------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII FAQ Ver.1.0 For 900 Series iMode Mobile Phones By: Suzaku (AKA NeoStrikedramon) 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unpublished work Copyright (c) 2004 Jesse Stuart Do not sell or give away this FAQ. Do not reprint this work without my permission. This is for GameFAQs only. Do not incorperate or reprint any parts of this guide into your own FAQ, guide, website, or etc. without my consent. The Final Fantasy series is (c) Square. ================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= 1. Introduction - Author's Note - The Story - Revision History - Special Thanks 2. Basic Information - Game Setup - Character Creation - Menus - Controls 3. Mission Walkthrough Pre-Mission: Turks Headquarters Chapter 1: "Those Who Slither Through the Night" Free Mode 4. Materia Guide - Introduction - Materia List (Alphabetic) - Materia Support System (Alphabetic) 5. Inventory Guide - Weapon List (Alphabetic) - Armor List (Alphabetic) 6. Character Data Guide - Player Characters (PC) - Non-Player Characters (NPC) 7. Enemy Guide - Normal Enemy List (Alphabetic) - Boss Enemy List (Alphabetic) 8. Miscellaneous - TV Commercial - Merchandise ======================================================================== 1. Introduction ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Author's Note ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I don't really have much to say as yet. I doubt many people will be reading this FAQ, or at least playing the game, so I'm trying to make it into more of a "data collection" with lots of information on the game, as well as various bits and pieces of news, etc. as it appears. This is currently only for the beta, which has only been out a short while. This FAQ may contain some errors, but it doesn't reflect the full version. As a minor note, I will use the Japanese slang for Mobile Phone, PHS, which stands for Personal Handset. This ties in well with FFVII, as you used a PHS System to manage your characters and party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Story - Turks vs. AVALANCHE: The Night Before the Final Battle! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before Crisis is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII, detailing information on the past histories of Shin-Ra, the Turks, and AVALANCHE, beginning six years before the original. The story is unveiled as you play through mission-based episodes, with various cinemes and characters. New episodes and missions will be released on a monthly basis. The story begins shortly after the war between the Shin-Ra Company and Wutai comes to a close, the Legendary Hero, Sephiroth, having lead Shin-Ra to victory. However, Shin-Ra's hold on the world is not so definite, as an insurgant terrorist group known as AVALANCHE appears, waging a virtual civil war against the corrupt monopoly. This is where the heart of the story lies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Revision History ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ver. 1.0 (9-24-2004) - With the game released in Japan, I will begin updating the FAQ again. Ver. Beta (9-5-2004) - Completed preliminary FAQ. It covers a large portion of the Beta, almost the complete thing. But as new information trickles in, I'll do my best to keep it updated with the latest. ^_^; Ver.Pre-Beta (9-4-2004) - Began creating this FAQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Thanks ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'd like to dedicate this FAQ to Kao Megura, AKA Chris MacDonald, the creator of many FAQs which have helped us all at some point or another. This FAQ borrows some formatting from his FFVII FAQs as a tribute. Pazuzu - My good friend and a skilled translator. FFVII Reunion - http://ff7ac.hotcafe.to - An excelent Japanese website. www.adventchildren.net - Probably the best Compilation of FFVII site! Excite - For offering the best machine translation service out there. ======================================================================== 2. BASIC INFORMATION ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Game Setup ------------------------------------------------------------------------ First of all, here is what you need to have to play the game: 1. A Japanese 900 series iMode PHS (Personal Handset, AKA Mobile Phone) 2. Money to subscribe to the game. It's fairly cheap, but even Beta is P2P. Downloading new packets may also cost you extra. Access the Final Fantasy i Site via the phone as follows: iMenu > Menu List > Game > Final Fantasy i Download the game, if you can connect and have registered. You will also need to download graphics and packets for the game. Some file sizes: Application - 100KB First Play - 65KB New Locations - 192-252KB Changing Materia and Equipment - 24KB When you begin the game, it displays a title screen, showing an upward panning shot of Shin-Ra headquarters with music playing. You will then be able to create your character and register an account on the Before Crisis server. