Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Seven years before the events of 1997, a young man named Zack Fair stood in the ruins of Wutai. He wore the blue uniform of SOLDIER and carried a heavy Buster Sword on his back. His mission was simple yet dangerous: find two missing comrades, Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos. The war between Shinra and Wutai raged around him while he searched for answers. Zack found no trace of Angeal or Genesis at first. He only knew they had deserted their post without permission. Shinra ordered him to kill them if he found them alive. This order haunted him as he walked through the muddy streets of Midgar later that year. He met a flower girl named Aerith Gainsborough who tended to a ruined church in the slums. She gave him hope when he felt lost. Her kindness contrasted sharply with the cold orders from Director Lazard. Zack learned that Genesis and Angeal were part of Project G. This secret experiment involved Jenova cells and created unstable soldiers. He discovered this truth inside Dr. Hollander's hidden laboratory near Modeoheim. The scientist used both men to create an army of clones. Zack fought these clones alongside Sephiroth. They defeated the forces but could not stop the madness spreading through the ranks. Angeal mutated into a monster after fusing with his own clones. Zack killed his mentor to end the pain. Before dying, Angeal gave him the Buster Sword. Zack promised to protect Angeal's honor. He carried this burden forward into the final days of 2007.
Genesis Rhapsodos stood alone in the depths of a reactor near Nibelheim. His body was degrading rapidly due to exposure to Jenova cells. He needed Sephiroth's cells to survive. Genesis explained this desperate need during their confrontation. Sephiroth refused to help him despite being an experiment himself. Both men had been implanted with Jenova's cells before birth. Genesis believed Sephiroth was his only hope for survival. He created an army of clones to attack Shinra headquarters. These clones attacked Midgar while Genesis hid in the shadows. Zack tracked them down to Modeoheim where he found Angeal and Hollander. Angeal had developed doubts about his actions and Genesis' plan. He confronted Genesis before they both disappeared into the darkness. The truth behind Project G emerged from Dr. Hollander's notes. He used Genesis and Angeal as test subjects for supersoldier experiments. The goal was to create powerful beings infused with alien lifeforms. This research led to the creation of Deepground operatives like Nero the Sable and Weiss the Immaculate. They collected Genesis' body after his apparent suicide. Genesis threw himself into the reactor depths but survived long enough to cause chaos. His mutation spread through the ranks of SOLDIER. Angeal became a monster after fusing with his own clones. Zack killed him to stop the suffering. The project remained hidden from most Shinra executives until the end. It revealed how far the corporation would go to create perfect soldiers.
Hajime Tabata stood at the center of development meetings in 2004. He was chosen as director for an upcoming Final Fantasy title on the PlayStation Portable. Square Enix staff initially planned to make a port of Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII. That mobile game had been released earlier that year. After discussions, they decided to create a new game instead. Tetsuya Nomura served as creative producer and character designer. Kazushige Nojima provided the scenario based on ideas from 1997. The original idea involved expanding the mobile game but changed focus. Kitase wanted the game to exceed fan expectations without altering perceptions too much. One main background event from 1997 had already been changed in Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. Negative fan reaction led them to avoid major changes here. They operated on the principle that this game dealt with characters' younger days. New elements could be added without changing the core identities. Zack's fate was predetermined since he appeared briefly in 1997. His story had been cooking for ten years before release. Conceptual artwork existed long before production began. Hideki Imaizumi discussed adding Genesis after being impressed by Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Sephiroth's role was written to give him more humanity. The logo represented various main characters through symbols like blue sky and white feathers. The game was first announced at E3 2004 prior to PSP release. A playable demo became available at Jump Festa '06. By May 2007 both Nomura and Tabata revealed it was 90% complete. Completing the story mode and all side quests would take about 100 hours.
