Just a few minutes into my Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion hands-on demo at a Square Enix event, I find myself thrown into combat against two giant anti-Soldier monsters in an arena. In the shoes of protagonist Zack Fair, the battle plays out like a tutorial, with pauses in the action running down some features that let me get to grips with Crisis Core Reunion's real-time action and command system. After hacking and slashing at the large, axe-wielding pair with my sword, both hunker down and ominously prime themselves in unison. What I'm witnessing, as a window pop-up tells me, is the enemies setting up to perform a special ability, which can deal a lot of damage if I don't act fast.
Gauges appear above both enemies to indicate the impending damage they're about to inflict, and it's up to me to get the gauges down by delivering blows before they can perform the move. The percentage of the gauge that's left over when they're ready correlates with how much it's going to hurt me, which adds a sense of urgency to the unfolding battle. I only manage to lower one of the gauges part way before the two enemies deal a hefty chunk of damage with a move called 'Twin Tomohake'. The pair swing their weapons in tandem in my direction, delivering an unavoidable, painful swipe that slices off some of my HP. Thankfully, moments later, I'm able to return the favor with a powerful move of my own. I'm not even halfway through my introduction to combat as Zack, but I can already feel myself falling into the flow of Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion's battle system.
Getting acquainted
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion will be a must-play ahead of FF7 Rebirth
Having missed out on playing the original Crisis Core release on PSP back in the day, jumping into Reunion's combat feels new and familiar at the same time. Since I'm no stranger to Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the original game, many of the combat features felt recognizable, with the command system giving me access to a suite of familiar magic, moves, and abilities. But Crisis Core's signature 'Digital Mind Wave' Limit Break system (abbreviated to DMW on-screen), for example, is entirely new to me. When I first stepped into battle, my eyes were immediately drawn to the DMW slot machine-style reeling indicators at the top left hand side of the screen.
At first, it's not immediately clear to me just what these are doing, with character portraits and numbers showing up at random. As I progress through the battle, I begin to see how each different combination it lands on does different things, such as allowing me to perform a special move, or activating a particular buff. It works a bit like a lottery, and it definitely gives the combat a touch of something a bit different as a newcomer to Crisis Core.
After my initial fight with the duo in the arena, the demo comes to a close with a boss battle against the summon Ifrit, which really gives me the chance to play around with Zack's skillset and see the DMW in action. The fiery foe is a lot tougher than the pair I faced earlier, with powerful hits that keep me on my toes and get me to really think about my actions and mind my health. When Ifrit performs its special Hellfire ability after I fail to get its gauge all the way down to zero, which would cancel the move, a rather spectacular cutscene proceeds the blow to really amp up the danger I'm in and when the hellish hit lands, I definitely want to do everything I can to prevent it from happening again. Both battles I take part in give me a good sense of fighting as Zack, and I'm already keen to discover what other challenges lie ahead.
Since Crisis Core did originally pass me by, I feel like there's always been a bit of a gap missing for me in terms of Final Fantasy 7's extended story and Compilation. It's a space I can't wait to fill with Reunion, especially since it will no doubt complement Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, set to arrive in 2023. In fact, I'd say the chance to get to know Zack properly for the first time, and see some of the characters before I originally met them in Final Fantasy 7, is easily Reunion's biggest draw for me.
Moments before my action-packed conflict in the arena, my first introduction to the character of Zack came in the form of a playful exchange with a younger Yuffie. While I only got to play a small chunk of Chapter One during my demo session, what I did see of Zack and his interactions with other characters made him instantly likable, and I can hardly wait to discover more about him when Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion drops on December 13, 2022.
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