The highly anticipated release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is now just around the corner, with a little over a week left to go until we’re able to embark on the next act of Cloud Strife’s fateful journey alongside his allies.
While many players have since grown familiar with the story of Final Fantasy 7 and have a pretty good idea of what to expect going forward, some are also experiencing the franchise’s most iconic game for the first time. Given its fame and significance, the lore of FF7 has expanded over the years, branching out into various spin-off games, anime, and a feature film.
The most recognized of those spin-off games was Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, which has since gotten the full remake treatment for every current console and henceforth dubbed ‘Crisis Core Reunion’. If you’re wondering whether playing it is recommended in preparation for Rebirth, here is our handy guide that answers the question — should you play Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion before Rebirth?
Is Playing Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion Recommended Before Rebirth?
Though it was initially a spin-off game (which surprisingly only came out on the PSP back in the day), the weight of Crisis Core’s story puts it on par with Final Fantasy 7 itself. That’s because Crisis Core fully interconnects with the main story of Final Fantasy 7 in just about every way, effectively widening the lens on certain events that occurred in the original game, and how certain characters come to know one another and make the decisions they do.
Without giving more groundbreaking spoilers away, Crisis Core (Reunion) dives deep into the story of Zack Fair, a young man from the small farm town of Gongaga who travels to Midgar to pursue his dream of becoming a heroic First Class SOLDIER at Shinra Company. As planned, he makes it into SOLDIER and works alongside familiar faces such as Sephiroth and the Turks, and also introduces players to characters never seen before such as Cissnei, Angeal Hewley, and Genesis Rhapsodos. There’s even a glimpse (or more) of a certain someone with spiky blonde hair, and the first true introduction to a younger Aerith.
Given that Crisis Core (Reunion) was first released about ten years after OG Final Fantasy 7, despite it technically being a prequel in terms of the timeline, it was primarily intended as a follow-up to provide more answers for those who played the original game. While Zack’s appearance in OG FF7 was limited, he’s clearly taking on a bigger, adjusted role in Rebirth. Cissnei is also making a surprise debut in a newly created role.
So in terms of whether you should play Crisis Core Reunion before Rebirth, it’s honestly a matter of how you truly want to experience the story. If you’re entirely new to the events of FF7 and have just experienced Remake and the subsequent demo, then Crisis Core may very well spoil certain things for you in Rebirth, including a very big plot twist with Cloud Strife.
If you want to remain entirely unaware of what to expect in Rebirth, then playing Crisis Core afterward may be the best choice. Vice versa, if you want a more informed approach to Rebirth, regardless of spoilers, then feel free to dive into Crisis Core’s backstory. You’ll learn plenty about Zack, Aerith, Sephiroth, and all the characters around them that subsequently influence their character arcs.
That concludes our guide that answers the question — should you play Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion before Rebirth? We hope you found this helpful, and let us know if you’ve already played Crisis Core and your thoughts about Rebirth going forward, or if you’re new to FF7 and are debating whether to play Crisis Core.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth when the game launches on February 29, as well as our pre-launch guides such as our list of the top ways to prepare for FF7 Rebirth.
