Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is an easy sale for someone like me. This shiny new version is the game you remember, not what the original has aged to be. There are still issues, but so much has been done with this remake to keep its goodwill alive, especially for a game that’s mechanical for a great deal of its time. Not only is it a pleasure to revisit and see Zack Fair in action again, but it’s borderline for anyone investing in it at all FFVII KU.
All considered FFVII Remake is by far the better game of the two. But Make new could well be the definitive version of the best RPG we’ve seen so far. So it’s not inherently fair to even compare the two. That is, if you want to try it Make new but don’t want to decide yet reunion could be the amuse-bouche to lure you further in.
reunion also makes sense as an entry point – set seven years before the events of FFVII, It provides a key context for the coming conflict. I have no doubt that everyone will recognize Sephiroth, the main antagonist of the series. However, core of crisis begins before his big turn when he was still a member of SOLDIER, much like our hero Zack, who works in the final days of the Shinra Corporation’s war with the neighboring nation of Wutai at his side and the rest of their elite squad.
Over the course of approximately 20 hours with our ensemble of super soldiers and their adjoining staff, core of crisis tackles some heady stuff: corporate hyperbole, what it means to serve as an advocate for a morally questionable state, what it means to be a human being, and classic doing the right thing no matter the cost.
It’s plotty, campy and draws you in from the start. And much like the original, the back third still falls down as the narrative threads converge. Key story beats are casually delivered to confusing effect, and some things just aren’t explained. But despite all that, the biggest moments still end up the way they should.
Image via Square Enix
So what’s different this time? The bulk of the changes in this aptly titled remaster are to combat and aesthetics, and those changes are almost entirely positive. Great even.
While combat is still instanced and the random encounters remain, the entire experience has been reconciled with something similar Make new. Most notable is a dedicated button for your normal attack. In the original, all actions are tied to a scrolling menu and a single action button. So if you want to use a spell or an item, you can’t attack in the meantime. Now your materia are bound to the face buttons when holding the left shoulder button and items at B (or Circle), giving you much more flexibility and responsiveness in your approach.
the digital thought wave, core of crisis strange slot combat mechanics, has also seen extensive work. Its premise is that it will keep spinning throughout combat until it lands on a combo and triggers either a limit break, summon, buff, or permanent stat boost. For a supposedly luck-based system, it’s very generous. If an encounter requires more than a few slashes, you’ll almost certainly see some benefit, whether it’s a short window with no MP cost or a special move to completely clear the battlefield.
While DMW routinely disrupts the flow of combat in the PSP version by randomly dishing out your larger attacks, Boundary Crossing and Summons are now mapped to button controls to deploy when you see fit. The animations are now skippable, which I think reduced my overall playtime by at least 10%.
The aesthetic work has been improved across the board here; assets from Make new Surface to create cohesion between the titles and serve to massively enhance the original graphics. The score has been re-recorded and sounds fantastic. In addition to a newly translated script, the voiceovers have been updated with the Make new cast, which is mostly an improvement. This is home to the one weak link, however, as Zack is consistently quite hammy and wooden. The performance lends a somewhat surreal touch to some pivotal moments as the cinematic feel gives way to amateur drama.
Image via Square Enix
However, I would have liked to see a little more done to modernize the non-combat experience and graphics, such as: B. Matching pieces of the map together while exploring instead of rushing in and out of the loading screens as quickly as possible while playing on Series X.
And if content should have been cut, it’s the mission system. There are exactly 300 of these optional quests, each lasting between two and ten minutes on average. If we split the difference and call it five minutes each, beating them all will take you about 25 hours, which is a bit longer than the main quest itself. They’re also where the best gear is hidden, so you’ll need to interact with them a bit to get the upper hand when you get into the late game. Happily, reunion does a good job of signage where the good thing is you don’t have to trudge through them all unnecessarily.
Bonus points also for actually being accessible on modern platforms for the first time in ages. I’m sure even the most die-hard final fantasy Enthusiasts will have struggled a bit trying to track down ancient hardware for an otherwise purpose-built game.
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion Review – The Verdict
Image via Square Enix
Advantages
- Combat lovingly modernized in line with FFVII Remake.
- Much easier on the eyes than the original.
- Enough quality of life updates to make you forget this was mostly a PSP game.
Disadvantages
- New voiceovers can be quite sluggish at times; Zack in particular has a few Wiseau-like moments
- The undercooked final act still has its issues.
- There are still far too many missions.
Whether you are a returning player or have your eye on it core of crisis In the past, Square Enix has delivered yet again in its ongoing makeover saga FFVII for a modern audience.
For better or for worse, there are no such surprises make new, TAlthough I would have liked to see some liberties taken with events here, if only to clean up the finale of the game a bit. BHowever, the PSP version sold significantly less than the OG FFVII The for the first time, reunion will be new enough to pique interest for most people.
As far as remasters go, this is the best of them. Bug-free, great, and updated just enough to bring a great, if outdated, game back into relevance. conflict resolved.
[Note: Square Enix provided the copy of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion used for this review. Featured image via Square Enix.]
