Last month, Square Enix held an event forFinal Fantasy 7’s 25th anniversary that shed new light on the future of this specific entry of the series' future following 2020’s hugely successfulFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. One of the biggest surprise announcements was forCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, a remaster of the 2007 prequel developed for the PlayStation Portable. While many elements in the reveal trailer hinted that this remaster would be more related to the recentFinal Fantasy 7 Remakethan its original counterpart, Square Enix has now clarified thatCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill not introduce new story elements.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis a remaster of the 2007 PSP prequelthat appears to combine elements of theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7series with the recentFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeseries, which will continue inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The original game follows Zack Fair, a member of a paramilitary group named SOLDIER, as he searches for his missing associate, Genesis Rhapsodos, alongside fellow soldiers Sephiroth and Angeal.Crisis Corewas originally directed byFinal Fantasy 15director Hajime Tabata, with a story fromFinal Fantasy 7andAdvent Childrenwriter Kazushige Nojima.
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Following the release of its original reveal trailer, fans were quick to notice many changes inCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionseem to bring the original game more in line with theRemakeseries, such as the newly revamped art style and gameplay systems, redone voice acting featuring the cast ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, andthe redesign of Zack’s Buster Sword to resemble Cloud’s in the remake. In a newly released interview with IGN however, producer Mariko Sato claims that all the core elements ofCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, including its story, are grounded within the original work.
Despite this,Crisis Core Reunionis being developed to be accessible to fans of the remakewith reworked gameplay systems that make it play more like the 2020 PS4 game. For one, Limit Breaks will always be accessible to the player once they are charged up, not locked behind the roulette-styled Digital Mind Wave mechanic. Zack’s combo attacks can also be linked together, helping him play more closely to the cast in the PS4 game.
All the game’s textures have been completely remade, and it will run inUnreal Engine 4 similar toFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.Unlike the remake, however,Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill be a multi-platform title, including a Nintendo Switch release.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill release this Winter for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
