After it stopped getting major entries, few thought that theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7would come back.Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s references to other parts of the collection likeCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7andAdvent Childrencame as a surprise, as did the mobile titleEver Crisis’ intent to remake all of it in classicFF7form. Then Square Enix shocked fans again by announcingCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, which releases in 2022.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis an unknown quantity right now. The subtitle “Reunion” was expected to be used inthe FF7 Remake trilogy, not what is essentially a spin-off. Fans suspect that something new has been added to the end of the game that will tie into the mainRemaketitles. Its release window could mean that it’s relevant for the upcomingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but whatever the case,Crisis Corefans are glad that the game is being resurrected and polished into its ideal form.Crisis Core: Reunionwill have a host of upgrades that place it over the PSP original, and fans are hopeful that it will feel like a whole new experience.
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Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion Updates Its Presentation
The most obvious changesCrisis Core: Reunionmakes are to its visuals and audio. All the assets and lighting are changed to be more in-line withFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. It is still recognizable as an altered PSP game, especially during cutscenes, but the effort going into it is far greater than the average remaster. Special effects have been updated, and it seems likeassets present inFF7 Remakeare being used inReunion. The summons and enemies in particular may share less-detailed models, with attention paid to ensure that this game will be able to scale down to Nintendo Switch.
On the sound front, new background music arrangements have been created by Takeharu Ishimoto. The voiceover has also been re-recorded with actors fromFF7 Remakeslotting in where applicable. This is a fairly high level of investment on its own, butCrisis Core: Reuniongoes even farther and dubs all the dialogue that previously had no voice acting. This meansYuffie, Aerith, Tifa, and other characterswill receive more impactful scenes in this iteration. The one complaint that fans have is that Zack Fair’s new voice is more nasally than the original. This may be a result of the actor getting directed to sound young during early parts of the game, so hopefully it will smooth out as the plot moves forward.
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Crisis Core: Reunion Has Altered Gameplay
One burning question that fans of the originalCrisis Corehave is how the gameplay will be different. While it was not a bad action game, there was a lot of jerkiness in the movement and randomness as part of the Digital Mind Wave (DMW) system. The camera was also barely under the player’s control, something thatCrisis Core: Reunionwill be using modern controllers’extra joysticks to fix. In a tweet, Square Enix confirmed that camera and character movements will be optimized along with the UI, enabling the smoothest gameplay experience possible.
As for whether anything mechanically has changed, not much has been revealed. The DMW acting as a dual slot machine with numbers and character faces is still present, as is a mood indicator for Zack. With movement being polished, there may be various small changes to the combat that hardcore fans can dig into once the game is out. Some major changes are known about. A menu has been integrated into the combat, possiblyinspired byFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. WhileCrisis Coredoes not have the same ATB system asFF7, it should still allow players to pause the action and select the moves they want.FF7 Remake’s shortcut menu, a feature borrowed fromKingdom Hearts, will likely also make a return.
Possible New Story Elements in Crisis Core: FF7 Reunion
What remains the biggest mystery of all is howCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill interact with the greater story ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. Things like voice actors and designs being brought back toCrisis Coreraise a lot of suspicion, and the reveal trailer even shows a CG cutscene has been altered to give Zack theFF7 Remake’s Buster Sword design. With so many changes, it feels almost certain that something new has been inserted into the game.
The most common theory is that something teasing Zack or Genesis’ involvement in theFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwill be tacked onto the finale, possibly in place of the original secret ending. Thesubtitle “Reunion” hints at new developments, as the term holds a lot of weight in the context ofFinal Fantasy 7. It’s unlikely that the iconic final battle sequence will be changed, but a look atFF7 Remake’s Zack might be in order. The introduction of Deepground inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrademeans that any interactions Genesis has with them won’t come out of nowhere. Roping that game’s secret ending intoCrisis Corecould avoid the need to release a fullDirge of Cerberusremake. Whatever the case,Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis bringing more than just a fresh coat of paint toCrisis Core, and the community will have its hands full unraveling its mysteries once it comes out.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionreleases winter 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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