Square Enix has announced Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, which is an HD remaster of the PSP original. Crisis Core is an FF7 prequel that follows Zack Fair's time as a member of SOLDIER, but where exactly does it fall on the FF7 timeline? FF7 actually has several prequels, as well as media that show events that happen before and after the game.
FF7 was developed as a standalone project, as all of the Final Fantasy games were up to that point. The game was turned into its own franchise, called the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The first spin-off media was 2004's Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7, which was a Japan-exclusive title for mobile phones, where the player controlled a group of Turks. This was followed by Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children, which was a sequel movie, and Last Order: Final Fantasy 7, which was a short prequel movie. FF7 received a video game sequel, in 2006's Dirge of Cerberus, which followed Vincent Valentine as he battled the members of Deepground. The final entry in the series (before FF7 Remake) was Crisis Core, which was a prequel game.
Since the release of FF7 Remake, there has been another prequel game, called Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, which shows the formation of the SOLDIER unit. The pre-FF7 Remake content in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII appears to still be canon, as Square Enix is remastering Crisis Core for modern systems. This raises the question of where the upcoming Crisis Core Reunion takes place on the timeline of the series.
Crisis Core Reunion Happens Alongside Before Crisis & Before FF7
Crisis Core takes place before the events of FF7, with the ending of the game directly leading to the events of FF7, with a wounded Cloud heading toward Midgar. Crisis Core starts at the end of the Wutai War, and shows the events of the Nibelheim incident as they happened, ending with Zack's last stand against the Shinra army. The events of Crisis Core also run alongside those of Before Crisis, as the Turks witness Sephiroth's rampage in Nibelheim, and some of them rush to save Zack from his fate, but they're too late. Before Crisis technically runs to the end of FF7, as the Turks are shown saving civilians during the events at the end of FF7.
Crisis Core has one of the most devastating endings in video game history, as Zack meets his fate while thinking of Aerith as he dies. The release of the FF7 Remake series will now change how this ending is perceived, as there is a timeline where Zack is alive and players will have the chance to see his actions during the events of FF7. The trailer for FF7 Rebirth featured Zack, so it seems he won't be sidelined for the next game and will have a bigger role in future games. Crisis Core Reunion will be worth playing for those who want more context regarding Zack's appearance in FF7 Remake, as well as his role in the story going forward.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will be released for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in winter 2022.