Final Fantasy VII: Remake will be arriving soon, allowing players to relive the memories of the epic saga that might have turned them into RPG fans back in 1997. However, this is far from the first time Square Enix attempted to capitalize on the success of Cloud's adventures. In the early 2000s, multiple Final Fantasy VII adjacent projects were released, from the movie sequel Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to the tactical-shooter game Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus.
While most of these spin-offs were met with a lukewarm to negative response from fans, one game stood apart. One game received plenty of praise (though also a decent amount of criticism) from fans and critics alike. That game was the prequel: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix NEEDS to re-release this classic game once more -- and, potentially, has two means to do so -- allowing players another chance to play in the shoes of Cloud's old companion and Aerith's original lover, Zack.
Why Was It Loved?
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII received a warm reception upon release for a few different reasons. Fans loved it because it finally explored the story of Zack, one of the less developed characters in the original game. We got to see characters like Sephiroth, Aerith and Cloud before they became the characters fans knew and loved. The game follows Zack's workings and eventual confrontations with Shinra. The game introduced new characters as well, like Genesis Rhapsodos, who played the role of villain for a significant portion of the game.
While fans loved the added lore to the franchise, Crisis Core managed to appeal to gamers in general due to its action-RPG gameplay. While this may be standard now, it was new for the Final Fantasy franchise back in 2007. IGN UK stated in its review for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy that "the action RPG design that underpins Crisis Core is a pleasant surprise, blending realtime elements and turn-based mechanics with some aplomb."
The game would go on to receive an 83 on Metacritic and an 8.6 user review rating -- a generally positive response. However, some critics really and truly hated it. Most notoriously, X-Play gave it a 2/5, which resulted in intense fan backlash.
How Available Was It?
The game itself, however, only sold 3.1 million copies. The game was released for the PlayStation Portable, a mobile system that lagged behind the Nintendo DS in terms of sales. On top of that, by the time Crisis Core was released, many gamers had been burned out on the Final Fantasy brand. This was a time when the franchise had entered a lull in popularity, not helped by the constant attempt to capitalize on Final Fantasy VII's success and the far less popular Final Fantasy XIII.
Now, however, Crisis Core is not available on any modern platforms. This is, of course, true for many PSP games that have not received any kind of release since support and production of the portable console ended. While other Final Fantasy games have been re-released digitally for current-gen consoles, such as Final Fantasy IX and X, none of the Final Fantasy VII spin-offs have been made available. With the remake about to be released, now is the perfect time to repackage the game, allowing players to re-experience the Final Fantasy VII saga in its entirety.
The Remake "Problem"
However, there is the problem of the remake as well. With the remake expanding and altering the canon of Final Fantasy VII, will Crisis Core's story still be canon? Or will the remake team create a plot hole between the two games?
On one hand, it almost doesn't matter either way. None of that would change the fact that the game is worth preserving for players who didn't have a PSP at the time of the Crisis Core's release and were thus unable to play the game. Whether or not it's accurate to the game's current canon is ultimately irrelevant.
However, it's also possible that elements of Crisis Core might be incorporated also into Final Fantasy VII: Remake's plot, especially when we reach the flashbacks revealing Zack's relevance to the game. Regardless, the original Crisis Core also deserves a re-release if only to preserve the game and make it available. Just as the original Final Fantasy VII has come to later consoles for modern players to experience even with the remake on the horizon, Crisis Core deserves to make a comeback.