Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (finally) brings Zack Fair’s adventure to modern platforms after years stuck on the PSP and here’s what you need to know. Read the details here!
final fantasy 7one of the best video games of all time, had a prequel that delved into one of the aspects that most aroused the curiosity of fans: the true identity of Zack Fair, a character who barely appeared in flashbacks. After seeing it in the movie Advent Children and in the OVA Last Orderfans began clamoring for a game about the character and eventually the request materialized in the Crisis Core: 2007 Final Fantasy VII for PSP. 15 years after its release, the game became increasingly difficult to play due to its limited release, but this new remaster makes it available to all gamers on modern platforms. These are our impressions after playing it on PS5.
Crisis Core is, on paper, an action RPG with real-time combat where we control Zack Fair. He is a member of SOLDIERthe armed wing of the corporation Shinra, who are the villains of Final Fantasy VII. Throughout this game, we’re going to go through his history and growth within the organization, but also his relationship with Sephiroth and two other top-notch SOLDIER who were part of the organization. The first of them is Angelwho is an honest guy ned stark and something like Zack’s mentor, and the second one is Genesisa tragic figure that shows another side of the process that gave rise to Sephiroth. Without spoiling yourself, you’re going to become attached not only to Zack but to the journey of these other three characters.
At the gameplay level, the game has fairly linear scenarios through which you will move, and where enemies will appear that you will face in combat. You’re going to have your slash, dodge, and cover button, but the beauty is that you can also customize your spells and abilities to find ways to play that you like. There is also a slot-style system that you see on the upper left side of the screen and when three characters come out in common, you can launch a special attack, your limit break or some summon. Thus, you are going to have to keep your life high as you fight against all kinds of mobs and bosses.
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The game is incredibly generous with difficulty, even on hard, and if you fail an encounter you have the option to immediately restart it without returning to your last save point. At the same time, also if you fall you can see your menu, adjust your build and change abilities, and keep trying. It is that, beyond how much or how little you like the combat, the real grace of the game is its story and that is why the fans were desperate to play it in its official incarnation.
It turns out that, and this is a spoiler for the original FF7 but not necessarily for the Remake, from the beginning of the game you know that eventually Zack is going to die protecting Cloud to start the events of the base game. So, when you play it, you get very hooked on the road because Zack is a great guy who wants to do the best he can in every circumstance that comes his way. This, instead of detracting from the experience, adds a touch of tragedy as you see how the events that ended with his death take shape and feel like a guillotine of fate hanging over our hero’s head. In this context, his attitude of never giving up, always giving his all, and seeking to improve the lives of others, even with his impossible circumstances, is even more valuable.
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The game reaches its highest point when it narrates the events of Nibbelheim (the same as the OVA Last Order, expanded here), and where the gradual fall into the madness of Sephiroth is revealed to us, the details of the relationship between Cloud and Tifa , and Zack’s true role in the tragedy. This sequence, without spoiling anything, is one of the most powerful storytelling moments in video game history and will have you glued to your seat as the action unfolds in front of you. It adds a lot that you can enjoy the game with voices in English, which are very good, but also with the great Japanese cast where it is worth noting that the actors who play Zack and Aerith are a couple in real life and add a spice to it to the relationship that is absolutely charming.
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The story, perhaps because it focuses on a military organization or perhaps because Nomura stands out both for its aesthetics and emotional moments and for its limitation when it comes to writing female characters, has very little presence of women. In the first hours of the game you are going to have to put up with a lot of melodrama about how to be a good soldier, about how friendship, respect and honor work, and only several chapters later you will meet characters like Aeris or Tifa who bring some personality and color to what is otherwise a bunch of sweeties making drama for each other. The sequences that were already involved in the original FF7 (Nibbelheim, the relationship with the Turks or with Sephiroth) are all very good, but the original material from Genesis or Angeal is a bit more plot-heavy and will remind you of Kingdom. Hearts by the same author.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to play the original Crisis Core, you’ll find that this game is graphically compliant but doesn’t stand out. It looks good and is on par with a typical JRPG. The thing is, if you’ve played the PSP version, you’ll be able to appreciate just how much has changed from the original game – the models are now incredibly detailed, the cutscenes are upscaled to look good in 4K, and the frames are rock solid. The art style is so consistent with the original that you’ll get used to looking at it very quickly and practically forget that this is a remaster – but you might notice it when you see the little movement of the characters’ bodies when they speak, that they are from a time where motion capture was not as worked as in modern games. In other words, it’s a noble remake that does everything right but underneath the gloss is still a game from 2007.
But just as it didn’t add much, nothing was lost either: the new menus, consistent with FF7 Remake’s art style, are a joy to look at and depending on how you play, you’re going to spend quite a bit of time there putting together your builds. At the same time, every one of the 100+ optional missions that were great on a laptop because they allowed you to play for a couple of minutes on public transport and drop are still there – all the content was respected. These optional missions may become repetitive for the player who is not here because of the systems but because of the story, but they are a nice incentive to continue exploring the world, fighting against very difficult enemies, and unlocking increasingly powerful spells and powers. Definitely you are not going to stay shrimp at the level of hours of play.
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In conclusion
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a game from another era, intended for handheld consoles which explains several of the design issues that may seem peculiar. However, none of this prevents the game from being discovered by a new audience that falls in love with Zack, one of the most lovable and energetic protagonists in the history of Final Fantasy. Crisis Core is at its best when it explores the relationships between characters and provides details of what is one of the key moments in the history of the saga, and in that sense it is absolutely essential for the fan. The story excites, excites, and will keep you coming back for more to continue exploring the world, its inhabitants, and this anime-flavored chronicle of a death foretold. Of course – now that you play this you will end up against the handle for playing Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth that comes out in 2024.
RELEASE DATE | December 13, 2022 |
DEVELOPER | Square Enix |
DISTRIBUTOR | Square Enix |
PLATFORMS | PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X|S |