Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion for diehard FF7 fans. Without disappointing, the result lacks attention.
In 2007, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core became a spin-off ; a game to generate income from early Final Fantasy VII fans who wanted to cash in on the PlayStation Portable license. And the least we can say is that it all worked pretty well.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, for diehard FF7 fans
The story revolved around a relatively minor but popular character from the original game, Zack. Spoiler free, Zack is related to Cloud, big bad Sephiroth, and other characters. Unfortunately, he dies before the start of the original game and only appears in flashbacks.
As Square Enix prepares the second part of its Remake project, Crisis Core Reunion is offering new players the opportunity to fill in the gaps regarding Zack. He is present in the post-credits scenes in the Remake, suggesting that he may gain some notoriety.
Square Enix has improved their character models, backgrounds, textures, and even the interface to ensure graphical consistency between Crisis Core and the recent Remake. There is voice acting throughout the game’s history, however the character animations have been neglected, it’s like a remaster of Final Fantasy X in HD. 2022. There are some character models in Crisis Core Reunion that could easily appear in the Remake, even if they move like characters from a PS2 game. For example, Sephiroth, who appears briefly in the demo, seems to have attracted more attention than Zack.
Not disappointing, the result does not attract attention
However, not everything is so bad. From now on, on your home console you will have two analog sticks for simultaneous camera control and motion control: the PSP had only one. This simplifies the management of battles. And the fights are still very enjoyable, albeit quite simple.
Also don’t expect remake-like responsiveness and spectacle. Crisis Core’s combat mechanic, Digital Mind Wave (DMW), still exists. During battles, you will automatically have the numbers and images of the characters you have met in the game. If certain numbers match, you can restore health and skill points, increase the chance of a critical hit, etc. If the images match, you can perform a powerful Limit attack Break, which can deal a lot of damage, buff your character, and more. If the numbers show “777”, Zack gets a level, which is still pretty weird.
The combat system, like the graphics, is pretty simple. You face a combination of sword techniques, spells and more, sometimes spiced up with Limit Breaks. You can block and parry, which was extremely important during the bosses I had to face. But it all seemed too simple.
I can’t help but compare Crisis Core to Remake, with its fluid animations, slow menus, and…multi-million dollar budget. It’s a little unfair, but Crisis Core Reunion exists for FF7 fans who want to dive back into the game’s history. 2007 is so far away…