Fans can rest assured that Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion's once-controversial DMW animations won’t interrupt gameplay this time. The original Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was released as a handheld prequel to the classic Final Fantasy VII and told the story of Zack Fair, an idealistic member of the ShinRa Electric Power Company’s paramilitary SOLIDER organization. During Zack’s journey, players discover more about his friendship with Final Fantasy VII Remake protagonist Cloud Strife, as well as the events that led the once esteemed SOLIDER Sephiroth to become the would-be destroyer of the Planet that Cloud and his friends battle against in both the original Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Remake.Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was also noteworthy for its action/RPG gameplay, which was a striking departure from the more traditional turn-based RPG battles of Final Fantasy VII. Instead, Crisis Core used a real-time combat system similar to the one later utilized in Final Fantasy VII Remake, with players controlling Zack directly as he unleashes devastating strikes with Final Fantasy VII's inconsistent Buster Sword and powerful Materia spells against his foes. Another notable aspect of Crisis Core’s combat was the DMW (Digital Mind Wave) mechanic, a slot machine-like system that allowed Zack to channel the memories of his various allies to perform special attacks, summon monsters, or gain status buffs. However, the random nature of the DMW proved to be divisive among Crisis Core players, as was the annoying tendency for it to activate in the middle of gameplay and grind the ongoing battle to a halt with a lengthy character roll or attack animation.Thankfully, while the DMW is returning in the upcoming Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion, it won’t interrupt gameplay as it did in the original Crisis Core. The Gamer reports that gameplay footage for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion was posted on IGN's official YouTube channel shortly after the recent Tokyo Game Show 2022 event earlier this week. Included among this footage are scenes of the newly-revamped DMW in action, showing that any buffs Zack receives from a successful roll will simply appear on the game’s HUD instead of interrupting gameplay with an animation. Special Skills acquired from the DMW will be stored in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and can be unleashed at any time, rather than be randomly performed after the DMW sequence, whether they would actually be useful or not. Finally, players can now skip any DMW-related cutscenes, allowing them to jump right back into the battle instead of watching the same lengthy attack animation play out over and over again. Twitter user Ruthalus took note of these changes in a recent post.
DMW Won’t Disrupt Combat In Crisis Core Reunion
The DMW isn’t the only thing being updated in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, as the original’s graphics are being remastered in HD and the voice cast of Final Fantasy VII Remake will reprise their roles instead of the actors from the old Compilation Of Final Fantasy VII. Crisis Core: FF7 Reunion will also include new dialogue, presumably to help connect the game’s story to next year’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
While the original Crisis Core was well-regarded among Final Fantasy VII fans due to its story and pulse-pounding action/RPG combat, the DMW that served as one of its defining gameplay elements was less beloved because of how it interrupted the onscreen action to play out lengthy attack or summon animations. These issues are being corrected in the forthcoming Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, allowing players to keep battles running smoothly when it launches on all major platforms this December.
Source: IGN/YouTube (via The Gamer), Ruthalus/Twitter