So far, Deepground has already resurfaced and Weiss has returned, but Square Enix might be willing to add even more from Dirge. With Final Fantasy 7 Revelation due to be released in spring 2027, it feels more likely now than ever that Vincent’s solo adventure could receive another moment in the spotlight, especially after recent data mining efforts point to a potential Dirge-focused DLC.
If that truly comes to fruition, I hope more people give Dirge of Cerberus the second chance it deserves — not because it’s secretly a masterpiece, but because it’s one of the boldest and strangest swings Square Enix has ever taken with the property. I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of my life thinking about Final Fantasy 7. I’ve replayed the original more times than I can count and I love every second of Crisis Core. But there’s something about that awkward shooter that existed solely because Vincent Valentine looked cool holding a gun that still pulls me in every time.
Twenty years later, Dirge of Cerberus is still a reminder that some of Square Enix’s most memorable Final Fantasy 7 stories came from its biggest creative risks.
