Beyond the Gameboy Advance, the PlayStation portable was my favourite, err; portable console. I played so many games for hundreds of hours on the PSP; and I am lucky enough to still have a working example.
One game which I did not having a working example of, however, was the FF7 spin off, Crisis Core, which was initially released as a PSP exclusive prequel action-rpg on the system.
I played it to absolute death on the PSP, it was a highly cherished game, alongside Jeanne D'Arc (which I still own!), Disgaea, and other titles. It was a JRPG machine.
With the release of FF7 Remake across PC, PS4, and PS5; and the upcoming part 2 of the remake, it makes a timely moment in history to re-release and re-master Crisis Core, which certainly acts as a fitting prequel to flesh out much more of the FF7 universe.
In Crisis Core, you will take on the role of Zack; a member of Shinra's elite SOLDIER division, tasked with doing missions that keep the Shinra Electric Power Company on the ... good? bad? questionable? side of the ethical equation in and around Midgar and the world of FF7.
There's also appearances by characters that were around during the "before" times, such as Cloud himself, who appears as a secondary character throughout the later parts of the game. You'll also get to meet a young Tifa, and an even younger Yuffie.
Towards the end of the title, you'll also experience some story elements from the perspective of Sephiroth; intertwined with other characters spanning the FF7 universe, such as the Turks, various Shinra executives, and of course, a young Aerith.
You'll learn more about Jenova along the way, too; but that's probably all I can say about the plot of Crisis Core without introducing any major spoilers for those who have not played the original Crisis Core.
This review is based on the Switch version. Crisis Core: Reunion was released on all major consoles and platforms, and I felt switch was the most appropriate as I played the original title as a portable game.
Sadly, I don't think that was the correct choice. Most of the review copies handed out by Square Enix were for the PS5 as the lead review platform, and it benefits from higher quality visuals, faster loading times.
While the game is perfectly servicable on the Switch, in both portable and docked mode, it is certainly rough around the edges visually.
This is made up for by the fact that the game runs at an extremely smooth rate of frame pacing, with no shudder or jitter experienced during my playthrough.
The ability to play a few missions in bed, or do some grinding while waiting for the microwave make Crisis Core on Switch a compelling choice compared to a non portable platform, but I would have loved to have seen save files that could work across platforms, so you could continue your play on multiple platforms.
Games like Divinity: Original Sin 2, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offer this functionality between Switch and the PC, so I would have loved to have seen this as an option.
Having said that, Crisis Core Reunion is probably not a game that I would enjoy buying twice, as I've already purchased it more than once throughout my life, firstly on the PSP, and now for the new, remastered version.
This is perfectly okay, as the $79AUD price of entry saw me get about 25 hours of gameplay out of the title; as well as a much-needed window into the nostalgia factor of one of my favourite games on PSP.
Those 25 hours did not account for the entire game; or even examining the combat and mission system in complete depth. I simply did some grinding until I got bored, then continued on with the main story.
If you play in this method; the main story combat is not very challenging. If you don't play in this method, you certainly will need to go back and grind to become more powerful in order to succeed against your foes.
The important thing to note that is unlike FF7 Remake, Crisis Core doesn't contain any completely useless filler missions and forced "Walk very slow" scenes in order to extend out the gameplay. It's all killer content, particularly when it comes to the missions, which offer genuinely complicated gameplay if you want to succeed at the highest levels in order to become a truly and completely overpowered SOLDIER operative.
There are a few new features for the Reuinion version of the game,beyond the overhaul of visuals. Towards the end of the game, you get a Buster Sword, and can gain proficiency in its use. This unlocks powerful attacks which were not available in the original PSP version; which probably make some elements of the gameplay easier; if you can be bothered to grind.
Importantly, the overall structure of the game has not been modified in any way, and that shows it to be a faithful reproduction of the original. Unfortunately, this leads to dated level design and small regions that necessitate long-ish loading times on the Switch, but loading times that are far shorter than the archaic and completely outdated UMD technology that the PSP possessed in the past.
The game is pretty easy, and very forgiving if you fail, combined with lots of save points and auto-save features along the way.
Music is all-class, with many returning parts of the soundtrack as well as new arrangements compared to FF7, and it is glorious to hear FF7 music on any day. The arrangements are timeless, emotive and well composed, with excellent audio quality, even for the Switch.
The most important part of Crisis Core Reunion, however; is the fact that it has allowed an entirely new generation of gamers to become exposed to a game that was previously only available on a single platform, which has become incredibly difficult to get your hands on.
In concert with the options for a big-screen presentation of the title; you've got something that will appeal to a broad audience, and should be a commercial success, if not an incredibly critical success.
The game could be better; but it is still great, and if you're a die-hard of the Final Fantasy Series, it is certainly a must-play.
Want more content from me?
Witness my futile efforts to play my Steam Game collection in alphabetical order.
Are you aware that I love photography? Check out my work in a collection.
If you want to see my Splinterlands antics and rants live, Find me on Twitch
If you prefer sleeping in your designated time zone, go watch replays on YouTube.