Pumpkin Fest: Where Darkness Gathers (Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis)

Ff7evercrisispumpkinfest — Event banner logo with Nibelheim in the background.

Pumpkin Fest: Where Darkness Gathers is a Halloween-themed event featured in the mobile RPG video game Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, developed by Square Enix and Applibot. The seasonal event originally started in the game on October 19, 2023, and lasted until November 2, 2023. Beginning during the 2024 Halloween season, the event starts every year on October 2 and ends on October 31. The event includes seasonal story content and battles, as well as rewards that players can use to receive Halloween costumes and many other weapons and other accessories for their characters.

Event details[]

During this time period, players can partake in a Halloween-themed story which takes place during the Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier segment and fight enemies in either solo battles in a party of three characters or co-op battles with other players. After each battle, players will be rewarded with spooky items, including pumpkin shaped candy and Dorky lanterns (based on the jack-o-lantern-like enemies of the same name from the original Final Fantasy VII video game). Players can exchange these items for exclusive weapons, memory pieces for Aerith and Glenn, Gacha tickets, and Halloween costumes for select characters. Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth, Aerith and Glenn received Halloween costumes in 2023, while in 2024, Vincent, Cait Sith and Yuffie (Who were added to Ever Crisis that same year) received Halloween costumes as well.

An update of the game on October 25, 2023, included a Halloween-themed weapon for Lucia called the Pumpkin Blaster, memory pieces for Cloud and Lucia, and a new boss known as Inferno Lantern which is a green pumpkin monster. Additionally, a new item included in the update called a Doltish lantern (a green pumpkin) can be used to exchange for the new weapon and other items.

GY7ZrkYbAAAkcUg — *Pumpkin Fest: Attack of the Dark Army General.*

During the 2024 Halloween season, Tifa received a Halloween-themed weapon called the Black Cat Paws which are a pair of cat paw shaped fighting gloves, and new white pumpkins called Looney Lanterns became exchangeable for the new weapon and other items. Pumpkin Fest Gear Vouchers are a new item added to the game starting in 2024 and are used to exchange for new gear and weapons. A new seasonal quest called Pumpkin Fest: Attack of the Dark Army General included a ghoulish green logo banter and a new boss fight known as the Dark Army General, a white pumpkin monster. An update of the game on October 10, 2024, added a Halloween-themed weapon for Matt called the Candle Rapier.

While Sephiroth and Glenn are the main characters in the main story, any character can partake in the stories battles. The games roster includes Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Aerith Gainsborough, Barret Wallace, Red XIII / Nanaki, Yuffie Kisaragi, Cait Sith, Vincent Valentine, Cid Highwind, Zack Fair, Sephiroth, Glenn Lodbrok, Matt Winsord, Lucia Lin and Angeal Hewley.

Story[]

While on Rhadore island, P-0 Class SOLDIERS (Which stands for prototype) Glenn Lodbrok, Matt Winsord, and Lucia Lin discover a mysterious portal. Glenn curious goes into it after being told not to by Matt, moments later, a young Sephiroth notices the portal and Glenn's disappearance. Sephiroth suggests that the portal is from a prototype portal Materia made by Professor Hojo. Sephiroth then enters the portal to retrieve Glenn.

The portal takes Sephiroth and Glenn to the small town of Nibelheim (The hometown of Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart), where the Halloween Pumpkin Festival is taking place. The town is decorated with jack-o-lanterns, and orange and purple lights. The portal back to the island disappears leaving the two stranded in Nibelheim. Glenn encounters what he assumes is a kid wearing a costume; however, the kid is revealed to be a pumpkin-like monster. After Sephiroth and Glenn defeat the pumpkin monster, they see a little boy who is not wearing a costume. The boy explains that every year at the Pumpkin Festival, the Dark Army-harbingers of the cold spell unleash terror on the town, so the people of Nibelheim wear costumes in order to fool the monsters and prevent them from eating their souls. The pumpkin monsters also feed on negative emotions and fear. The two soldiers agree to defeat the Dark Army leader of the harbingers in order to get the portal Materia back.