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Character Creation ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you begin, you will choose which character to play as. As of the official release, there are four playable characters, two male and two female, each with different types of weapons and stats. Square has stated that with future updates, more characters will be available. Starting stats, weapons, and other information is listed in the Player Characters section. Next step, name your character, using Kana. When you are done, the game will play the intro, describing the Turks, Shin-Ra, and other aspects of the world. If you are even remotely interessted in this game, you've probably played and beaten FFVII, so I shouldn't have to waste time retelling it. For more the basic backstory, refer to "The Story" section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Menus ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Turks Headquarters Menu Mission Allows you to select from a list of missions. Materia Lets you create, edit and equip your materia. Training Allows you to use Rank Points to train with Reno. Character Company ID: Your character's Shin-Ra Staff ID number. Name: Your character's name. Rank: Your character's current rank within the Turks. RP: I believe it has to do with your mission ratings. LV: Current Level. HP: Current HP / Total HP. MP: Current MP / Total MP. POW: Power. DEF: Defense. EXP: Total Experience. NEXT: EXP needed to level up. Weapon: -Currently Equipped Weapon- Materia Slots (Orb Icon - Materia Name - Level - EXP) Armor: -Currently Equipped Armor- Materia Slots (Orb Icon - Materia Name - Level - EXP) Next: Switch to next character. Member List Disabled in Beta. Option Various game and network settings. End Game Mission Menu Materia Allows you to equip your Materia Status View your character status Return to Base ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Controls ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Field D-Pad: Control your character Left Function: Access Menu Right Function: Magic Battle D-Pad: Control your character Left Function: Attack - hold for Auto-Attack and maneuvering. Right Function: Magic ======================================================================== 3. Mission Walkthrough ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pre-Mission: Turks Headquarters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you enter the game, you will be in the Turks HQ, with a menu. Your default weapon will either be a gun or a rod, depending on which character you selected. Your default armor will be a Bangle. Finally, your default rank will be Trainee. Since you have no Materia, it would be a good idea to make some. Be sure to make Comet and Cure, as they are especially useful. Refer to the Materia Guide section of this FAQ. When you are ready to begin playing, select your first Mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 1: "Those Who Slither Through the Night" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Location: Midgar, Sector 8. Type: Eliminate all enemies. The mission begins with a group from a rebel faction running through the alleys. This is AVALANCHE, the guerilla terrorist group, and their mission is to undermind and destroy Shin-Ra. The members talk briefly, as Sears, one of the primary leaders within Avalanche, states, "This is the start of the battle to defeat the Shin-Ra Corporation!" With that said, the group splits up and proceeds to start their mission, two of them running into Shin-Ra soldiers, which they defeat. Cut to your character, arriving in Midgar, Sector 8. You get a call on your PHS from Tseng. For your first mission with the Turks, you be patrolling the city. This is a common job for Trainees, and Reno, Rude, and even Tseng himself all started with the same job. With the war over, the city is peaceful and there shouldn't be any problems. You will now take control of your character. As you make your rounds checking the city out, you'll eventually come across two members of AVALANCHE. After a brief phone call with your superior... Time for your first battle. Use this oppurtunity to get used to the flow of combat. The AVALANCHErs aren't to tough, and if you're packing a Comet Materia and a Cure Materia, there should be no problem. You will want to make sure not to overuse your MP, as your Materia is very important, and being stranded without any may put you in a tough spot, or cause you to rely on outside support from other players. Battle is basically simple, you manuever around your opponents and their attacks, getting in your own attacks when you can. Depending on what type of weapon you use, you will need different strategies to defeat your enemies, but it's all fairly self explanitory. Following your first battle, Tseng will contact you and tell you to eliminate the rest of the enemies and then return to HQ. Some dialog, and then you will return to the main Turks HQ menu. You can now access Free Mode and explore the area, gathering information from NPCs and leveling up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Free Mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you return to the Turks Headquarters after your first Mission, you can return to the area in Free Mode. In this mode, you are free to explore, talk to NPCs, and do battle with enemies. ======================================================================== 4. Materia Guide ======================================================================== Before Crisis utilizes an interessting new system for gaining Materia, the Materia Generation System. By accessing the Materia menu, will be taken to a Shin-Ra laboratory, where you can use their mako-technology to synthesice