TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Carrying on the momentum from the stellar "Final Fantasy VII" remake, Square Enix goes back to the well with similar success in "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion."
More of a wholesale reimagining than a remake, the prequel tale plunges deep into the lore and brings visuals and combats up to par with the newer PS5 titles.
Phil Villarreal: I appreciated the sense of momentum from the get-go. You're plunged directly into the action, with a tutorial that puts you through the ropes of the combat system in some engaging opening-act battles.
"Final Fantasy" games have a way of overexplaining lore and lingering on interminable cut scenes, but there's not as much of that here. Just as with "Final Fantasy VII Remake," the story is always surging at top speed.
I think this is a gorgeous and engaging game. In many ways, I prefer the slimmed-down, more focused story to the sprawling epic that is "Final Fantasy VII Remake."
What did you think, Sean?
Sean Newgent: It's pretty easy to tell that this is a PSP title that's been upgraded for modern consoles. There are times it looks really good and times where it's origins peek through. That said, I relished a return to Midgar and the world of "Final Fantasy VII". The remake was my game of the year for 2020 and getting more of these wacky characters and the eco-terrorist anime plot had me excited from the announcement of "Reunion".
While this doesn't look as good as "Final Fantasy VII: Remake", it's a lot more bite-sized. Combat sequences and story progression are obviously aimed toward a mobile gamer. The plentiful side content is pretty repetitive and never expansive or integral to the plot. Again, these show that while "Remake" was a ground-up remake, this is more of a port than a complete remake.
What did you think of the voice acting and story Phil?
Phil: As with just about everything in the "Final Fantasy VII" canon, the story is a mix of ludicrous moments that somehow build to surprisingly satisfying emotional crescendos. I like the work Square Enix did here. The voice acting was solid — admittedly I opted for the English dub rather than the original Japanese track — and plugged through on normal difficulty.
You're right that this is a slimmed-down version of the "Final Fantasy VII" grandiosity, and there is a sameness to the combat and tasks, but I appreciated the routine reward loop. While it would have been nice to get a full-fledged remake, this beautified port turned out better than I expected.
Final thoughts, Sean?
Sean: "Crisis Core"'s Zack is a lot sillier and more anime protagonist-y than Cloud and this game, while having dark moments, is a lot more nonsensical than many gamers may be able to take. The script is fine but cringey at times and none of the characters, aside from those returning from the main game, are interesting. But none of that stopped me from enjoying it. It's hard to sell a "Final Fantasy" game to a casual gamer and I think "Final Fantasy VII" did a great job of getting those who may not have an interest in the long running series to attach themselves to the characters and world presented. "Crisis Core" fills in some gaps in the plot and provides fun combat but I don't feel like it's nearly on par with 2020's offering.
But as a remake of a 15-year-old PSP game — this is a commendable effort, a lot of fun, and well worth the price of admission for huge "Final Fantasy" nerds such as myself.
Publisher provided review codes.
Past game reviews by Sean and Phil:
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Diablo II Resurrected
NEO: The World Ends with You
Rainbow Six: Extraction
King of Fighters XV
WWE 2K22
Weird West
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
Capcom Fighting Collection
Capcom Arcade: 2nd Stadium
Stray
Digimon Survive
Cult of the Lamb
TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection
NBA 2K23
Lego Bricktales
Gotham Knights
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Star Ocean: The Divine Force
Sonic Frontiers
The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me
Evil West
Need for Speed Unbound
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Phil Villarreal is the senior real-time editor for KGUN 9. He is also a digital producer and host of "Phil on Film" seen weekly on Good Morning Tucson, Phil moved to KGUN after 17 years with the Arizona Daily Star. He is married and has four children. Share your story ideas and important issues with Phil by emailing phil.villarreal@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Sean Newgent has been with KGUN9 since January of 2020 and is Good Morning Tucson's executive producer. He graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He is a critic and cultural commentator. Share your story ideas and important issues with Sean by emailing sean.newgent@kgun9.com.
