Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is the prequel to Final Fantasy VII that adds backstory and context to characters like Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and most of all Sephiroth and more lore to them.
In this game we play as Soldier 2nd Class Zack Fair, who is an underling of Soldier 1st Class, Angeal.
In this game we learn about the Buster Sword and the reasons for it's existant (being a symbol of hopes and dreams). In this game we discover more of the evil thing Shinra has caused and how it's their fault for what's to come in the Original FFVII.
In this game we get to meet a different Cloud... a more expressive one, one who looks up to Zack upon meeting. We also meet Aerith, who clearly has romantic feelings for Zack that he reciprocates. We also have a new/old Turk who is given depth with Cissnei, being a pure hearted Turk who is close friends and wants to protect Zack.
In this game we discover more about Genesis (an ex-soldier runaway) who wants to finish his poem LOVELESS and receive the "GIFT OF THE GODDESS". We discover how Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth are all victims of Shinra, along with discovering Sephiroth's true origin, and formation of becoming a true villain.
Zack is a kind hearted soul who connects with all those he meets, but sadly his fate is sealed, as the whims of time have for told... for you see since FFVII existed way before this game was ever conceived, there is only 1 fate for Zack. As he takes hold of the Buster Sword from his mentor, he too will soon be victim to Shinra, and may pass on his legacy... hopes... and dreams to the heroes of the original.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Thoughts on Story]
The story is told as a hopeful tragedy where we see an individual with so much motivation reach the pinnacle of what it truly means to be Heroic and have honor... only to later be betrayed by those he cherished in his heart. And later being a victim of those who modified and created him.
I think Zack story's in Crisis Core is absolutely amazing in terms of having him start as just a teenager, and later age into a young adult who sadly will never be more than that.
The connections he makes with Aerith in terms of him inspiring her to fill Midgard with a bunch of flowers is beautiful, along with him essentially falling in love with her and her as well. Also him giving her her iconic pink bow on her hair was a beautiful touch.
His connection with the Turks in terms of Tseng is great as while Tseng himself is not that expressive, Zack and Tseng became great adversaries... enough to actually be called friends, so much so even at the end, he saved gifts for Zack that were from Aerith... which sadly will never be given.
A new character introduced with Cissnei is a great addition with her being very different from the other Turks... being more kinded hearted and cheery. Her and Zack share various special moments, and before the end she even promises to protect Zack's family. Not only that but she saves him several times, though sadly she is unable to stop what's coming.
Zack having a underling/younger brother mentality with his mentor Angeal who acted as mentor/older brother was sweet and all the more disheartening after what happens throughout the game, with Zack experiencing tragedy, all because of a connection to Genesis who thinks that him and Angeal are nothing but monsters. Later Zack needing to grow up and become a man, and a new hero outside of anyone's shadow... being a light of hope for other SOLDIERS.
A big tragedy is when Zack looks to Sephiroth as the last connection to Angeal, seeing Sephiroth as a true hero and new mentor he still shares a friendly bond with. However after Sephiroth discovers the truth of what he is, and realizes his purpose... regardless of the connections he made with Genesis... Angeal... and Zack... he throws it all away and becomes the evil monster we see in FFVII/FFVII REMAKE.
All of this tragedy all for Zack and Cloud later to be both pitted against the monster himself... only for both to be knocked out and experimented on for 4 years... all without knowing and Cloud being completely comatose.
Zack drags and carries his friend across the world to return to Midgard... being hunted.
Only for 1 final stand against an army of Shinra Soldiers... and yet regardless of how much Honor, Power, and Motivation Zack has... his life... is take... and all his hopes and dreams are passed down to Cloud.
I think the story in general answers a lot of questions but has big issues in terms of Tatsuya Nomura not knowing how to answer questions... and then leaving it alone. What I mean is that Crisis Core was made to answer questions that were mysterious in terms of the Buster Sword, Cloud himself and his personality, who Aerith is, and Sephiroth's transformation, all finely handled. The problem is that the game also made more questions and didn't tie up loose ends so much so it's almost like they expected to make FFVII REMAKE (Part 1 of ???) to answer those questions.
