It’s About Time Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Receives a Digital Release

Square Enix has never been shy about bringing their classic games to a modern generation. They’ve even gone as far as to make a sequel to Final Fantasy IV titled Final Fantasy IV: The After Years back in 2008. Still, there’s one game that they seem to be holding out, and that’s 2007’s PSP release, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a prequel to the events leading up to Final Fantasy VII. In many ways, this game is essential to understand some of the nuances and relationships within the larger JRPG. Surprisingly, even though it was released ten years after the original, the game fits in so easily into the timeline of the Final Fantasy VII universe. It acts as a bridge that led Cloud to become who we know in Final Fantasy VII and serves as a tremendous world-building tool as it allows players to learn more about the state of the planet.

Given that Final Fantasy VII Remake is only a few months away at this point. I’d love to pass the time by playing through this PSP adventure again, preferably on newer hardware, and dare I ask for some HD textures. I know it sounds like I’m asking a lot here, but for those of you who haven’t played through this game, you are truly missing out.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII‘s story is mission-based. Players assume the role of SOLDIER member Zack, who has been assigned to look for his missing colleague, Genesis. Throughout the game, players accept missions that lead them to areas visited or spoken about during Final Fantasy VII. This offers some truly nostalgic moments as you get a different perspective of the world through Zack.

Characters met in Final Fantasy VII also show up and provide some much-needed backstory on their personalities. The game’s cinematics is top-notch and mimics what fans have seen in the CG film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Seeing a different side of Sephiroth, Cloud, and the Shinra corporation is a huge pay off in this game and deserves to be experienced by all fans, even if they don’t own a PSP.

Final Fantasy VII has a lot of hype surrounding it right now. With the recent trailers reaching large numbers of audiences each time they announce something new about the game. However, I’d hate for fans to miss out on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII because it turned into a necessary piece of the puzzle after I completed it. Sure, Final Fantasy VII is a great standalone story, but Crisis Core only made it better.

For now, I’ll play this game on PSP and hope that Square Enix decides to bring it to digital storefronts for others to enjoy.

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Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is available now on PSP.

Final Fantasy VII: Remake is available on March 3, 2020, on PS4.