CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION Preview: Turks, Materia and more!

Take another look at the upcoming prequel to FINAL FANTASY VII. Discover some familiar characters, new mechanics and more!
Por Duncan Heaney

The release of CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION draws ever closer.

This new and enhanced version of the classic prequel to the original FINAL FANTASY VII tells the story of Zack Fair - a young SOLDIER operative working for the Shinra Company. The enthusiastic young hero is sent on a mission to investigate the mass disappearance of Shinra personnel, setting off a chain of events that will change his life.

The game launches December 13, 2022, for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and Steam. That’s just a few weeks away, but for excited fans desperate to return to Midgar once more, the wait must feel agonizing.

We have just the thing to distract you then - a fresh preview of the game! Read on and we’ll look at some characters, Materia, mechanics and more!

Characters

Unlike a certain spiky-haired blond, Zack is a real people person. During his adventures, he crosses paths with many fascinating characters.

We have three more to introduce today - and if you’re a fan of FINAL FANTASY VII and FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, you may just recognize them…

Reno

Reno from CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION
  • Voiced by: Arnie Pantoja

Reno is a young, brash Turks agent who wields a rod. His flashy appearance and irreverent demeanor make him seem somewhat petulant and frivolous, but he always gets the job done in the end.

Rude

Rude from CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION
  • Voiced by: William C. Stephens

Rude is another member of the Turks and joined at the same time as Reno.

Taciturn and unreadable behind his sunglasses, Rude is difficult to approach, but he’s actually a surprisingly compassionate man.

Hojo

Hojo from CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION
  • Voiced by: James Sie

Hojo is the current head of Shinra's Science Department. He was also the lead scientist of the Jenova Project and closely involved in the research that led to the creation of SOLDIER.

He continues to engage in unethical human experimentation.


Missions

Next, we’ll look at some of the gameplay systems in CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION, starting with Missions.

Missions are special SOLDIER assignments given to Zack by the Shinra Company and the citizens of Midgar, outside of the main story. New missions are unlocked when you fulfil specific conditions as the story progresses.

Completing missions will earn you rewards of Materia and items - with more valuable rewards offered depending on the mission’s difficulty.

Some missions feature boss enemies as targets. Defeat the target to complete the mission.


Ability Gauge

Some powerful foes have access to special abilities. When using these, the enemy enters a “casting” state and an ability gauge appears.

By attacking the enemy during the casting period, it’s possible to lower the gauge and reduce the damage taken.

Reducing the gauge to zero will prevent the enemy from using its ability at all!


Materia: Magic

By equipping Materia, Zack gains access to magic and abilities.

Magic consumes MP when used. In addition to ranged attack magic, there is also HP recovery magic and status-enhancing support magic. Here’s a look at a couple of spells that Zack can cast.

Electrocute

This spectacular area of effect magic drops a thunderbolt on the target and the surrounding area.

Wall

Wall is support magic that reduces the damage that Zack takes.


Materia: Abilities

Abilities are used by consuming AP. They can be unleashed at the end of a regular combo and increase in potency depending on the number of hits landed.

Vital Slash

This is a sword technique where Zack raises his blade high before delivering a mighty strike. It takes some time for this ability to activate, but it will always cause a critical hit when it lands.

Thunder Blade

Thunder Blade lets Zack imbue his sword with the power of thunder, then deliver a slicing attack. The ability has a wide area of effect, attacking many foes at once.


Materia Fusion

In CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION, it’s possible to fuse two different types of Materia to create a new one!

When enemies are defeated, they provide SP that can be consumed to perform fusion. The Materia used in fusion are lost, but the process does allow you to create powerful Materia at an early stage and / or obtain rare Materia that are not usually available.

For example, you can fuse “Fire” and “Poison” Materia to create “Dark Fire” Materia.

Dark Fire Materia combines a fire element attack with the poison and silence effects.


Limit Breaks

In battle, the DMW (Digital Mind Wave) system triggers randomized effects such as enhanced status and the ability to use powerful Limit Breaks.

When the DMW lines up images of the same character, Zack can use a Limit Break ability based on the character featured.

Here are a couple of examples:

Cissnei: Lucky Stars

Genesis: Apocalypse

Summons

When the DMW enters Summon Mode, all the images change to summons and it becomes possible to unleash the featured entities’ Limit Breaks.

The designs of the summon monsters have been altered to match those in FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE.

The summon “Bahamut Fury” is unique to CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION and was designed by FINAL FANTASY VII character designer Roberto Ferrari!

If it comes up on the DMW, Bahamut Fury can unleash Exaflare!


Chocobo Mode

Some missions will reward you with additional images for the DMW.

If you have acquired specific images, such as Chocobo or Cactuar, the DMW can switch to Chocobo Mode.

If the images align in this mode, you can use Limit Breaks! Here’s a look at some of the attacks you can get from Chocobo Mode:

Chocobo: Chocobo Stomp

Cactuar: 1.000 Needles

It’s a dud!

If the images in the DMW don’t align, you’ll get a “dud” result that inflicts damage and stuns Zack.


We hope you enjoyed this latest look at CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION. There’s not long to go until you can experience it yourselves - the game releases December 13 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam!

To stay up to date with news and information about the game, please follow FINAL FANTASY VII on social media:

Compartir