Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Reviews
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.
I have mixed feelings about Crisis Core Reunion. To the die-hard Final Fantasy fan who has yet to experience it or someone whose favorite game of all time was the original Crisis Core, I recommend it. But if you’re just looking to learn the story that came before FF7, you might want to look to Youtube instead.
Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion still has its place in the hearts of many veterans of the series and Final Fantasy 7's world, and maintains its relevance to the FF7 Remake series. However, the original Crisis Core also received a lot of justified criticism, and Reunion doesn't do much to address those points.
Graphically, some of the areas look great, and the story is interesting at points. The biggest problem that really drags down the experience is that combat is basic, repetitive, and ultimately uninspiring. The slot system is far more annoying than anything, and for how often players are in combat, it burns out quickly. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion feels more like a game that would be better to watch for the story, while skipping the gameplay. Zack deserved better than this.
Compromised though it may be, Reunion is interesting enough to check out – a large reason why is because Final Fantasy VII‘s world is still compelling enough to endure a superfluous story. The core gameplay will only get you by if you play it in small doses on a small screen.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion offers a perfectly suitable way for fans old and new to experience a crucial chapter of the RPG series’ rich story. All of its upgrades are welcome and necessary additions for a remake as faithful as this; they just don’t do much to help an aging portable game whose flaws only stick out more when disguised with the illusion of modernity.
Some elements of Crisis Core shine, while others are left in the past
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a fine remaster for those wanting to experience the story of Zack Fair before Rebirth comes out. This is however a by the books remaster including all of the cringeworthy dialogue and stiff animations. The new additions and graphical upgrades are really good, but don't expect this to be on the same level as 2020's FFVII Remake.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Much of its gameplay is repetitive and its narrative only pays off in fits and starts. Those who want to see and do all that this Reunion remaster offers will find dozens of hours of content, but outside of its compelling protagonist, Crisis Core feels fairly hollow, and it should be judged in a 2022 context as a home console experience. As such, its appeal will be limited more to diehard fans than RPG players as a whole.
I do wish that the experience found in Crisis Core Reunion was more refined and the performance on Switch could certainly be improved but this is a great way to refamiliarize oneself with Zack, Sephiroth, Aerith, and the rest of Midgar’s cast of interesting characters. That said, Reunion might be enjoyed best on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC but it is playable on Switch.
Crisis Core was undeniably a profitable handheld success on the PSP in 2008, and ironically still is despite an apparent platform switch. Outdated structures, vehement redundancy, fast-paced gameplay loop define the overall game design and clearly reveal the backward roots of the former mobile spin-off. Minimal innovations and quality-of-life adjustments break up the outmoded foundation again and again, though, and ultimately, thanks to well thought-out control options, tactical boss fights and the entertaining side missions, the result is a symbiotic structure between "PSP nostalgia" and the modern standard - without neglecting the player's basic motivational needs. Fresh textures and the emotional, albeit pathetic story basis do their part to once again cast a spell over especially long-established fans - newcomers, however, will have a much harder time with the partly regressive game concept. What ultimately remains, however, is a short-lived, no less entertaining remaster, which, despite all that, stands in highest discrepancy to the usage behavior of the stationary platform and only very sluggishly puts the adjustments to the latter into the hands of the players.
Review in German | Read full review
The numerous additions included in Crisis Core Reunion are impressive. However, even if the combat is more enjoyable, graceful and weighty with fewer stoppages to boot, the repetitive gameplay loop of battling down long hallways does start to fizzle out. The story will please rabid fans of Final Fantasy VII, but for everyone else, the general narrative only gets good around the 70% mark. A little too late for most.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is the prequel to Final Fantasy VII. The game revolves around Zack's missions that he has to do as a SOLDIER for Shinra Electric Power Company. In particular, the combat in this game is very fun and there is a lot to discover in the side missions next to the storyline. It has many references to Final Fantasy VII which makes it a fun game for the fans. If you've already played the 2007 original, you can skip this one. The remaster looks good and the new combat system is fantastic, but the story has remained the same so it doesn't add much to the original.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
If you have any interest in the “Final Fantasy VII” universe and want to understand the massive implications of the changes made to “Final Fantasy VII Remake” and the upcoming “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” “Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion” is definitely an important piece in the puzzle and totally worth playing!
As HD remasters go, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion goes above and beyond what’s expected in many regards.
Overall, I enjoyed Crisis Core Reunion's 10-ish-hour story well enough, and I'm grateful to know more about Zack before his anticipated reappearance in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Unfortunately, the game's age shows, with the random encounters and constricted corridors designed for a handheld released in 2004 not holding up as well on modern platforms in 2022.
But, then, this Reunion clearly didn’t set out to push the Remake universe forward so much as remind us of what Remake rebelled against. FFVII and Crisis Core were ultimately stories of inevitability and tragedy, while Remake was about defiance. Even with some much-welcome extra polish, Reunion still feels like a game of the past, but it’s also a strong reminder of why FFVII fans are so immensely excited about the future, and what defying the fates might bring.
FF7 Crisis Core Reunion is neither more nor less than an old school game with an angelic face that stills has some charm.
Review in French | Read full review
Crisis Core Reunion is a wonderful upgrade to the original game that makes it better in some areas while showcasing some of its shortcomings at the same time. It is also weird to release a piece of this series on consoles that cannot continue the narrative unless they swap to another console. Final Fantasy VII is a classic for a reason and I did love a lot of the games that spawned from it. The story is fantastic and it is nice to see the series return to Xbox and Switch.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a top tier remaster of a flawed and often comically awkward spinoff. But for all of its angsty melodrama, the story of Zack Fair is an endearingly daft tale that only adds to the world of Final Fantasy VII.