The recent Final Fantasy VII anniversary stream came with some welcome surprises, including the next game in the Remake series and a remaster of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Subtitled Reunion, the remaster will aim to give a modern facelift to the original PlayStation Portable version of the game on modern consoles.
Fans on Reddit have been generally excited over the unexpected reveal, along with discussions on what they hope this version improves. Some of the biggest points include refined combat mechanics and some of Remake's modernizations.
No Cloud Version For The Nintendo Switch
One particularly welcome part of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion's announcement was that it's set to be multiplatform. Mainline Final Fantasy games seem to have a long-running exclusivity deal with PlayStation, but Reunion is confirmed to release simultaneously on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
For the Switch specifically, Redditors like kchorrex2012 share the sentiment that "I'd rather get it on the switch but if it turns out to be another cloud version I'll get it for ps5. Not gonna spend full price on a volatile version." Square Enix and Nintendo have gotten heat from fans for previous cloud versions of ports, which require even single-player games to be constantly attached to an inconsistent internet connection to play.
Smoother Combat Mechanics
The original version of Crisis Core is still fondly remembered as one of the best Final Fantasy spinoffs, but even its combat mechanics on the PSP show some age. It's expected since it's ultimately a 16-year-old game, and it's equally expected that this will be the first quality-of-life improvement Square Enix will look to make.
Redditor DeeDoubs felt optimistic over what they've seen so far, saying "It looks like my biggest beef with the PSP version is being addressed... the clunky feeling basic attacks." Basic attacks in the original version temporarily rooted Zack to one spot, which would certainly be unintuitive by today's standards.
Better Voice Acting
Gameplay aside, one of the more jarring things for many fans online was the voice acting. It's somewhat expected for a cast-wide makeover given the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, and while Aerith's new VA returning for Reunion has been welcomed, others were underwhelmed by Zack Fair's new VA.
Redditor Drjay425 said "I am normally more open to changes but I cannot stand this new VA. Zack's happy-go-lucky mood just doesn't flow with the new guy for me. I love the rest of the new VAs in [Remake] though." A new cast is out of the question at this point, but some have expressed hope the trailer wasn't comprised of finalized takes for the dialogue.
Keeping The Story A Straightforward Adaptation
It's a double-sided coin for some fans, but Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion looking to largely stick to the script in terms of the original's story is partly seen as a plus.
Remake received an overall great critical reception and is arguably one of the best Final Fantasy games for newcomers, but some longtime fans didn't take to the narrative liberties. Redditor Baithin felt somewhat conflicted, but generally felt that "It’s good to get confirmation that it will be 'very' faithful to the original."
Expanding On Character Development
On the other hand, some felt that a remaster of Crisis Core would've been a great opportunity to flesh out its story. The original version was praised by critics and players alike for being one of the most emotionally resonating Final Fantasy stories, and while Remake had some questionable narrative decisions made toward the end, honing in on the characters in between was largely well-received.
Redditor Baithin also mentioned that "I was hoping for some more expansion on things, like the characters and their development." Fans are still theorizing how Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's story will change, but expanding on the main and supporting cast in Remake was a highlight that would make introducing new elements to Zack and Aerith's backstory welcome.
Dial Back The DMW System
Like how Final Fantasy VII and Remake have their signature Limit Break systems, Crisis Core had its own variation of it in the form of the Digital Mind Wave. The DMW system functioned like a slot machine in combat, and depending on the portraits it landed on, it would give Zack a level up, stat buff, or a special attack to initiate.
Redditor phoisgood495 hoped that it would get tweaked, commenting that "The DMW is still present, but we haven't had any footage of how it works yet. I'm hoping they seriously tone it down because it got really annoying over the total runtime of the game." By modern standards, it's understandable to see it would be tough to see this be retained 1:1, as it could hurt the pacing of battles.
A Menu-Based Combat System Akin To FFVIIR
The Final Fantasy franchise has spawned many of the best turn-based JRPGs in the gaming industry, so, unsurprisingly, the shift to real-time action was met with some contention by veteran fans. However, another one of Remake's high points was its exhilarating real-time combat mixed with menu-based strategy.
Redditor Dude_Bromanbro wondered "Does 'menu-based' battle system mean it's basically like FFVIIR? Because that would be awesome." Many saw it as the perfect marriage of the new real-time combat system and elements of turn-based battles. Remake let players pause the action and cycle between characters and menus to make on-the-fly strategic commands.
A Stinger That Ties Into The Current Remake Timeline
While longtime fans are often satisfied -- and even adamant -- over getting a straightforward adaptation of an original beloved story, some Final Fantasy fans are still intrigued to see a possible connection between Crisis Core Reunion and the new Remake timeline. Redditor AndSpaceY speculated that "The fact 'very' is in quotes and is not explicitly 100% faithful leads me to believe we’ll at least get some kind of bonus ending that ties Reunion with the direction of the Remake trilogy."
There's surely a compromise between strictly faithful and completely original. And since Zack look's to be playing a major role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a stinger at the end of the story to tie into the new timeline would be exciting to see.
Original Score
Final Fantasy has always carried a reputation for having exceptional operatic and orchestral scores for their games, whether it's in the mainline entries or spinoffs. Some are more memorable than others, of course, but Crisis Core has one that longtime fans feel is worth retaining.
Redditor awesomedorkwad amusingly commented that "If they so much as touch the Price of Freedom (or not provide the ability to use the original if they rearrange it) I WILL REVOLT." Remasters and remakes of games have tastefully remastered the scores as well as added the option to switch between the rearranged and original versions in the past, so hopefully the same will be said of Crisis Core Reunion.
A Brief New Epilogue Quest
In addition to some hopes of the upcoming remaster tying into the Remake trilogy's timeline, some are also warm to the idea of adding a brief "epilogue" quest to do so. Redditor Dynespark thought that having "Zack get a second wind and pull through to an ending that lines up with 7R would be great. And then hopefully a short mission or two that would be a sort of prologue to the next 7R game."
It would certainly be a creative way to add extra content to something that isn't an outright remake. Remasters -- like Nier: Replicant -- have been finding ways to retroactively add new content to generations-old games, and this would give extra incentive to play through Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.