While many RPGs are loved for their gameplay and how they change up the genre between other games similar to themselves, arguably one of the most important things to an RPG is the story and lore attached to it.Final Fantasy 7has become one of the fewFinal Fantasygameswith multiple titles spanning its story, with some rather interesting spin-offs among them. One of the more iconicFF7spin-offs isFinal Fantasy 7 Crisis Core, a prequel to the original through the eyes of Zack Fair, Cloud’s late best friend.
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Crisis Core’s Importance to Final Fantasy 7
One ofFinal Fantasy 7’s many mysteries comes in the form ofCloud’s identity crisisand exactly what happened to him. While the game answers a fair deal of it,Crisis Corenot only gives Zack’s side of the story but also provide further context to important game-changing events, such as what happened the night Nibelheim burned down. While some players questioned if the changesCrisis Coremade were necessary, the majority of fans saw the game as a welcome addition to the series' sprawling lore.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakehas also cementedCrisis Core’s story as an important part of its overall narrative, since it includes elements of theCompilation of FF7that make the franchise’s lore more consistent. However, due to thetwist at the end ofFF7Rthat Cloud and company have chosen to defy the fate found in the original game, Zack is now alive somehow rather than dead like in the ending of the PSP game. Even though Zack’s story seems to be changing, there should still be an opportunity for players to experience what happened to him originally. As things stand right now, they have no way to playCrisis Coreoutside of playing the original, rather obsolete release.
Crisis Core’s Lack of Rereleases
Despite howCrisis Corehas given tons of new context to theworld and lore ofFF7, Square Enix has left it behind. The title’s only release in the last 15 years is its PSP launch in 2007. It’s a rather interesting oversight as the originalFinal Fantasy 7is widely available today, yetFF7CChasn’t seen any sort of rerelease or HD remaster. Considering that the PSP title uniquely used real-time combat rather than a turn-based style like the game before it, it’s rather tragic how difficult it is for even the most dedicatedFF7fans to get their hands on this game.
Releasing the PSP game on PS Plus Premium after so long would be a great incentive forFF7fans, whether they’ve played the originalFF7orRemake. It would also serve as a great game to play while waiting for newsregardingFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2. There are also the many fans who had picked upFF7Rexpecting it to be a proper remake who lack the full context behind Zack. WithCrisis Coremade accessible to them, fans could download it as part of PS Plus Premium to have a better understanding of the character, which would makeFF7Rperfect advertising for the PS Plus Premium membership.
Even though there are great incentives forCrisis Coreto be available through thenew PS Plus tier, there’s also one big reason to not include it. Sometime later this year, Square Enix plans to releaseFinal Fantasy 7: Ever Crisisonto mobile devices.Ever Crisispromises to feature several parts of theCompilation of FF7as a free-to-play game, includingCrisis Core. This essentially marks the first-ever remaster ofFF7CC, and many fans are excited forEver Crisisdue to that fact alone. HavingFF7CCavailable on another platform could potentially hurtEver Crisis' chance of succeeding as a result.
However, many players have good reason to be wary regardingEver Crisiswhen it comes to Square Enix’s current practices. The company has announced its plans to create NFTs, and has alsoreleasedChocobo GPafter filling it with microtransactions, among other things. While the nextFF7mobile game seems to still be on track for a release later this year, offering the originalCrisis Coreon PS Plus Premium would be a great way for players who aren’t interested inEver Crisisto still experience howFF7began. AddingFF7CCto PS Plus Premium would be beneficial for Square Enix and loyal fans alike, and hopefully the company will capitalize on the opportunity.
