It’s been nearly two decades since we first saw Zack Fair do squats in a grainy, low-resolution cutscene on the PSP. Honestly, it’s wild how much staying power this specific prequel has. When Square Enix decided to drop Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion back in late 2022, they weren't just polishing up an old handheld title for modern consoles like the PS5 or the Switch. They were fundamentally re-anchoring the entire Final Fantasy VII "Remake" project to a character many newcomers barely even recognized. Zack is the guy. He’s the original owner of that iconic Buster Sword, and if you don't get his story, the rest of the FF7 universe feels sorta hollow.
The thing is, Zack isn't Cloud. He’s not moody. He doesn’t have that "I don't care" attitude that defined 90s gaming protagonists. Zack Fair is loud, hyper-optimistic, and arguably too loyal for his own good. His journey from a low-level SOLDIER 2nd Class to the tragic hero of Nibelheim is what gives the original 1997 game its emotional weight. Without Crisis Core, Zack is just a flashback. With it, he’s the heartbeat of the franchise.
Why Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Hits Different Now
If you played the original on a PSP back in 2007, you remember the "Digital Mind Wave" or DMW. It was this weird, slot-machine-style mechanic that sat in the corner of the screen, constantly spinning portraits of Zack’s friends and lovers. Some people hated it. They thought it was too RNG-heavy. But if you look at it through the lens of narrative design, it’s actually brilliant. The DMW represents Zack’s memories. When it "modulates" and triggers a Limit Break, it’s because he’s thinking of Aerith or his mentor, Angeal.
In the Reunion remaster, they kept this. They could have easily scrapped it for a more traditional combat system, but they didn't. They just made it smoother. You aren't interrupted by full-screen FMVs every five seconds anymore. It’s faster. Snappier. It feels like a modern action RPG, but it retains that quirky, slightly chaotic energy that made the original a cult classic.
The narrative stakes have also shifted because of the Remake trilogy. We used to know exactly how Zack’s story ended. We knew about the cliffside outside Midgar. We knew about the rain. But now? After the ending of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, everything we thought we knew about the timeline is basically up for debate. Playing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII now feels less like a history lesson and more like a collection of clues. You’re looking for the moments where the "whispers" of fate might have started to fray.
The Tragedy of Angeal and Genesis
Most people focus on Sephiroth. I get it. He’s the guy with the long hair and the even longer sword. But the real meat of the early game in Crisis Core is the relationship between Zack, Angeal Hewley, and Genesis Rhapsodos. This is where the lore gets dense. We learn about Project G and Project S. We find out that the "perfection" of Sephiroth was actually a fluke of science, while Angeal and Genesis were the prototypes who suffered from "degradation."
Angeal is the moral compass. He’s the one who gave Zack the Buster Sword. He’s the one who taught him that "dreams and honor" are more important than rank. When Angeal eventually loses his way and turns into a monster—literally—it’s devastating. It forces Zack to grow up. It turns him from a kid who just wants to be a hero into a man who understands that being a hero usually means losing everything you love.
Genesis is... more divisive. He spends most of his screen time reciting lines from a fictional play called LOVELESS. It’s a bit much. Some fans find him pretentious. But Genesis represents the existential dread of being a SOLDIER. He’s literally falling apart, his skin turning gray, his wings sprouting from the wrong side. He’s a walking metaphor for Shinra’s corporate cruelty. They make these "monsters" and then discard them when they stop being useful.
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Understanding the Combat: It’s Not Just Button Mashing
Combat in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a weird hybrid. You’ve got your physical attacks, but the real power comes from Materia fusion. This is where the hardcore players separate themselves from the casuals. You can’t just equip what you find and expect to beat Minerva, the game's secret superboss.
Materia fusion is a rabbit hole. You take a Fire materia, mix it with something else, add some items like "Fat Chocobo Feathers," and suddenly you have a spell that hits for 99,999 damage. It requires a lot of experimentation. Or, honestly, just looking up a guide because the logic behind some of these fusions is borderline lunar.
- Costly Punch: This is the holy grail. It ignores defense and hits for max damage, but it drains Zack’s HP.
- Darkness: Great for crowd control, though it eats your health too.
- High Jump: Essential for dodging those massive AOE attacks from late-game bosses.
The flow of battle is constant movement. You’re dodging, guarding, and waiting for that DMW to give you a "Heavenly" status so you can spam your best moves. It’s a rhythmic dance. It’s also surprisingly short—most missions only take three to five minutes. This is a remnant of its PSP roots. It was designed to be played on a bus or during a lunch break. On a PS5, this means you can get into a "just one more mission" loop that lasts three hours.
