Blair Loveday
The year is 2008, we have an amazing handheld gaming device called the PSP, and the must play game of that console has been released; Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
I still have the UMD for this incredible game. It showed what could be achieved on a handheld and blew our collective minds. Now you don’t need to find an old PSP as the game has been given a massive overhaul with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.
With the Final Fantasy VII Remake series going on, you may be wondering has this been retooled to fit the new story.
The short answer is, I don’t think so. I didn’t notice any differences in the storm, but it has been a very long time since my last play-through so some things may have been tweaked. But nothing in the story felt like it didn’t fit the new series, so new fans can jump on in.
The game is set seven years before FFVII and instead of meeting our hero Cloud, we are introduced to Zach. Zach is in SOLDIER fighting for Shinra. The young naive man believes the propaganda and thinks he is helping those innocent Wutai people by bringing them Mako technology.
So you know, help them by slaying them.
Obviously Zach is working for the baddies, and he finally gets to go out to do the work the believes is hero work. The plot very early on discovers that some SOLDIER’s have deserted and so the story unfolds.
Early on the story feels a bit weird because you know that Shinra and SOLDIER are the baddies. This quickly lifts as we realise Zach is a good guy learning who the baddies are. Given the era of the game, and the PSP hardware, it is a proper good story and a proper good game.
Fortunately the story absolutely holds up.
The overhaul is most notable in the graphics. Cut scenes easily look like they belong in a game releasing this year, and the gameplay looks very good. Like, not quite a new game, but not old either. This is very impressive because it’s clear it has all been rebuilt from the ground up and is well worth the time they put into it.
The gameplay is relatively simple hacking, slashing, firing off magic, and dodging.
Just like the original, it feels more like the remake’s combat than I remembered, just not as complex. Level design shows how faithful it is to the original game as they are super short.
Within the corridors of a level you have enemy encounters which also tend to be short and snappy. Some weirdness hangs through like enemies facing in directions long after you have moved, but somehow it is still an absolute blast to play.
If you haven’t played Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII before then absolutely pick this up. If you played it ages ago, then absolutely pick this up. The story holds up, the overhaul makes it more playable and easier to the eye, and it’s just a damn good version of a damn good game.
Released: December 2022
Rating: M15+
Platform reviewed: PlayStation 5
Genre: Action
Developer: Tose
Publisher: Square Enix