To give players a better idea of what has been updated, two of the producers fromCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reuniondescribed the differences between the original PSP title and the remake in a PlayStation Blog post. With therelease date ofCrisis Core: Reunionofficially confirmed, it’s the perfect time to whet the appetite for the title.
One of the many spinoffs sparked by the revolutionary title that wasFinal Fantasy VII, the originalCrisis Corewas one of the hit titles of the PSP, and indeed one of the major reasons to own the console alongside titles likeMetal Gear Solid: Peacewalker. Now, with the PSP far in the rearview mirror,Crisis Coreis making a hopefully triumphant return.
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The two producers who spoke about the game are Yoshinori Kitase, the executive producer of the originalCrisis Core, and Mariko Sato, who was not part of the original project but loved the game all the same. According to the producers, the first step for all the changes made was to confront Tetsuya Nomura, who is the creative director ofCrisis Core: Reunionin addition to the mainlineFinal Fantasy VIIremake titles. Apparently, this input calls for the story to remain the same, as it was earlier reported thatCrisis Core: Reunionwon’t introduce new story elements.
The next step was largely tackling graphical enhancements, which proved singularly difficult for theCrisis Core: Reunionteam in the wake ofFinal Fantasy VII Remakeand its gorgeous look. These were the basis forCrisis Core: Reunion’s new graphics, although originally the plan was just to carry over the old graphics unchanged. For reference, these were PSP graphics, about on par with the PS2 at best. Just switching the 3D models didn’t cut it, so a lot of adjustments had to be made, including thelook of the classicFinal Fantasy VIIbuster sword.
Likely more impactful than the changes to the graphics are changes to the combat system, although the nature of them is a bit vague. This is what makesTetsuya Namora sayCrisis Core: Reunionis more than a remaster, although how much more is still up in the air.
How exactly the combat has been tweaked will be important. After all,Final Fantasy VIIRemake’s combat mixed real-time with action in a fresh new way that resulted from years of development, butCrisis Corewas already one of the building blocks of that combat. Only time will tell if theimprovements toCrisis Core: Reunion’s combatare for better or for worse.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill launch on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 11, 2025.
