Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion, the remake presented during the FFVII celebratory stream

Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion

The Final Fantasy VII compilation is always a rather sensitive topic of discussion among the fanbase. On the one hand we have all grown up a bit with his stories and characters, while on the other ... well, let's just say that there are some narrative choices that it is nothing short of an understatement to define "questionable".

Whether you hate it or love it, if nothing else, almost everyone agrees in defining Crisis Core as its most successful "piece". This action RPG for PSP with Tabata at the reins, in fact, is still considered a solid product, further enhanced by the qualities of its protagonist: that Zack Fair that represents a fundamental piece of all Final Fantasy VII.

But why is Zack so popular? And what are the characteristics that make it a very welcome return to Final Fantasy mythology? Well, today we try to explain it to you in broad terms, also taking an in-depth look at the trailer for Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion, the graphic remake recently unveiled during the celebratory stream for the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII. Also because we suspect that behind this return there is not only the desire to revive a much appreciated game ...

Only one sane man in a world of fools

Crisis Core Reunion : to see the trailer, we suspect that some elements of the combat of the VII Remake will also appear here Crisis Core is, in effect, a prequel to Final Fantasy VII centered on the character of Zack, which expands the narrative background of that title by going further. thoroughly in the organization of the Soldier and inserting a fair list of characters into the mix, including an antagonist forced into the original lore named Genesis Rhapsodos, modeled on the features of the well-known Japanese singer Gackt.

Genesis speaks mainly by quoting a poem named Loveless, has exceptional powers and is a villain (to put it in the most delicate way possible) "quite divisive". He is, if nothing else, a perfect counterbalance to Zack, given that Crisis Core already at the time had the ability to make the young Soldier look like the only sane person in a world of madmen (or complete idiots). Perhaps this is also why he is so popular today: the boy is the centerpiece of the plot of Crisis Core, and his bond with Final Fantasy VII and its protagonists is extraordinarily strong. Sure, in Tabata's game (although there was a Nojima absolutely not in great shape at the writing) the focus on him is at the expense of other iconic characters (mostly Aerith, terribly featured here), but at least in the complex represents a more than worthy driving force to continue.

Crisis Core Reunion: Zack gathers information about Gack ... ahem, Genesis Rhapsodos. Considering that in the trailer the original script appeared to be followed without any variation, we suspect that Crisis Core has no significant changes to the story or the dialogue. However, there could be some rehashes, because in all honesty we believe that his return is part of a bigger plan, in some ways anticipated by Tetsuya Nomura with his latest statements on Twitter. In fact, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth seems to want to detach itself badly from the original to propose a different narrative line and, if it gives us so much, the white feather that appears in the trailer is a clue to the return of Angeal (another Crisis Core character). We would not be surprised at all, given that the intention had already seemed evident in Part 1, if there was a further integration of the compilation into the base campaign with Rebirth, and this involved the return of characters like Genesis or Angeal along with Zack in the "remake. "in three parts. Seen in this way, the graphic remake of Crisis Core would make more sense just for the desire to put the new fanbase on par with the events and characters belonging to the compilation to facilitate the understanding of the events. Since the tendency to spread information elsewhere and to retrieve it with collections and remasters, however, a constant of Nomura and of him also for Kingdom Hearts, we are quite convinced that here too the plan is more or less this.

Do we appreciate it? No, indeed we consider it very questionable even in the series with Sora as protagonist, but a further clue lies in the quality of the Crisis Core remake. The primary character models are in fact completely redone, with a quality level that goes well with Final Fantasy VII Remake. Much less significant, on the other hand, is the work done on the maps (outside the initial one, where the assets are taken into account by Final Fantasy VII Part 1) and on certain enemies, where the graphic upgrade seems to be more marginal and mainly linked to brand new textures. Overall, however, it is a far from superficial job and it seems to us to be done on purpose to become an integral part of the "new mythology" of VII that the current team is creating.

Crisis Core Reunion: the work done on some models seem too detailed to be casual. From the point of view of gameplay, however, the title seems to follow almost identical systems. It is still a real-time action RPG. We believe it will be significantly modernized in combat (especially in basic maneuvers), yet the matter system of the original is certainly intact and is still accompanied by that of the "slot machine": a curious random system that offers bonuses or the ability to perform some devastating limit when three identical figures line up during a fight. These are not extraordinarily intuitive mechanics, but they weren't bad at the time, the random elements could be made more adjustable, and we believe that by rejuvenating some elements Crisis Core remains enjoyable even today.

Crisis Core Reunion: everything all in all, the original hasn't aged badly, and with some modifications it could still be very enjoyable. To make us turn up our noses, in truth, were the dubbing in English, which seemed to us much more robotic and unnatural than what we saw in the excellent Remake Part 1. It could be an operation in general more hasty and less cared for than to that title, but it would be a shame if Square's plan were to actually integrate Crisis Core and its events with Final Fantasy VII more.

Overall, however, it is an appreciable return, which will allow many to face a title of great quality. Part of us would have preferred to leave Gackt at his concerts rather than see him in the Final Fantasy VII lore, but evidently the blood sacrifices to the pagan gods are no longer as effective as they once were. We'll get over it.

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