by In lesser hands, the tidal wave of nostalgia unleashed by Final Fantasy 7 prequel Crisis Core would result in nothing more than another tired case of Remembering Things: The Game.
Look, there is Midgar. Again. There is Shinra’s headquarters. Again. Do you remember Sephiroth? Good, because he’s back and he’s brought his friends Bootleg Sephiroth and Cloud v0.01 with him this time.
But Crisis Core is not in lesser hands, nor is it interested in superficially retreading old ground. This is the story of Zack Fair, first seen in a smattering of Final Fantasy 7 flashbacks, along with an RPG’s worth of friends and enemies, either created specifically for Crisis Core, given their first significant outing here, or seen in an entirely new light. These new personalities bring new stories and perspectives to the game’s popular setting, sometimes clarifying an old and murky written plot thread, sometimes adding further intrigue to events that seemed clear and fully explained the first time around.
Zack is an easy character to like. He begins Crisis Core with an exciting attitude, happily stomping through Final Fantasy 7’s world in the company’s boots, cleaning up “distortions” (company parlance for “anyone who opposes Shinra”) on command and eager to meet the most heroic SOLDIER of them all everyone, Sephiroth. This oblivious positivity subtly matures over the course of the game, his joie de vivre not diminished, but reformulated as personal defiance against his increasingly harsh reality. The remastered and heavily expanded voice acting (as well as the slightly tweaked English translation) that delivers this shift is convincingly emotive on all subjects, from serious lines about personal legacies to one-off jokes, with the voice actors of Final Fantasy 7 Remake returning where appropriate.
Crisis Core’s origins as a PSP game bring with it an unexpected advantage – brevity. The original didn’t have the disk space or battery power to waste time doing anything other than getting straight to the point, and thanks to this, the main story of Reunion continues to move forward at a brisk pace with plenty of automatic and manual save points. the way, and a good number of the optional side stories are in their own easily accessible menu, ready when I am.
Although the 3D landscapes cover everything from steampunk slums filled with detailed trash to lush villages where fruit hangs lazily from twisted branches, only the general look and layouts are from the 15-year-old game Reunion is based on. Everything else is either brand new or sensibly stolen, perhaps with some minor changes, from the existing models found in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
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However, Crisis Core isn’t quite as polished as the Remake. Some of the animation is a bit too simplistic or repetitive when viewed in HD – a flapping puppet-like mouth that an unnamed NPC speaks, Zack performs exact the same hand gesture once again – and the conspicuously compact areas betray the game’s portable roots. But as relatively cost-conscious as the game in short is in places, it’s clear that Square’s idea of what a “budget” remake should look like is very different to most, and on the whole Reunion looks as modern as any RPG game at the top level. .
Unfortunately, there are some hard limits to how far PC gamers can push these graphics, as the available settings are on the basic side. There are some standard window/resolution/v-sync/FPS options to choose from, with simple low/medium/high for shadows, textures and AA for them. But the camera and key binding settings are almost comically detailed, allowing users to adjust everything from basic controls to the camera’s behavior when it encounters an inclined surface. Overall performance is pleasantly uneventful, with no stuttering or nasty pop-in – Crisis Core simply works as intended as long as it runs.
Crisis Core’s old combat system has been almost completely rebuilt, and definitely for the better. Revamped core commands – attack, dodge and guard – and an intelligent lock-on system give Zack the fluidity of an action hero, while a host of subtle details add layers of strategic nuance. Many RPG combat systems rely entirely on the power of mathematics to determine whether an attack hits or misses its target, while Crisis Core focuses on physical connection and in-the-moment positioning instead: blows that only cause damage when sword arms or sorcery meet sinister Shinra-funded abomination. I am the key to Zack’s survival, rather than a stat sheet: my own ability to judge and react to an incoming attack is far more important than any boosted stats or gear.
Crisis Core Reunion escapes Final Fantasy 7’s long shadow with ease
It’s a shift in focus that makes Zack’s victories feel like my own, each successful dodge down to personal skill and each quickly cleared fight concrete evidence of my own abilities.
Even magic is more than just sparkling damage here. Icicles drop in from above and have a narrow area of effect, making them difficult to use against a mobile target. Powerful fireballs are a multi-hit spread. Gravity bullets take a while to connect with an enemy, but can decimate their health bars if they do. Each spell has a unique quirk that needs to be considered, which stops spellcasting as a case of spamming the most numerically efficient option over and over again.
DMW (Digital Mind Wave), Crisis Core’s casino-style slot, runs in one corner of the screen while all this is going on. These unpredictable bonuses give battles a slightly chaotic atmosphere: Zack can briefly become a dragon-summoning spellcaster or an invincible warrior, encouraging me to change my battle tactics to take advantage of what’s currently active. Since these effects are always beneficial, the ever-changing changes in my tactics feel like a welcome chance to cause trouble in a different way for a short while, without deviating from the personal plan of attack I had in mind before the wheels stopped. spinning.
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DMW also ties directly into history. Sometimes the reels are replaced by flashbacks of past events, or the action can stop completely for a few (skippable) seconds, potentially revealing new insights. The distraction mimics Zack’s own wandering thoughts, and I found the stark contrast between the effects-laden battles and precious memories unexpectedly emotional, as it gave our relentlessly optimistic hero unseen depths and tender moments he wouldn’t otherwise have.
Crisis Core Reunion is an engrossing action RPG with no patience for fluff or filler, and a game that easily escapes Final Fantasy 7’s long shadow. As someone who can still remember playing through Crisis Core on the PSP, I found the vastly upgraded graphics and reworked combat system here well worth the replay, and Zack’s resolute (and ultimately pointless) positivity in a world designed to crush him under his heel . tug at my heartstrings, even though I knew exactly how his story was going to turn out before I even installed the game.
Between Pixel Remasters, Tactics Ogre, and now this, it’s clear that Square-Enix’s back catalog is in safe hands.