new Materia. This is done by taking photographs of things with your Mobile Phone's camera, which will then be degraded into it's most predominate, base color, generating a similairly colored Materia. Reports state that in the future, more powerful materia may require "rarer" mixtures of colors to be present in photographs. - Materia can be leveled up, just as in FFVII, by gaining Materia EXP. Leveling up increases the damage that Materia does, and may eventually lead to higher level spells. - There is currently no limit on the amount of materia you can create. - Although it doesn't appear to be implimented yet, a Materia Support system allows you to radio headquarters for backup in a pinch, such as when you are low on Magic. This will call for support from other players to lend support with their Materia, or even help preform a summon, if certain conditions are met. - By equipping Materia to your weapon, you can sometimes activate special effects with your attacks, such as "Materia Bullets", etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Materia Listing (Alphabetic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bio MP Cost: N/A Target Type: N/A Materia Generation System: Dark Green Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Biora MP Cost: N/A Target Type: N/A Materia Generation System: Dark Green Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Blizzard MP Cost: 10 Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Blue Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: 50 Special Effect: Can freeze enemies, stopping them from attacking and slowing their movements. Blizzara MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Blue Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Special Effect: Can freeze enemies, stopping them from attacking and slowing their movements. Comet MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Full Screen Materia Generation System: Dark Purple Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Cometeo (?) MP COst: N/A Target Type: N/A Materia Generation System: Black (?) Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Cure MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Light Blue Level 1 - Default - Base Healing: N/A Cura MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Light Blue Level 1 - Default - Base Healing: N/A Fire MP Cost: 10 Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Red Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: 50 Fira MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Red Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Gravity MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Pink, Purple Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Gravira MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Pink, Purple Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Quake MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Brown Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Special Effect: Can be used to form a wall around the enemy, dealing damage as well as preventing them from moving. Quara MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Brown Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Special Effect: Can be used to form a wall around the enemy, dealing damage as well as preventing them from moving. Thunder MP Cost: 10 Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Yellow Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: 50 Special Effect: Can paralyze enemies, stopping their actions. Thundara MP Cost: N/A Target Type: Range Materia Generation System: Yellow Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A Special Effect: Can paralyze enemies, stopping their actions. Ultima MP Cost: N/A Target Type: N/A Materia Generation System: N/A Level 1 - Default - Base Damage: N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Materia Support System (Alphabetic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bio System Bio Biora Bioraga Blizzard System Blizzard Blizzara Blizzaraga Comet System Typhoon - Summon - Comet x3 Cometeo Cure System Cure Cura Curaga Fire System Fire Fira Firaga Gravity System Gravity Gravira Graviraga Quake System Quake Quara Quaraga Thunder System Thunder Thundara Thundaraga Ultima System Ultima ======================================================================== 5. Equipment Guide ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weapons List (Alphabetic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- Guns ----------- Hand Gun Ranged Materia Slots: 1 Fires a single shot in a straight path. Shotgun Ranged Materia Slots: 1 Fires a three-way blast. ----------- Rods ----------- Rod Physical Materia Slots: 1 Delivers phsyical damage at close range. