Crisis Core Test – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion: old

Many players have dreamed so much thanks to Final Fantasy VII — I’m one of them — a cult RPG made famous by its charismatic villain (Sephiroth), its defining scenes and its revolutionary structure for the time. Aware of the impact of its jewel, Square Enix has decided to give it back its nobility with a remake split into three games. The first opus, released in 2020, is a total reinvention. Its sequel, called Final Fantasy VII Rebirthis scheduled for winter 2023.

In the meantime, Square Enix also said to itself that it was necessary to offer an up-to-date update of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a prologue released in 2007 on PSP (Sony’s first portable console). You might as well be transparent right away, the one we now call Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion (yes, it’s complicated) does not benefit at all from the same care as Final Fantasy VII Remake. Behind a necessary graphic overhaul, this revival retains dated buildings that require a lot of indulgence in 2022.

Crisis Core, or the ode to head-slapping heroes

Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion takes place before Final Fantasy VII. It revolves around the universe’s first true hero, some would say the only one: Zack Fair, a slapstick soldier who aspires to become the best and is far too impatient in his personal quest. You’ll hear him say things like “ Finally some action! », « I could have made it blindfolded ” or “ Fingers in the nose “. And when he’s not talking, he does… squats. In short, he is a quickly annoying character. But he is also a friend of Sephiroth before he became THE Sephiroth. For the fans, it is precious.

lovers of Final Fantasy VII will in any case be delighted to cross paths with certain familiar faces (including Cloud) and to cross certain familiar places again (the Church of Aerith). For Square Enix, Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion is a way to deepen an already complex universe at the base. By adding other characters and, of course, other stories, the legacy of Final Fantasy VII is even denser — until it falls into the implausible. We keep this tone otherwise, which only hesitates between the simpleness of certain phrases and the seriousness of the events they relate. Despite everything, we let ourselves be carried away by the good feelings that flow from it.

Visually, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was a real showcase on Sony’s PSP, a master handheld console. We will not say the same of this remastering, as it blows hot and cold. It’s a big yes for the modeling of the characters and the finesse that emerges from certain elements of the decor. It’s a small no, however, for certain cutscenes that betray the age of the original game. They looked stunning on the small screen of the PSP. They become ridiculous on an HD or even 4K UHD television screen. This Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion lack of graphic ambitions.

A slot machine story

In Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion, we play a single protagonist: this bugger Zack, able to kick swords, dodge, use objects and use magic (the famous Materia). The fights are rather dynamic, even if they rely on the manipulation of many keys (there are many shortcuts). At first, you get lost. Then, little by little, we discover a gameplay full of subtleties, knowing that we can customize Zack’s equipment so that he specializes. Putting it in the context of a game released in 2007, it’s brilliant.

The other particularity of Crisis Core lies in the integration of a slot machine mechanism. During matchups, you’ll see numbers and faces scrolling across the top left of your screen. As in the casino, if you get the right combinations, you will get significant bonuses. They range from overpowered attacks to stat boosts to summons. This system is a double-edged sword: randomness can turn fights into mere formalities. But, sometimes, in difficulty, we would like luck to be really on our side. It’s also a shame to index Zack’s progress on these slots. It’s both a good and a bad idea.

The main flaw of Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion holds in its structure from another time. We constantly feel that we are playing a PSP game, as evidenced by the choppy rhythm, the cramped environments, the almost total absence of exploration and the repetitive additional content (accessible from save points). Basically, we only move forward in small areas, constantly interrupted by a more or less useful cutscene or a quickly dispatched fight. This format is acceptable on a portable console, less so on a home console.

Like any good self-respecting soldier, Zack can also complete secondary missions whose objective is always the same (spoiler: kill enemies with crescendo power). Uninteresting, they are necessary to overcome the few peaks of difficulty. Count a good ten hours to complete the ten chapters that make up the main adventure, double or even triple to be the best employee of Shinra – sprawling and antagonistic society in Final Fantasy VII.

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