Final Fantasy VII is experiencing a strange identity shift. The ongoing remake is changing the original canon in bold ways while spin-offs like the 2006 PlayStation 2 game Dirge of Cerberus are being folded in for larger roles in the main story.
And then there are new spin-offs, like First Soldier, the online mobile battle royale shutting down early next year, and also plans for another remake called Ever Crisis, a mobile game that will reexamine Final Fantasy VII’s timeline.
With all that swirling around the Lifestream, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion emerges as a surprisingly faithful remake of the 2007 PSP game that smartly focuses its changes on gameplay while keeping the story intact – warts and all.
Crisis Core takes place before the events of Final Fantasy VII and follows the story of 1st Class Soldier Zack Fair.
For those who entered Midgar for the first time with Final Fantasy VII Remake, Zack’s story is a crucial element of the Cloud and Sephiroth relationship, and playing Crisis Core both illuminates and shrouds Zack’s surprising cameo at the end of Remake. As someone whose main interaction with the universe of Final Fantasy VII was with Remake, I am grateful to learn who Zack is and his whole deal ahead of future entries.
