Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Review

Whether you've been waiting for this with anticipation or desperation, we can hardly blame you. Being part of the marvellous PAL region always seems to incur an agonising wait for Japanese RPGs to make their way to European shores. After their Japanese release (last September in the case of Crisis Core), the titles then usually get beamed over to the States with an English translation to their reams and reams of script (this happened last March), before finally being unleashed across a continent with more languages and dialects in it than some of the countries have people (ed. the Vatican?).

Even without this nine month wait, the game itself is certainly a prospect worth salivating over for fans of the series. Spinning off from arguably the most significant Final Fantasy game ever, Crisis Core is a prequel to the seventh game in the most regal of all JRPG series. Final Fantasy VII was a watershed in the history of RPG's, the most memorable of all its features being those stunning FMV sequences. Understandably then, Crisis Core has a lot to live up to by meshing with the storyline of a sacrosanct masterpiece. Crisis Core refuses to disappoint with its story though.

The Puppy

If you'd have blinked in Final Fantasy VII then you would've missed the appearance of Zack Fair, Crisis Core's protagonist. Fair is a surname that certainly hasn't been selected at random, as it says a lot about the strength of his character. Zack is a member of SOLDIER (armed forces in the Shinra Electric Company) and starts off the game as a 2nd class soldier with dreams of reaching the 1st rank and becoming a hero. Here he is tutored by Angeal (also not a coincidental name, but we won't spoil that for you) who bears the iconic Buster Sword at the start of Crisis Core.

Zack (who is lovingly referred to as "the puppy" at one stage in the game) is certainly a restless little scamp - so restless in fact that you often wonder whether he has ADHD - and as the game progresses, his various appealing traits begin to shine through. For example, his trust and loyalty to others (even when they've seemingly wronged him) is a key element in his personality, and it's also a key driving force for a story that will keep you playing even if you don't warm to the unusual gameplay dynamics in Crisis Core (more on that later).

As you might expect from an FF game, the reference and tie-ins to the series' universe are many. A vast portion of the plot concerns Sephiroth prior to his descent into darkness. The FFVII evildoer fights on the apparent good guy's side in Crisis Core, leading Zack as a higher ranking SOLDIER during the middle section of the game as Shinra attempts to track down the AWOL Angeal. Later on in the story you'll come across FFVII's Aeris Gainsborough (who's cuter than ever), followed by the original game's hero Cloud Strife. Both characters are heavily featured and form strong bonds with Zack.

The story twists and turns around the apparent defections of SOLDIER members Angeal and Genesis. It's stunningly delivered through FMV sequences that are spliced with cut-scenes from the in-game engine, which ensures that even if you are looking at one of the more excessive CGI sections in the game, it never feels too far away from the actual game world you're playing in. And what of that game world that you're actually playing in? Well, it doesn't matter which way you look at it, the gameplay in Crisis Core is far from typical of a traditional JRPG and will certainly be a divisive issue amongst fans of the genre.

The traditional gameplay elements are found in your attack options. There's the obvious inclusion of basic sword attacks, while a range of upgradable Materia and spells keep things interesting such as Blizzard (a large icicle that falls on your opponent) and Assault Twister (a whirlwind sword attack), or more self explanatory spells such as Fire and Thunder. Other Materia have a more defensive effect, such as Cure (which heals). None of these options are particularly original, although the option to fuse various Materia can add a bit more appeal to what is essentially a fairly stale line-up.

What is original, however, is the way you use these attacks and spells. The only character you'll ever be in control of in Crisis Core is Zack, which tears a hole in the central premise of the traditional turn based battles in JRPGs. Square Enix has filled this hole with real-time combat where gamers have complete control of Zack almost as if they were playing a hack 'n' slash game. While the d-pad or analogue nipple moves Zack around, the X button instigates attacks and spells (with shoulder buttons being used to switch between actions), while triangle and square perform blocks and rolls respectively.

This system works well for the most part, and the locking system feels intuitive despite its simplicity. As you progress through the game new enemies will be introduced to you while others will disappear from site. This ups the difficulty stakes while constantly serving up new foes that require different attack styles if you want to defeat them. The learning curve is certainly challenging enough, although a little bit more depth to the combat system in this area would have helped. Too many enemies can be disposed off purely with the use of bog-standard sword attacks and not enough have noticeable weaknesses to specific Materia, while the best form of defence is often to just run around in circles rather than using a split-second block or a well timed roll.

'Ave A Blast On The Fruitie

And then there's the DMW (Digital Mind Wave) system, which is the divisive issue in the gameplay. It's certainly an imaginative feature and there's no denying that it's a bold move by Square Enix, but it goes against most of the central principles in JRPG combat. Levelling up your character's various abilities and special attacks before using them at exactly the right moment is critical to the appeal of most JRPG combat systems, but the DMW eliminates any player choice in this area.

The DMW is always present on the HUD and bears a similarity to the reels on fruit machines. The faces of various characters in the game tick over during battle and as soon as two of the same characters are lined up on the reel, the camera zooms in to see where the third reel will line up. If it lines up on the same character as the other two reels then Zack will perform a special move that's specific to the character shown on the DMW. There are also three numbers that spin alongside the reels and lining up two of the same number will increase the strength of corresponding Materia, while three 7s will level up Zack himself.

Crisis Core is, after all, a role playing game and one of the staple features of an RPG is having control of the growth of its characters. As the DMW boils down to pure luck it can be frustrating and confusing, particularly as special attacks are often critical to finishing off some of the harder battles. Sometimes you'll grind through the same battle a number of times just because you weren't fortunate with the DMW, while other battles will have you lining up the reels like a fruit machine addict.

We found the DMW slightly frustrating at times, although we also except that it is a bit of a Marmite feature that you'll either love for its originality or hate for how unfair it can be. But where the system comes unstuck a bit (and where it can literally leave you needing hair replacement therapy) is with the save point system and excessive cut-scenes in Crisis Core. As with any FF game, the cut-scenes are plentiful as well as long, and you can't even skip them in Crisis Core (even if you've already seen them once). Couple this with save points that can be infrequent and you'll understand why it's annoying if you reach a rock hard section, the DMW continues to fail you, and there's a five minute cut scene between you and the last save point.

Crisis Core isn't particularly long by FF standards. The main campaign can be bested in 10-15 hours, while side missions (which are basically arena battles) can offer an extra few hours of gameplay for the hardcore fans. However, it's worth remembering that this is a PSP game and the structure of the game has been built to reflect that. A 15 hour JRPG would hardly be permissible on a home console, but perhaps it's a bit more understandable in a handheld game that gamers will dip into with short gaming sessions.

As for the graphics, Crisis Core won't let you down. Most of the visual appeal comes from cut-scenes (using both CGI and the game engine) that display the emotions of key characters brilliantly, while there's also the occasional epic FMV sequence displaying the sort of wide open vistas that tend to stick in your memory after an FF game. But more so than any other FF game, Crisis Core is a deeply personal journey without the vast feel of previous FF titles. Zack is always central to the game's progression and the graphical displays of his and other key character's expressions reflect the emotional tensions at the heart of this game's storyline brilliantly.

It's the voice acting that sets the sound apart in Crisis Core from other similar PSP games. Angeal is supposed to be a wise character at the start of the game and the voice acting reflects this without sounding cheesy. As the game progresses and Angeal seems to lose his way, he's supposed to sound like a part of him has died and, once again, the voice acting reflects this. Couple this with a well produced soundtrack that combines the usual heavy guitar riffs during combat and the calming notes of classical instruments in the down time, and you've got a winning combination.