Zack Fair moved through open areas engaging monsters in real time. He initiated attacks, special abilities, spells, items, blocks or dodges during battle. Up to six Materia could be equipped at any one time. These granted special attacks, magic spells, or passive bonuses like health increases. Players gained Materia through exploration, side missions, spoils of battle, or shops. Fusing two Materia created more powerful versions with improved bonuses. Special items collected increased power further. The Digital Mind Wave system featured two sets of three spinning wheels. One set had numbers one through seven while another showed pictures of friends Zack made. DMW automatically spun as long as Zack had at least 10 Soldier Points awarded by defeating foes. If three pictures lined up Zack performed a Limit Break attack harming enemies or healing him significantly. Matching numbers on slots powered up Materia if two or more appeared. Leveling up depended on luck rather than experience points. No match in pictures granted temporary bonuses like invincibility or zero-cost skills. Chance of matching tied to current Limit level raised by taking damage. Pictures changed randomly after collecting certain items to summon creatures. New Game Plus option unlocked after completion. North American and European releases added Hard Mode increasing enemy power and health.
GameSpot awarded Crisis Core an Editor's Choice label praising its storyline and combat system. VideoGamer.com found the fighting system addictive while GamePro called it the best looking PSP title. Eurogamer criticized how winning battles often depended on luck instead of skill. CvG stated the combat system never became tiresome despite repetition. X-Play criticized unskippable cutscenes and considered dialogue poor. On April Fools' Day they re-reviewed the game sarcastically giving it an impossibly high score. 1UP.com called it one of the best prequels ever written arguing narrative did better job putting players in FFVII world than original. Computer and Video Games mentioned main story lasted only 12 hours but side quests expanded length. Characterization of villain Sephiroth gave him more humanity before eventual fall into madness. Rick Gomez voiced Zack Fair with positive response from critics. Takeharu Ishimoto composed soundtrack released the 10th of October 2007 containing fifty-five songs on two discs. Ayaka performed ending theme Why revealed May 2007. Sales reached 350,000 copies in Japan including limited edition bundles. It sold 790,705 units as of August 2008 becoming third best-selling PSP game there. By March 2009 worldwide sales hit 2.1 million units. Square Enix labeled it their best PSP game calling it incredible success.
Square Enix released Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion the 13th of December 2022 across multiple platforms. Co-developed with Tose who previously worked on World of Final Fantasy graphics converted to HD using Unreal Engine 4. New 3D models appeared for all elements while soundtrack arranged anew. Full voice acting included dialogue for every character. Originally no plans existed for big update until team decided look similar to Remake. Story remained same but part of larger Final Fantasy VII Remake project considered prequel to three-part series. Updated combat system combined original battle mechanics with something close to Remake style. Camerawork and motions adjusted while summon cutscenes completely remade. Hard mode added to Japanese version after being Western exclusive originally. Many characters voiced by English-dubbed actors from Remake plus original Japanese cast. Zack Fair voiced by Caleb Pierce and Kenichi Suzumura. Sephiroth voiced by Tyler Hoechlin and Toshiyuki Morikawa. Aerith Gainsborough voiced by Briana White and Maaya Sakamoto. Cloud Strife voiced by Cody Christian and Takahiro Sakurai. Tseng voiced by Vic Chao and Junichi Suwabe. Tifa Lockhart voiced by Britt Baron and Ayumi Ito. Additional characters included Angeal Hewley Bill Millsap Kazuhiko Inoue Genesis Shaun Conde Gackt Cissnei Kayli Mills Asumi Nakada Lazard Francis Ausley Junpei Morita Hollander Jason Marnocha Shinya Owada Yuffie Kisaragi Brandilyn Cheah Yumi Kakazu. Sales exceeded 150,000 units upon release in Japan debuting eighth place UK boxed charts next week thirty-first place.
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Common questions
Who is the main character in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII?
Zack Fair is the main character in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. He wears a blue uniform of SOLDIER and carries a heavy Buster Sword on his back.
When was Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII first announced to the public?
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was first announced at E3 2004 prior to PSP release. A playable demo became available at Jump Festa '06 before its full launch.
What happened to Angeal Hewley during the events of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII?
Angeal Hewley mutated into a monster after fusing with his own clones inside Dr. Hollander's hidden laboratory near Modeoheim. Zack killed him to end the pain and received the Buster Sword as a final gift.
How many units did Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII sell worldwide by March 2009?
By March 2009 worldwide sales hit 2.1 million units for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix labeled it their best PSP game calling it an incredible success.
Who directed the development of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII in 2004?
Hajime Tabata stood at the center of development meetings in 2004 and was chosen as director for the PlayStation Portable title. Tetsuya Nomura served as creative producer and character designer while Kazushige Nojima provided the scenario based on ideas from 1997.