Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion review – Zack to the future

You think Final Fantasy VII, and your mind immediately warps back to a point in time when video game advertising campaigns were about as subtle as a brick to the face, and each main character in a hot new title looked like a robot that was desperately trying to convince people it was human. As for plot, in this case there’s a train station in Midgar, a materia girl living in a materia world, and a corporation literally sucking the planet dry while a super-soldier with a god complex wants to kickstart a brand-new extinction event.

That’s Final Fantasy VII for you, a game so monumentally massive with its impact and legacy, that Square Enix has yet to escape its shadow. And for a while, hidden deep within the darkest parts of Final Fantasy VII’s enduring appeal, there was a game that had been lost to the sands of time. Prequel Crisis Core earned itself a reputation for being the best spin-off that had emerged from Square Enix’s grand Compilation of Final Fantasy VII strategy–let’s not mention Dirge of Cerberus–but one that was exclusive to Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld console.

For anyone who did manage to play Crisis Core on PSP or the PS Vita, it was a breathtaking prequel responsible for the foundation that the house of Final Fantasy VII was built on. Times changed though, Sony ditched the handheld market, and Crisis Core eventually faded into obscurity, occasionally popping up in best PSP game lists over the years. Fans were desperate for the story of Zack Fair, the plucky SOLDIER-in-training who’s a heck of a lot more interesting than perpetual wet blanket Cloud Strife, to get some sort of porting love. Then, right at the end of 2022, Square Enix threw the series a Phoenix Down and brought Crisis Core back to life for a new audience on console and PC.

But here’s the thing; Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion blurs the line between remaster and remake, as the astounding attention to detail, thoughtful tweaks, and top-notch makeover has transformed a cult-classic game into a must-play experience for any Final Fantasy fan.

Set seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core was an ambitious prequel at its original time of release (2007) that somehow managed to squeeze an absurd amount of content into a single 1.8GB UMD on PSP. Following Zack Fair as he moves up the ranks of SOLDIER and works towards his dream of becoming a hero, Crisis Core chronicles the rise of the likable protagonist, the downfall of Sephiroth, the blossoming romance between Zack and Aerith, and the introduction of several other pivotal characters within Final Fantasy VII’s lore.

But the story of Crisis Core doesn’t just exist to fill in any lingering plot holes for its bigger brother, it also succeeds at telling its own tale that is surprisingly tender and intimate. That story is bolstered by a phenomenal visual upgrade for its 2022 rerelease. This makes Crisis Core look like a fresh Xbox One or PS4 game – a huge improvement when compared to the more limited hardware of the PSP circa 2007. The new character models look fantastic and can still emote when the scene calls for it; locations such as Shinra headquarters, Midgar, and Nibelheim have gotten a terrific renovation; and dozens of other subtle effects make the action pop.

Some minor artifacts from the PSP era still remain, but unless you’re actively hunting for them, chances are that you won’t notice them. On PS5 and Xbox Series X, Crisis Core Reunion maintains a smooth and steady 4K 60FPS output that shines bright, while Switch owners get a surprising amount of grunt out of that aging hardware with a 1080p 30FPS presentation. No matter which console you choose to play it on, this version of Crisis Core does an outstanding job of updating its graphics for a newer generation while also aligning the game to fit into the wider visual style of Final Fantasy VII Remake and its upcoming sequels.

Graphics are only part of the equation though, and in the gameplay department, Crisis Core Reunion boasts some much-needed quality-of-life improvements that serve to further modernize the experience. Compared to the original, Crisis Core Reunion plays far more fluidly and quickly, borrowing plenty of elements from the fast-paced action-style combat of Final Fantasy VII Remake to create a hack-and-slasher experience with a hefty amount of depth once you start experimenting with its deeper gameplay systems.

This, in turn, creates a more efficient and less frustrating combat system, one that is bolstered by the unique Digital Mind Wave feature from the original game, which adds an element of slot machine-powered enhancements to the mix. Just like in the original game, the DMW spins a number of reels that not only bolster your capabilities in combat scenarios, but can also level Zack up, help him unleash devastating moves, and summon powerful entities to the battlefield. It was weird then and it’s still weird now, but at least the “Modulating Phases” have been jettisoned so that the action doesn’t lose its flow.

Even though the DMW–a gameplay system that allows you to watch skippable cutscenes before you unleash apocalyptic magic on Shinra’s latest death machine–is strange, it’s still an essential part of Crisis Core’s design and a fascinating look into the mindset of Zack. It’s fun, and satisfying to use, and it hits harder than a Bahamut summon attack in the final minutes of the game when it delivers one of the biggest gut punches in the game.

There’s a certain charm to the more archaic elements of Crisis Core Reunion that not even the most gifted of Unreal Engine 4 plastic surgeons can hide, as the overall design of the game is a showcase of PSP appeal. Crisis Core Reunion’s level design wasn’t cramped, but it definitely did focus on providing rapid-fire entertainment for the gamer on the go in the late aughts. Each level is essentially a series of corridors where you’re funneled into small arenas before diving into some exposition – a rinse-and-repeat formula that you seldom deviated from as the campaign continued.

And honestly, that’s a big plus for anyone who finds their time limited in the hustle and bustle of a busy world today. That rapid-fire action, dozens of side-missions, and quick-paced focus on short but chunky battles have actually aged well, and if you don’t mind some repetition along the way, you’ll find that it’s enjoyable to hop in and out of gameplay when you only have a few minutes to spare. It’s just a pity that the voice acting could have done with some more work, as instances of stilted dialogue and awkward pauses reek of an early 90s anime dub at best.

But, more importantly, Crisis Core Reunion feels like an unmissable part of the Final Fantasy VII saga. With two more games on the way, this remake-remaster is an essential purchase that benefits from the brave direction of the remakes, and makes the right changes to the prequel so that it can serve as an excellent companion piece. It’s not just an updated version of one of the best PSP games of all time, it’s a massively improved edition that gives the coolest and kindest character in Final Fantasy VII’s saga a second chance at life.

The price of freedom is steep, but with Crisis Core Reunion looking like a million bucks, it’s one that’s easily affordable in a game that raises the bar for what a remake can and should be.