Spoilers for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion AheadIt's a great time to be a Final Fantasy fan. Final Fantasy 16 has a release window of June 2023; Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, is set to release next winter; and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion has brought back a beloved PSP game. Those who missed out on the original game may be wondering if Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is worth picking up. In terms of the overarching narrative, Crisis Core plays a huge role in establishing the backstory of key characters and provides much-needed context, so it is a must-play for all fans of the FF7 series.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion tells the story of Zack Fair, a young and excitable SOLDIER recruit whose dream is to rise through the ranks as quickly as possible and become a legend. Surrounded by established, dominant members of SOLDIER such as Genesis, Sephiroth, and his mentor Angeal, Zack quickly learns what it takes to be a hero on a quest that redefines everything he thought he knew. Along the way, he meets and befriends a young Cloud Strife, with the two forming a bond that endures well beyond Zack's premature demise during its climax.
Crisis Core is an Important Part of Final Fantasy 7's Lore
The climax of Crisis Core sees Zack and Cloud finally escaping the clutches of their captors Shinra and the scientist Hojo, who had been doing experiments on them using mako energy. Unfortunately for the duo, they are unable to get far before Shinra's troops catch up to them on the outskirts of Midgar. With Cloud incapacitated, Zack makes a final stand against a swarm of Shinra troops, only to be overwhelmed and killed in an event that has a profound impact on Cloud.
Considering Zack perishes years before the events in Final Fantasy 7, fans could be forgiven for wondering just how important his story is. During the original Final Fantasy 7, Zack plays a minor role seen mainly in flashbacks by Cloud, who mistakenly blurs his own consciousness with Zack's. This causes a great deal of confusion for the spiky-haired mercenary as he struggles to separate the two sets of memories. When Cloud eventually resolves this, it seems that Zack Fair's role in the story of Final Fantasy 7 is finished.
The release of 2020's FF7 Remake significantly changes this. While most of the plot remains similar, several events in the new game deviate from the original narrative. The remake introduces ghost-like entities known as Whispers, who are said to appear when canon events begin to stray off their designated path. This results in a number of key changes to Final Fantasy 7 Remake's story, perhaps the most significant of which being that Zack Fair is shown to be alive and well in this new timeline. After defeating the wave of Shinra forces that had killed him in the previous version of events, Zack is shown entering the Sector 5 Church in Midgar, looking for Aerith.
Zack's survival could have huge implications for the remainder of Final Fantasy 7's story. Subsequent events such as Cloud entering a catatonic state, confusing his memories with Zack's, and even Aerith's death may now play out completely differently with Zack around. It isn't known how much of the overall plot Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will cover, or what developer Square Enix has in store for Cloud, Zack, and the others. For this reason, learning more about Zack, Sephiroth, and even Cloud by playing Crisis Core before Rebirth seems essential.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
