Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Reviews
Even when its portable roots occasionally distract, Crisis Core –Final Fantasy 7– Reunion is the best way to play one of the PSP’s most beloved games, almost completely modernizing its graphics, combat, and music in the process.
An excellent remake, prequel, and game in its own right-Crisis Core has it all.
A sensitive remaster of the PSP prequel that's recontextualised in the wake of Remake.
An inspired piece of Final Fantasy 7 fan service, and a very good remaster, but as a standalone game the story and gameplay has very little value.
Some elements of Crisis Core shine, while others are left in the past
For the ongoing Final Fantasy VII re-examination, which Square Enix has officially dubbed the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core feels like required reading. Its place in the larger story is important and will likely grow in significance moving forward, but making your way through those story moments sometimes feels like a school assignment. Reunion is a well-executed remake of the 2007 game that delivers fun combat alongside a stilted story with an interesting and narratively important final act. If you plan on starting or continuing the Final Fantasy VII Remake journey, make sure to do your homework.
Expressive visuals and refined combat bring the 2007 game back to life
Crisis Core Reunion triumphs in transforming a PSP classic into a modern-day must-play, especially for fans of the Final Fantasy VII saga.
Sadly, the end result of Crisis Core is an overcomplication of the story established in Final Fantasy VII, filled with various details that just amount to more history lessons and homework to be able to make sense of everything. Its undying antagonists and plot points that refuse to be resolved (Genesis’ fate is uncertain in the end) weaken the role of death. When we consider that so much of what made Final Fantasy VII impactful was the irreversible death of an important character, it’s hard to walk away from Crisis Core with the impression that anything is meaningful or at risk of loss in this world.
Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is essential gaming for Final Fantasy fans - not only because it brings a much beloved game into the modern day, but also because Zack was heavily teased ahead of the next instalment of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is more than a remaster, yes, but just in some ways. In many others, it's still the same PSP game... for better and for worse. Nevertheless, this is the best version to discover Zack's story... or to reunite with an old friend.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As a whole and in a vacuum, I heartily give this game a thumbs up. To Final Fantasy 7 fans, specifically, I have to say that Reunion is an absolute must play, especially given that nobody knows where this is all heading.
Repackaged into one of the sharpest Remaster releases I’ve ever seen, it’s a relatively irresistible package - warts and all. The blemishes upon its carefully airbrushed visage are, in many ways, part of the charm. This is a joyous little time capsule of 2000s Square - and perhaps a curious aperitif before Remake part 2. It’s easy to recommend.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a good remaster of a prequel that really shows its age in terms of narrative structure and gameplay design. The work done by Square Enix is commendable, with significant improvements made to the graphics and the combat system, but the experience as a whole remains a bit shaky, and we would have definitely preferred a full-fledged remake rather than a remaster that doesn't hold up too well.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion rescues one of the best PSP videogames, with a remaster that looks like a remake and generates frictions that are hard to ignore. A half-baked work that, yes, is a good opportunity to explore the past of some of the most interesting characters of Midgar.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a perfect example of a remaster done right, as the game brings Zack's story to a new generation of consoles in a way that both preserves the original's experience and improves upon it in every way, thanks to the addition of a few new mechanics and features, as well it's stunning overall presentation.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is an entertaining spinoff with action packed combat, but at this point it's showing its age a little.
A straightforward remaster of the 2007 PSP original, Crisis Core is a perfectly fine action game that's received a handsome glow-up for 2022, but its story adds little to the wider FF7 plotline.