Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII - Gameplay

Gameplay

Dirge of Cerberus is a third-person shooter with role-playing elements. Battles occur in real-time, with the HUD displaying information such as Vincent's hit points and magic points, the currently selected item and quantity thereof, and a cross-hair to aid in targeting enemies. The action is viewed from an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to Resident Evil 4, although players can switch to a first-person perspective if they wish. Defeating enemies yields EXP, and at the end of each stage, the player can either use that EXP to level up, increasing Vincent's stats, or convert it to Gil (the in-game currency), which can then be used to purchase items and equipment upgrades.

Unlike Final Fantasy VII, where a character could equip three types of equipment (weapon, armor and accessory), Vincent's equipment consists solely of his weapon, which can contribute to his armor rating and enhance his stats through customization. Vincent has three basic gun frames available to him; a three barrel handgun called Cerberus, a rifle called Hydra, and a machine gun called Griffon. There are also several different barrels available throughout the game; short, regular and long, with longer barrels allowing easier long-range targeting, but reducing Vincent's movement speed due to their weight. Accessories, which can be attached to the weapons, include a sniper scope, charms which can increase Vincent's defense and decrease the weight of the gun (among other things), and materia, which enables magic shots with special properties that use up Vincent's magic points. Ammunition capacity can also be increased through upgrades.

Vincent's Limit Breaks return from the original Final Fantasy VII. Two forms are available in Dirge of Cerberus; the Galian Beast (which sees Vincent transform into a large creature with enhanced speed and strength for about 30 seconds), and Chaos, Vincent's most powerful form, which is available only in the final stages of the game and is not optional.