Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (クライシス コア -ファイナルファンタジーVII-, Kuraishisu Koa -Fainaru Fantajī Sebun-?) is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. The game is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Production was overseen by Yoshinori Kitase, the director of the original Final Fantasy VII, with Hajime Tabata as the game's director and Tetsuya Nomura as the game's character designer.
The game mainly focuses around Zack Fair, a 2nd Class SOLDIER, and the events leading up to his destined demise. He meets many of the Final Fantasy VII characters, including Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough, with whom he develops strong bonds. The game's storyline takes the player from the war with the Wutai to the events at Nibelheim, and right up to the time just before the Final Fantasy VII beginning. Some of the missing events or plot holes from Nibelheim and afterwards are explained in the animated feature, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII.
Gameplay
Crisis Core is a role-playing game in which the player controls the main character Zack through the game's storyline. During the main story of the game, the player moves Zack through and between open areas, allowing him to talk with non-playable characters, interact with the environment, or encounter monsters in battle. At any save point in these areas, the player may opt to take one of many side missions that are available; if selected, Zack is moved to a special area to complete the mission, usually to defeat one or more monsters. If the mission is successfully completed, the player is rewarded with one or more items, and often one or more new missions become available. Whether the mission is completed successfully or if Zack falls in battle, Zack is returned to the save point at the end. If Zack should fall in battle during the main story combat, the player will be forced to restart from their last saved game.
Zack in battle.
Crisis Coreuses a real-time combat system in which the player can move Zack around, initiate attacks, special abilities, spells, or item use, and have Zack block or dodge an attack.[4][5] Zack's abilities in battle are set by what materia that he is equipped with.[6] Up to six materia can be equipped, and can impart special attacks, magic spells, or passive bonuses such as bonuses to Zack's health meter or the ability to display the statistics of the current foe in combat. Materia are gained throughout the game through exploration, rewards from side missions or spoils of war, or from shops. Materia can be fused together to make more powerful versions with improved bonuses; for example, fusing an attack skill materia with an elemental magic materia can create a new attack skill materia that inflicts elemental magic damage in addition to physical damage. Special items collected in the game can also be used in materia fusion to further increase the materia's power.
Digital Mind Wave.
Crisis Core uses a slot machine-like mechanic to affect the combat system. The "Digital Mind Wave" (DMW) features two sets of three spinning wheels; one set with numbers one through seven, and another with pictures of characters that Zack befriends during the game. The DMW automatically spins as long as Zack has at least 10 Soldier Points; Soldier Points are awarded to the player by defeating foes. If the DMW stops with the same three pictures lined up, Zack will then perform an appropriate Limit Break attack or ability that can greatly harm an enemy or significantly heal Zack. Additionally, in this case, if the number slots give two or more of the same number, the materia in that slot will power up. Should the numbers line up as "777", Zack will gain an experience level, increasing his health, soldier points, and ability points in combat. Otherwise, if there is no match on the pictures, matching numbers on the slots will still grant temporary bonuses in battle such as limited invincibility or zero-cost use of skills and abilities. The chance of matching pictures is tied to the current Limit level, which is raised by taking damage in battle and reduced upon successful matches, and after certain storyline events, through heightened emotions towards a specific character. After collecting certain items in the game, the pictures on the DMW may also randomly change to summonable creatures, which have more destructive and beneficial Limit Breaks should the pictures match up.
Following the completion of the game, the player will obtain a New Game Plus option.[7] The North American and European releases of Crisis Core have an added difficulty mode to the game which increases the power and health of the enemies in the game.
Characters
Left to right, Genesis, Angeal, Zack, Sephiroth, Tseng, and Cloud.
Crisis Core takes place some years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, and as such, many characters from the game and other related works appear in Crisis Core. However, the primary characters in the game are from either Shinra Electric Power Company's private armed forces dubbed SOLDIER, or from their covert branch of operatives called the Turks.
The main protagonist and playable character of Crisis Core is Zack Fair, a young and friendly man. At the start of the game, he is a 2nd class SOLDIER operative. Angeal is a 1st class SOLDIER and acts as a mentor for Zack. Both are friends with fellow SOLDIER members Sephiroth and Genesis, the latter serving as the game's primary antagonist who takes special interest in an unfinished play called "LOVELESS". The SOLDIER operatives work under Director Lazard, the illegitimate son of President Shinra. Zack is also friends with the Turks, particularly their leader Tseng and one of their female operatives Cissnei. During the course of the game, Zack encounters and befriends Aerith, a young woman tending flowers from a ruined church in the Midgar slums, and also befriends Cloud, a Shinra infantryman, and like Zack, raised in a country town. Zack also encounters Dr. Hollander, a former Shinra scientist that is performing unethical experiments in secret. Luxiere and Kunsel are two SOLDIER operatives that befriend Zack, as well as informing him on events and actions while offering help in his time of need.