The biggest answers never fully answered are:
1. Who took Genesis and why? (This is answered in FFVII REMAKE - INTERGRADE but considering this came out in 2008, and we didn't receive FFVII Remake till 2020 this is still a big question. Hopefully Rebirth Answers that question)
2. What happened to Cissnei?
3. Why didn't Avalanche (specifically Barret) show up at all?
4. What was Genesis plan exactly? (He's too cryptic and never really says wtf he's trying to do)
5. Why did the experiments wipe Clouds mind temporarily?
6. What happened in between the 4 years Zack and Cloud were experimented on?
7. HOW THE HELL DID ZACK LOSE TO SHINRA SOLDIERS?
(The 7th one will always be a pet peeve as this causes Ludo narrative dissonance where throughout the game we Zack using these amazing abilities and combat... except now he's somehow gunned down by a bunch of dudes with guns... like what, would've made more sense if Sephiroth killed Zack, giving Cloud more of a reason as to why he hates Sephiroth and shares a connection with him).
So yeah, it's a great tragedy with a lot of loose ends, which hopefully FFVII REBIRTH will answer.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Gameplay]
The gameplay plays very different to regular FFVII feeling more like a hack and slash with Mako abilities to use. It's very refreshing in terms of actually battling, however like any regular turn base rpg, it does get repetitive. Since the way the gameplay works is it follows the FFVII/TURNBASE RPG style where enemies are random encounters, which can be very annoying especially when the random announcer says.
"ACTIVIATING COMBAT MODE!" -> wins battle -> "CONFLICT RESOLVED" rinse and repeat and continue forward.
Since the game is PSP SQUARE ENIX didn't really attempt to feature minigames like in Original FFVII but instead what they did was they watered down a particular mode to specifically be a mode where you are in random areas:
- Shinra Facility
- Tropical Island
- Cavern Cave with Cliffs (you can't fall out there are invisible barriers
- Cave System (Green hue cave)
- Abandoned Cave Mine
- Desert Wasteland
- Farm GrassLands
And while objectives usually say "find this, find that, eliminate this enemy" it's ALWAYS find the only ingame modeled enemy in the map somewhere and defeat it and move on to the next missions.
The only unique missions are Hojo's experiement missions as they have you face Summons that you later unlock after defeating, or even previous bosses, and even overpowered bosses.
You are able to unlock more unique missions via talking to people around SECTOR 8 of MIDGARD, the Slums, or even after a the beach scene.
Particularly you also get to meet a character from original FFVII who takes a backseat to becoming a crybaby comedy relief in a particular set of missions.
It's pretty obvious who it is since she appears early on in the story, but here she's expanded on in these missions.
HINT - NINJA
Anyway yeah, clearly this mode was to pad out the game, but seriously it gets way too repetitive and unfun especially since the game usually unlocks new missions as you complete other ones, however the game doesn't tell you that there are hidden requirements in order to unlock others, so you can accidently go through the entire game, and miss out because you didn't know, and the fact the missions themselves are very repetitive can actually cause "MISSIONS" to be annoying and tedious to get through.
The worst being "DEFEAT 1,000 SHINRA SOLDIERS" not because it's hard, because it takes FOREVER!
So story wise, the gameplay is fun, mission wise, it becomes torturous.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Characters]
Zack, Aerith, Sephiroth, Angeal, Tseng, Cissnei, and Cloud are all given the proper depth they need and are really great characters. The new characters in Zack, Angeal, and Cissnei are all amazing how they evolve throughout this story. The old characters in Cloud, Aerith, Tseng, and Sephiroth have so much more context, lore, and depth to them that it makes you understand them more.
The only character who legit has major issues is Genesis, I see what they were going for. He tries to be sort of this revolutionary/inspiring preacher of the "GODDESS" and her gifts while constantly referencing the story of "LOVELESS," and while characters like Angeal and Sephiroth describe Genesis in a positive manner... that's barely seen up until the very end, before Zack's final stand.