The Aerith Connection
We have to talk about the church in the slums. The scenes between Zack and Aerith are some of the most genuine moments in the entire Final Fantasy series. There’s no baggage yet. They’re just two kids falling in love. Zack builds her flower wagons. Aerith worries about him. It’s sweet, which makes the ending of the original Final Fantasy VII hurt so much more.
When you play through their relationship in Crisis Core, you realize that Aerith’s personality in the main game is heavily influenced by Zack. Her pink dress? Zack chose that style. The way she sells flowers? Zack’s idea. He didn't just love her; he helped shape the person she became. It adds a layer of bittersweet irony to her meeting Cloud, who is literally wearing Zack’s "SOLDIER" persona like a second-hand suit.
The Nibelheim Incident: A Different Perspective
We’ve seen the Nibelheim flashback a dozen times. Cloud tells his version. Sephiroth tells his. But Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII gives us the raw, unedited footage. Zack was there. He fought Sephiroth in the reactor. He wasn't just a bystander; he was a participant who nearly stopped the catastrophe.
Seeing Sephiroth’s descent into madness through Zack’s eyes is chilling. They were friends. They worked together. Zack looked up to Sephiroth as the ultimate SOLDIER. Seeing that idol crumble into a genocidal maniac is a trauma that Zack carries right up until his final breath. It also clarifies why Cloud’s memory is so messed up. Cloud was a regular infantryman, a "grunt." He was watching from the sidelines, and his brain eventually stitched his own experiences together with Zack’s heroics to create a mental shield against the pain.
The technical upgrades in the Reunion version make this sequence particularly brutal. The fire in Nibelheim looks real. The desperation in Zack’s voice—voiced by Caleb Pierce in the new version—is palpable. While some fans missed Rick Gomez, the original voice actor, Pierce brings a younger, more "puppy-like" energy that fits Zack’s early years perfectly.
Dealing with the Grind
Let's be real: the 300 missions can be a slog. If you’re a completionist, you’re going to spend a lot of time in generic rocky valleys or gray Shinra hallways. The game doesn't have the environmental variety of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It’s repetitive. You run forward, monsters spawn, you kill them, you get a chest, mission clear.
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To stay sane, you have to engage with the systems. If you just try to power through with basic attacks, you’ll burn out by mission 50. The fun is in the "breaking" of the game. Finding ways to get your HP up to 99,999 or your MP to 999. When you become an unstoppable god-slayer, the repetitiveness becomes a power fantasy.
The Legacy of the Buster Sword
The Buster Sword isn't just a hunk of metal. It’s a baton passed through generations. Angeal’s father went into debt to forge it. Angeal refused to use it because he didn't want to chip it. Zack used it to protect his honor. And finally, Cloud used it to save the world.
In Crisis Core, you see the wear and tear. You see the emotional weight. When Zack finally hands it over to Cloud, it’s not just a weapon transfer. It’s a transfer of hope. "You're my living legacy," Zack says. That line has become the cornerstone of the entire FF7 mythos. It’s about how we live on through the people we impact, even if our own stories end prematurely.
Actionable Steps for New and Returning Players
If you're jumping into Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the first time, or even if you're a veteran coming back for the Reunion upgrades, here is how you should approach it:
- Don't Ignore the Missions: You don't need to do all 300 right away, but doing the "Yuffie" missions early on unlocks great rewards and some hilarious dialogue.
- Master Fusion Early: As soon as you unlock Materia Fusion, start experimenting. Look for "Mog’s Amulet" as soon as possible to ensure you get rare drops from enemies.
- Equip the Steal Materia: Many bosses and even standard enemies carry essential items for high-level fusions. If you aren't stealing, you're making the game twice as hard for yourself.
- Watch the DMW: Pay attention to which characters are popping up. If you need a specific Limit Break to level up a Materia, certain accessories can "tilt" the slot machine in your favor.
- Prepare for the Ending: Even if you know what's coming, the final sequence is a mechanical masterpiece. The way the DMW breaks down as Zack loses consciousness is one of the most effective uses of gameplay-as-storytelling in history. Have tissues ready.
The game isn't perfect. The dialogue can be "cringe" by modern standards, and the mission structure is undeniably dated. But there is a soul in this game that you don't find in many big-budget titles today. It’s earnest. It’s tragic. It’s a story about a guy who stayed a "good person" in a world that tried its hardest to turn him into a monster. Whether you're playing for the lore or the combat, Zack Fair's journey is a mandatory chapter for anyone who calls themselves a Final Fantasy fan.
Now that the Rebirth storyline has opened up new possibilities, the events of Crisis Core are more relevant than ever. Is Zack actually dead? Is he in a different reality? The answers are still coming, but the foundation is right here. Go play it. Do some squats. Become a hero.