In order to find the monsters, Sephiroth and Glenn must say, "Tussle or Treat" to a person wearing a costume, and if they respond with, "Treat" then they'll know the individual is not a monster. Sephiroth and Glenn fight many of the pumpkin monsters, but are unable to find the Dark Army leader, Glenn thinks they must have killed all the monsters, but Sephiroth disagrees. The little boy makes Sephiroth suspicious due to all the knowledge of the monsters he seems to know. The boy tells them that they should be wearing costumes, as it might make the dark army leader appear, and they can strike if the monster lets its guard down, he suggests that they look inside Shinra manor to find costumes. While Sephiroth agrees with this plan, it makes him more suspicious about the boy.

Sephiroth and Glenn arrive at Shinra manor and begin looking for Halloween costumes to wear. In the basement, Sephiroth has a flashback about Hojo (whom Sephiroth despises), this negative emotion attracts another pumpkin monster, luckily Glenn defeats it. The two of them manage to find costumes, Sephiroth dresses as a Dark Harbinger, while Glenn dresses as a pumpkin headed scarecrow. After they leave the mansion, they notice an eerie purple glow at the water tower, the two soldiers defeat more monsters on their way to the water tower.

Ever Crisis Pumpkin Fest 1 — Sephiroth and Glenn Lodbrok in their Halloween costumes encountering the Dark Army Leader in Nibelheim.

When Sephiroth and Glenn make it to the purple glow, the little boy stands in the mist and turns into a pumpkin monster wearing a purple witch hat, revealing him to be the Dark Army leader and proving Sephiroth's suspicions right. The Dark Army leader tells them that it tricked the two of them into helping him kill the other pumpkin monsters so he can become the new leader, now he wants to spread darkness across the planet feeding on fear and emotions. Sephiroth and Glenn battle the Dark Army leader, who uses ice and dark magic against the soldiers, though the monster is weak against wind magic. After a tough fight, the two of them manage to defeat the monster. The Dark Army leader hopes to play with them again soon, but Sephiroth makes sure that will never be, and he uses his sword to slash the giant pumpkin monster into oblivion, saving the people of Nibelheim.

After the defeat of the Dark Army leader, Sephiroth manages to retrieve the portal Materia and opens the portal back to Rhadore island, where Matt and Lucia await them. Glenn suggests that he and Sephiroth stay to enjoy the Pumpkin Festival and eat some pumpkin soup. Sephiroth agrees since he's hungry. However, Glenn accidentally walks into the portal back to the island. Sephiroth soon follows him. The two soldiers then arrive through the portal back to Rhadore Island safely much to Matt and Lucia's relief, though they wonder why Glenn and Sephiroth are wearing Halloween costumes. Sephiroth tells them that he doesn't remember the events that took place while in the portal.

Select Halloween costumes[]

Ff7halloweencloudsephiroth — Halloween costumes for Cloud and Sephiroth that players can obtain.

Aerith Gainsborough - Chocobo costume
Cloud Strife - Bandaged Coat (Similar to Frankenstein's monster)
Sephiroth - Dark Harbinger (A horned demon costume)
Zack Fair - Black Hound (A werewolf costume. Zack's orange and black jacket may be a reference to the jacket that Michael Jackson wears in his werecat form in the Thriller music video)
Glenn Lodbrok - Pumpkinmare (A pumpkin costume)
Vincent Valentine - Crowmaster (A crow costume)
Cait Sith - Pumpkin Jacket (A witch costume)
Yuffie Kisaragi - Nanaki Mantle (A costume of Red XIII / Nanaki)

Only Aerith's Chocobo costume is obtained by exchanging items. Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack, Glenn, Vincent, Yuffie and Cait Sith's Halloween costumes are obtained from the draw shop, blue or red crystals are required for drawing them.

In 2024, the new Pumpkin Fest Voucher could allow players to use the vouchers in exchange for Cait Sith, Vincent and Yuffie's Halloween costumes, as well as Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack and Glenn's costumes. The Pumpkin Fest vouchers can be obtained from the draw shop as well. Vincent's costume comes with a weapon called the Crow Familiar gun, while Cait Sith's costume comes with a megaphone called the Witch's Broom and is decorated to look like a witch's broomstick.

Halloween-themed home screen wallpapers[]

Animated wallpapers for the home screen menu can be obtained. Halloween-themed ones were released during this event. The wallpapers with the Dark Army Leader are obtained from consuming a certain amount of stamina throughout the main story, while wallpapers of specific characters are obtained from getting the costumes specific weapon leveled to seven stars.