Some might say the scene with Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth fighting shows what they mean... honestly it comes across more like Genesis is an overconfident idiot who thinks he'll win any battle... only for Sephiroth to show him he's leagues above him.
I think there should've been more emotion and impact to his character emotionally that would've made him more complex than coming across as egotistical.
Hojo and Hollander are complete garbage evil PoS beings and I'm so happy they are. I appreciate when vile scum are vile scum and don't have depth or context to them being so. It makes you want to kill them and see everything they work on crash and burn.
An amazing thing this prequel did was establish an amazing protagonist in Zack, so much so, he's become a superior protag to Cloud and I personally like him much more than Cloud.
Zack is an absolutely amazing character to see evolve throughout this game, even if his life is a tragedy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Thoughts Overall]
Crisis Core is a great addition to FFVII, being an amazing tragic sequel that answers a lot of questions from the original FFVII, but also has the issue of asking more questions, while answering none of these new questions.
The gameplay itself is fun, but becomes a bit repetitive. The music is top notch amazing and iconic. Mission mode is a mode that starts off fun but slowly becomes a tedious, repetitive dreadful mode that has no uniqueness to it.
Characters and the story are top tier and are all amazing with both old characters being expanded upon, and new characters being established and given proper depth (apart from Genesis). Zack is an amazing protagonist that actually ends up becoming more likable and iconic than Cloud imo.
And yes... that means 100% I ship Zack with Aerith instead of Cloud with Aerith.
Imo for FFVII REBIRTH (and beyond) if they keep Aerith and Zack alive, have them officially get together and let Tifa and Cloud get together... please Tatsuya Nomura.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Crisis Core, but I need to eliminate a star because of the horrible mode that is "MISSION MODE" and the amount of new questions it decided to ask, while attempting to answer old Original FFVII questions.
Hopefully FFVII Rebirth decides to establish and answer those questions left from Crisis Core/Crisis Core Reunion. And also keeps Zack and Cissnei alive to help Cloud and crew lead their new universe to a better end. But we'll see.
That's my review of Crisis Core, hope yall enjoyed.
In this game we play as Soldier 2nd Class Zack Fair, who is an underling of Soldier 1st Class, Angeal.
In this game we learn about the Buster Sword and the reasons for it's existant (being a symbol of hopes and dreams). In this game we discover more of the evil thing Shinra has caused and how it's their fault for what's to come in the Original FFVII.
In this game we get to meet a different Cloud... a more expressive one, one who looks up to Zack upon meeting. We also meet Aerith, who clearly has romantic feelings for Zack that he reciprocates. We also have a new/old Turk who is given depth with Cissnei, being a pure hearted Turk who is close friends and wants to protect Zack.
In this game we discover more about Genesis (an ex-soldier runaway) who wants to finish his poem LOVELESS and receive the "GIFT OF THE GODDESS". We discover how Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth are all victims of Shinra, along with discovering Sephiroth's true origin, and formation of becoming a true villain.
Zack is a kind hearted soul who connects with all those he meets, but sadly his fate is sealed, as the whims of time have for told... for you see since FFVII existed way before this game was ever conceived, there is only 1 fate for Zack. As he takes hold of the Buster Sword from his mentor, he too will soon be victim to Shinra, and may pass on his legacy... hopes... and dreams to the heroes of the original.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Thoughts on Story]
The story is told as a hopeful tragedy where we see an individual with so much motivation reach the pinnacle of what it truly means to be Heroic and have honor... only to later be betrayed by those he cherished in his heart. And later being a victim of those who modified and created him.
I think Zack story's in Crisis Core is absolutely amazing in terms of having him start as just a teenager, and later age into a young adult who sadly will never be more than that.
The connections he makes with Aerith in terms of him inspiring her to fill Midgard with a bunch of flowers is beautiful, along with him essentially falling in love with her and her as well. Also him giving her her iconic pink bow on her hair was a beautiful touch.
His connection with the Turks in terms of Tseng is great as while Tseng himself is not that expressive, Zack and Tseng became great adversaries... enough to actually be called friends, so much so even at the end, he saved gifts for Zack that were from Aerith... which sadly will never be given.