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Armor List (Alphabetic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangle Materia Slots: 2 ======================================================================== 6. Character Data Guide ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Player Characters (PC) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Male PC A An ex-gang leader. He broke into the Shin-Ra Building, and when he was caught by Reno he took the chance to apply to join the Turks. Default Weapon: Rod [Starting Stats] Male PC B *Information Coming Soon* Default Weapon: Handgun [Starting Stats] Female PC A After graduating head of her class from the Shin-Ra Military School, she joins the Turks. She has a natural talent for using guns. Default Weapon: Handgun [Starting Stats] Female PC B *Information Coming Soon* Default Weapon: Shotgun [Starting Stats] More Characters will be playable with future updates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Non-Player Characters (NPC) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Shin-Ra Electric Power Co.] President Shin-Ra A powerful man, cruel and inhumane, who controls the huge Shin-Ra Company. Rufus Shin-Ra He is Shin-Ra's Vice President, and the son of company president, President Shin-Ra. The real power behind Shin-Ra, he seems to have embarked on a long business trip. Exactly how he's connected to the Turks is a point of worry. [The Turks] Verd The head of the Turks. He makes it a rule not to tolerate failure in in the carrying out of one's duty, and judges the preformance of all the Turks. The Turks are all terrified of his severity. Something apparently happened to him in the past, but the nature of that event remains a mystery. Tseng He's like the leader of the Turks. He deeply respects Verd and is struggling to become a perfectionist like him. Tseng is very young, and there are times when he can't control his temper... Reno A man who is thoughtful of his partners, he pushes himself hard. Rude A quiet man with a strong sense of duty. He draws trust from the people he relies on. [SOLDIER] Sephiroth The legendary silver haired SOLDIER. He's a colleague of the Shin-Ra Company's Turks, with whom the main characters are affliated, but... Zax No data on file. [Shin-Ra Military] Cloud No data on file. [AVALANCHE] Sears Powerful leader of the militant faction. He often takes command of strategies. Fuhito The brains behind AVALANCHE, she excels in plots and schemes. Elfe A female leader planning the overthrowing of Shin-Ra. She's charismatic and unifies the organization. ======================================================================== 7. Enemy Guide ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Normal Enemy Listing (Alphabetic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AVALANCHE (Beta) HP: 120 Street Ruffian (Beta) HP: 100 (?) Bomb (Beta) HP: 100 Self Destructs at low HP if it enlarges to full size. Comet (Beta) HP: 130 Self Destructs at low HP if it enlarges to full size. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boss Enemy Listing (Alphabetic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sears No information ======================================================================== 8. Miscellaneous ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TV Commercial ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now, I wouldn't normally bother to talk about a commercial for a video game, but recently, a rather impressive commercial for Before Crisis has hit the airwaves in Japan. While it features a small amount of gameplay footage, the real payoff is the sleek Japanese animation. Even though the TVCM is only about 10 or 11 seconds long, it seems to fit a great deal of action into it, as such, I have written a breakdown of the scene within the trailer. *NOTE - I must stress that this doesn't mean there will be an anime series or anything of the sort; it's common to use anime sequences in Japanese video game commercials.* Scene 0 - Square-Enix logo. Scene 1 - Lightning arcs around a rod, striking a materia set in the end. Scene 2 - A mobile phone opens. Scene 3 - Midgar, very very briefly appears. Scene 4 - Rufus answering his phone. Scene 5 - Male PC (Player Character) A riding a motorcycle. Scene 6 - Elfe, leader of AVALANCHE, appears briefly on a cell-phone. Scene 7 - Reno and Rude running, with bullets hitting the ground around them. Reno looks toward the camera and sticks his tongue out. Scene 8 - Male PC A runs forward, using Blizzard with the materia on his Rod, on a generic enemy, freezing him. Scene 9 - Male PC A stands in the background, with the frozen enemy up close to the screen. Another Turk's fist shatters the head, and the Turk steps into view. Scene 10 - Elfe and two other members of AVALANCHE run from a large fire or explosion. Scene 11 - Female PC A and another Female PC B are firing their weapons. Scene 12 - Their enemies being hit by the gunfire, and break apart as blood (?) flows from the wounds. Scene 13 - Energy arcs around a Female Turks as she spins through the air and strikes an enemy (who looks similair to Barret) with a spinning karate-chop type attack. Scene 14 - Open phone displaying the Shin-Ra logo. Scene 15 - Male PC A runs toward the screen, as he raises his rod upwards. A purple materia on the end glows. Scene 16 - A large, winged, horned and tailed silhouette appears as the ground breaks apart. Another creature appears on screen to the left, looking similair to one of the Cerberus heads in the Dirge of Cerberus logo. Scene 17 - 8 Turks stand lined up, silhouetted against a full moon with a helicopter in the background. A 9th (likely Male PC A) screeches into the scene on his motorcycle, stopping in front of the group. The Before Crisis FFVII logo appears on screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Merchandise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Coming Soon? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII FAQ - END Copyright Jesse Stuart, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------