Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is out in just a few days, bringing fans a remaster of the 2007 PSP prequel to not only tide them over between instalments of the FFVII Remake trilogy, but tell the story of Zack Fair, a character who looks like he will be more important than ever in the remake's timeline-altering meta story.
Reviews of the game have been very positive, with critics impressed by the remastering effort made in both the overhauled visuals and changes to the battle system. Multiple writers have noted that there is a disconnect from the more naturalistic performances of the new voice cast and the mostly unchanged script, which has cited as an example of the worst mid-2000s anime melodrama.
These reviews are for the PlayStation 5 version, which runs in 4K at 60 frames per second. Digital Spy has played the Nintendo Switch version in handheld mode, and can report that the game has held up its 30 fps target, minus a few mild frame drops in cutscenes.
Running at 720p, the Switch's visuals still hold up strong, with subtle instances of soft edges on models, hair shimmering and background texture pop-in being on par with what you'd expect from the system and are nowhere near as noticeable as, say, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Here are what reviewers have been saying about Crisis Core: FFVII Reunion:
"In terms of game content, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is almost identical to the original Crisis Core. One difference is that you can immediately retry any battle now after dying, which makes the game and side missions in particular more lenient. You can also now attempt to weaken or outright prevent enemies’ super attacks before they trigger. Optional higher-level enemies can kill you instantly with their super attacks, so devising strategies to prevent that is again thrilling and satisfying."
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"A remake of the 2007 PSP exclusive Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core Reunion is a faithful retelling of Zack Fair's story with dramatic visual upgrades, full voice acting, and several quality-of-life changes. Considering the game was already heralded as a fantastic prequel and one of the best titles on PSP, it comes as little surprise that this version is triumphant in making Crisis Core into a modern day must-play for Final Fantasy VII fans.
"Not only does Crisis Core Reunion port the once fairly difficult-to-find game to several new consoles, allowing for a greater audience to experience the title, it transforms the game from feeling like a smaller, handheld experience into something that can proudly stand beside Final Fantasy VII Remake as a worthy companion."
"Unfortunately, not every aspect of Crisis Core's gameplay has been updated with the same level of success, and the aging game underneath it all can rear its ugly head again outside of combat. There are some relatively open areas Zack can run around across Midgar and Gaia, but several interior and exterior corridors are often strung together with (thankfully brief) loading screens.
"And while the 10 story chapters are mostly compelling and typically last about an hour each, Crisis Core's mission system still offers additional, bite-sized quests originally designed to be played on the go. Most of them aren’t very substantial and almost all boil down to running through the same small number of hallways, randomly encountering enemies, and collecting items from a few chests. Playing these can greatly extend the runtime of the campaign, but I only felt compelled to do a handful of them."
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"Square Enix has ported the game over to Unreal Engine 4 for the purposes of this remaster, and everything from character models and environments has been completely redone and sports much greater levels of detail. While it’s obviously not on par with something like Final Fantasy VII Remake (which wouldn’t be fair to expect of what is ultimately still a remaster anyway), it does look consistently sharp and detailed.
"Animations are still a little stiff and look right out of a 2007 game (which they are), but the remaster does an admirably job of overhauling the visuals by and large. It’s still a decade and a half old, but rather than looking as it really did back then, it looks like what I remember Crisis Core looked like when I first played it back in the day."
"As for Crisis Core itself - it’s still potent! I don’t think it’s quite as potent as it was in 2007 - and interestingly, FFVII Remake probably has quite a bit to do with that. The Remake was so deft and intelligent about how it examined the fame and status of FFVII that Crisis Core can’t quite stand up to it, being filled with the tropes and eye-rolling predilections that powered the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII throughout the 2000s.
"Again, that strange axis comes into play here, where how the game has been made to look and feel hugely similar to FFVII Remake serves both to unify the two and underline their differences in equal measure. Whatever you make of Genesis spouting poetry, everyone and their dog cutting about with a single wing, or even extremely on-the-nose FFVII nods, the game is good."
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"Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is an excellent remaster that evolves the original game in ways I didn’t think possible, but even that can’t take away from an experience that even in 2007 was holding itself back to satiate the platform it called home.
"The repetitive combat and clumsy environmental design serve to make this otherwise spectacular world feel strangely artificial, while its campy dialogue and archetypal character writing doesn’t exactly gel with the remake it serves to apply greater context to. New audiences deserve to play this game, and I’m so glad they finally get that chance, but eventual wish fulfilment doesn’t lessen the hurt of inevitable disappointment."
"Crisis Core has always been an incredibly dumb game. Even for a 2000s Japanese RPG, even for a Nomura-led Square Enix project, even for Final Fantasy at its most overdramatic, Crisis Core has some truly horrific writing. Tiny, tiny bits of the script have been altered in Reunion, but the point still stands. The storytelling frequently borders on nonsensical, and protagonist Zack is constantly left in the dark by his superiors, who just so happen to love speaking in hilariously overwrought riddles. If you're not familiar with the original release, you're in for a ride.
"Is the game's jaw-droppingly awkward approach to plot delivery part of its charm, though? We're tempted to say yes. There is something endearing about just how stupid Crisis Core can be. It walks a very fine line between being actually crap and being so bad that it's entertaining."
The next main part of the FFVII Remake trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, is due for release either late next year or in early 2024. Next year will definitely see the release of Final Fantasy XVI, which got a release date and a new trailer this week.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will be released on Tuesday, December 13 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