A new character introduced with Cissnei is a great addition with her being very different from the other Turks... being more kinded hearted and cheery. Her and Zack share various special moments, and before the end she even promises to protect Zack's family. Not only that but she saves him several times, though sadly she is unable to stop what's coming.
Zack having a underling/younger brother mentality with his mentor Angeal who acted as mentor/older brother was sweet and all the more disheartening after what happens throughout the game, with Zack experiencing tragedy, all because of a connection to Genesis who thinks that him and Angeal are nothing but monsters. Later Zack needing to grow up and become a man, and a new hero outside of anyone's shadow... being a light of hope for other SOLDIERS.
A big tragedy is when Zack looks to Sephiroth as the last connection to Angeal, seeing Sephiroth as a true hero and new mentor he still shares a friendly bond with. However after Sephiroth discovers the truth of what he is, and realizes his purpose... regardless of the connections he made with Genesis... Angeal... and Zack... he throws it all away and becomes the evil monster we see in FFVII/FFVII REMAKE.
All of this tragedy all for Zack and Cloud later to be both pitted against the monster himself... only for both to be knocked out and experimented on for 4 years... all without knowing and Cloud being completely comatose.
Zack drags and carries his friend across the world to return to Midgard... being hunted.
Only for 1 final stand against an army of Shinra Soldiers... and yet regardless of how much Honor, Power, and Motivation Zack has... his life... is take... and all his hopes and dreams are passed down to Cloud.
I think the story in general answers a lot of questions but has big issues in terms of Tatsuya Nomura not knowing how to answer questions... and then leaving it alone. What I mean is that Crisis Core was made to answer questions that were mysterious in terms of the Buster Sword, Cloud himself and his personality, who Aerith is, and Sephiroth's transformation, all finely handled. The problem is that the game also made more questions and didn't tie up loose ends so much so it's almost like they expected to make FFVII REMAKE (Part 1 of ???) to answer those questions.
The biggest answers never fully answered are:
1. Who took Genesis and why? (This is answered in FFVII REMAKE - INTERGRADE but considering this came out in 2008, and we didn't receive FFVII Remake till 2020 this is still a big question. Hopefully Rebirth Answers that question)
2. What happened to Cissnei?
3. Why didn't Avalanche (specifically Barret) show up at all?
4. What was Genesis plan exactly? (He's too cryptic and never really says wtf he's trying to do)
5. Why did the experiments wipe Clouds mind temporarily?
6. What happened in between the 4 years Zack and Cloud were experimented on?
7. HOW THE HELL DID ZACK LOSE TO SHINRA SOLDIERS?
(The 7th one will always be a pet peeve as this causes Ludo narrative dissonance where throughout the game we Zack using these amazing abilities and combat... except now he's somehow gunned down by a bunch of dudes with guns... like what, would've made more sense if Sephiroth killed Zack, giving Cloud more of a reason as to why he hates Sephiroth and shares a connection with him).
So yeah, it's a great tragedy with a lot of loose ends, which hopefully FFVII REBIRTH will answer.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Gameplay]
The gameplay plays very different to regular FFVII feeling more like a hack and slash with Mako abilities to use. It's very refreshing in terms of actually battling, however like any regular turn base rpg, it does get repetitive. Since the way the gameplay works is it follows the FFVII/TURNBASE RPG style where enemies are random encounters, which can be very annoying especially when the random announcer says.
"ACTIVIATING COMBAT MODE!" -> wins battle -> "CONFLICT RESOLVED" rinse and repeat and continue forward.
Since the game is PSP SQUARE ENIX didn't really attempt to feature minigames like in Original FFVII but instead what they did was they watered down a particular mode to specifically be a mode where you are in random areas:
- Shinra Facility
- Tropical Island
- Cavern Cave with Cliffs (you can't fall out there are invisible barriers
- Cave System (Green hue cave)
- Abandoned Cave Mine
- Desert Wasteland
- Farm GrassLands
And while objectives usually say "find this, find that, eliminate this enemy" it's ALWAYS find the only ingame modeled enemy in the map somewhere and defeat it and move on to the next missions.
