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Crisis Core: -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for Nintendo Switch. It is a remaster of Crisis Core: -Final Fantasy VII-, originally released in 2007 for PlayStation Portable. The game is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, which focuses on original stories set in the standalone world of the 1997 role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, while also sharing continuity with the Final Fantasy VII Remake multi-game series. The game is set to be released worldwide on December 13, 2022.
Sypnosis[]
Seven years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, Zack Fair, a member of the paramilitary group SOLDIER which operates under the Shinra Electric Power Company, is assigned to search for Genesis Rhapsodos, a SOLDIER thought to have gone missing while on assignment. As Zack prolongs his search for Rhapsodos, he uncovers revelations surrounding Genesis' origin, and its connections to the high-ranking SOLDIER and legendary war hero Sephiroth, as well as his mentor Angeal Hewley. Along the way, he will be accompanied in his efforts by flower tender Aerith Gainsborough, the leader of the Turks known as Tseng, and Shinra infantryman Cloud Strife.
Gameplay[]
Crisis Core is an action role-playing game in which the player controls Zack Fair. The player moves Zack through and between open areas, allowing him to talk with non-player characters, interact with the environment, and engage monsters in battle. At save points, the player may opt to take one of the available side missions, and if so, Zack is moved to a special area to complete the mission, which usually involves defeating one or more monsters. If the mission is successfully completed, the player is rewarded with beneficial items, and often new missions become available. Whether the player is successful in the side mission or not, upon completion, Zack is returned to the save point in the main game.
Crisis Core uses a real-time combat system in which the player can move Zack around, initiate attacks, special abilities and spells, use items, and block or dodge attacks. Zack's abilities in battle are set by what materia he currently has equipped. Up to six materia can be equipped at any one time, which can impart special attacks, magic spells, or passive bonuses such as health increases or the ability to display the statistics of the current foe in combat. Materia are gained throughout the game through exploration, as rewards from side missions, as spoils of battle, or from shops. Materia can be fused together to make more powerful versions with improved bonuses; for example, fusing an attack materia with an elemental magic materia can create a new attack skill materia that inflicts elemental magic damage in addition to physical damage. Special items collected in the game can also be used in materia fusion to further increase the materia's power.
Crisis Core uses a slot machine-like mechanic to affect the combat system. The "Digital Mind Wave" (DMW) features two sets of three spinning wheels; one set with the numbers one through seven, and another with pictures of characters that Zack befriends during the game. The DMW automatically spins as long as Zack has at least 10 "Soldier Points", which are awarded to the player by defeating foes. If the DMW stops with the same three pictures lined up, Zack will then perform an appropriate Limit Break attack that can greatly harm an enemy or significantly heal Zack. Additionally, in this case, if the number slots give two or more of the same number, the materia in that slot will power up. Should the numbers line up as "777", Zack will gain an experience level, increasing his health, soldier points, and ability points. Leveling up is based on luck and is somewhat random, no longer determined by experience points. If there is no match in the pictures, matching numbers on the slots will grant temporary bonuses, such as limited invincibility or zero-cost use of skills and abilities. The chance of matching pictures is tied to the current Limit level, which is raised by taking damage in battle and reduced upon successful battles, and after certain storyline events. After collecting certain items in the game, the pictures on the DMW may also randomly change to summonable creatures, which have more destructive and beneficial Limit Breaks should the pictures match up.
Remaster additions[]
- The game has been graphically rebuilt from the ground up using Unreal Engine 4.
- The game's battle system has been reworked to incorporate mechanics derived from the real-time Active Time Battle (ATB) system introduced in Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020).
- The game will be localized in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish audio.
- Additionally, the English audio has been re-recorded using various cast members reprising their roles from Final Fantasy VII Remake and its sequels.
Development[]
Crisis Core: -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion was announced on June 15, 2022 during publisher Square Enix's livestream commemorating the 25th anniversary of the original release of Final Fantasy VII. It was additionally revealed that the game would be remade from the ground up in Unreal Engine 4, and would utilize a newly-rearranged soundtrack and superior presentation, including voice-acting for all dialogue. The game's developers additionally revealed that while the main story of the original game would be kept completely intact, the game itself is extensively considered an installment of the ongoing Final Fantasy VII Remake multi-game series, with the title designed to familiarize new players with the story of Zack Fair ahead of his upcoming appearance in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2023). Reunion further features an updated battle system that combines elements of the one found in the original game, and mechanics introduced in Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020). The game's English cast supports the developer's intent, with many of the actors involved in the dub reprising their roles from Remake, notably Caleb Pierce as Zack Fair, Brianna White as Aerith Gainsborough, Tyler Hoechlin as Sephiroth, Vic Chao as Tseng, and Cody Christian as Cloud Strife. They respectively replace Rick Gomez, Andrea Bowen, George Newbern, Ryun Yu and Steve Burton from the original game.
Release[]
Crisis Core: -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion will be released for Nintendo Switch worldwide on December 13, 2022. All pre-orders of the game will be bundled with early access to the SOLDIER Materia set, which makes the Dark Fire, Dark Thunder and Dark Blizzard Materia available earlier in the game than intended. In addition to the standard physical release of the game, a special steelbook version known as the "Hero's Legacy Edition" will launch on the same day, packaging the game in a special cover with unique art embossed on a silver steelbook case. Exclusive to Japan, a special "Collector's Edition" will additionally bundle an art frame, a soundtrack CD, a Play Arts figure of Zack Fair, and a physical collectible of Aerith's letter to Zack during the events of the game. The digital version of the game on Nintendo eShop will have a download size of 16.1 GB.
External links[]
- Official Final Fantasy VII website
- CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- REUNION on Nintendo eShop
- Official Final Fantasy VII (@finalfantasyvii) account on Twitter