The only unique missions are Hojo's experiement missions as they have you face Summons that you later unlock after defeating, or even previous bosses, and even overpowered bosses.
You are able to unlock more unique missions via talking to people around SECTOR 8 of MIDGARD, the Slums, or even after a the beach scene.
Particularly you also get to meet a character from original FFVII who takes a backseat to becoming a crybaby comedy relief in a particular set of missions.
It's pretty obvious who it is since she appears early on in the story, but here she's expanded on in these missions.
HINT - NINJA
Anyway yeah, clearly this mode was to pad out the game, but seriously it gets way too repetitive and unfun especially since the game usually unlocks new missions as you complete other ones, however the game doesn't tell you that there are hidden requirements in order to unlock others, so you can accidently go through the entire game, and miss out because you didn't know, and the fact the missions themselves are very repetitive can actually cause "MISSIONS" to be annoying and tedious to get through.
The worst being "DEFEAT 1,000 SHINRA SOLDIERS" not because it's hard, because it takes FOREVER!
So story wise, the gameplay is fun, mission wise, it becomes torturous.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Characters]
Zack, Aerith, Sephiroth, Angeal, Tseng, Cissnei, and Cloud are all given the proper depth they need and are really great characters. The new characters in Zack, Angeal, and Cissnei are all amazing how they evolve throughout this story. The old characters in Cloud, Aerith, Tseng, and Sephiroth have so much more context, lore, and depth to them that it makes you understand them more.
The only character who legit has major issues is Genesis, I see what they were going for. He tries to be sort of this revolutionary/inspiring preacher of the "GODDESS" and her gifts while constantly referencing the story of "LOVELESS," and while characters like Angeal and Sephiroth describe Genesis in a positive manner... that's barely seen up until the very end, before Zack's final stand.
Some might say the scene with Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth fighting shows what they mean... honestly it comes across more like Genesis is an overconfident idiot who thinks he'll win any battle... only for Sephiroth to show him he's leagues above him.
I think there should've been more emotion and impact to his character emotionally that would've made him more complex than coming across as egotistical.
Hojo and Hollander are complete garbage evil PoS beings and I'm so happy they are. I appreciate when vile scum are vile scum and don't have depth or context to them being so. It makes you want to kill them and see everything they work on crash and burn.
An amazing thing this prequel did was establish an amazing protagonist in Zack, so much so, he's become a superior protag to Cloud and I personally like him much more than Cloud.
Zack is an absolutely amazing character to see evolve throughout this game, even if his life is a tragedy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Thoughts Overall]
Crisis Core is a great addition to FFVII, being an amazing tragic sequel that answers a lot of questions from the original FFVII, but also has the issue of asking more questions, while answering none of these new questions.
The gameplay itself is fun, but becomes a bit repetitive. The music is top notch amazing and iconic. Mission mode is a mode that starts off fun but slowly becomes a tedious, repetitive dreadful mode that has no uniqueness to it.
Characters and the story are top tier and are all amazing with both old characters being expanded upon, and new characters being established and given proper depth (apart from Genesis). Zack is an amazing protagonist that actually ends up becoming more likable and iconic than Cloud imo.
And yes... that means 100% I ship Zack with Aerith instead of Cloud with Aerith.
Imo for FFVII REBIRTH (and beyond) if they keep Aerith and Zack alive, have them officially get together and let Tifa and Cloud get together... please Tatsuya Nomura.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Crisis Core, but I need to eliminate a star because of the horrible mode that is "MISSION MODE" and the amount of new questions it decided to ask, while attempting to answer old Original FFVII questions.
Hopefully FFVII Rebirth decides to establish and answer those questions left from Crisis Core/Crisis Core Reunion. And also keeps Zack and Cissnei alive to help Cloud and crew lead their new universe to a better end. But we'll see.
That's my review of Crisis Core, hope yall enjoyed.