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Sum-Up

In-depth analysis further down.


🟩 Pros
🟥 Cons



- Enjoyable, varied combat system that not only opens up to, but often requires, several build presets in order to face different types of encounters.
- Great amount of unique skills, spells and items to craft, get as rewards or obtain through special means. Vastly improved materia / skill system compared to the original.
- The story mostly remains faithful to the original; it delivers the same emotional tale of sacrifice and honor both new and old fans will love.
- Several characters that weren’t voiced in the original now actually are. The soundtrack was improved / remixed in a good way as well.


- Enormous amount (300) of boring secondary missions, mostly filled with recycled enemies. Even if the rewards are sometimes good, the long-term ‘grind’ is mind-numbing.
- Terrible voice acting compared to the original; in particular, Zack and Genesis sound atrocious. Side note: a mod exists to restore the original VA, google it.
- Large amount of recycled locations, props, models and assets from FFVII Rebirth. For this price point, they could’ve made a better effort with the remake.
- Permanently-missable missions, events or rewards that often have no indication of their existence whatsoever, and are often tied to achievements.





🟨 Bugs & Issues
🔧 Specs



- Maximum allowed FPS cap is 120. Users with higher refresh rates may be disappointed.


- 3900X
- 2080Ti
- 32GB RAM
- SSD
- 1440p





Content & Replay Value:
It took me around 58 hours to finish FFVII Crisis Core (FFCC) on Hard difficulty, taking extra time to explore all areas and finish all the secondary content I was able to find. Despite the presence of a NG+ mode, I don’t see a reason to replay once finished.


Is it worth buying?
Yes, especially if you haven’t played the original FFCC (which isn’t available on PC). The price is adequate for this amount of content and production level.


Verdict: Good
Rating Chart Here
A worthy yet somewhat flawed remake; it conveys the emotions and excitement of the original while innovating at the same time, but not without bringing new issues along.


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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2911339033

In-Depth

Setting & Writing
FFCC is a prequel to the classic Final Fantasy VII, as it takes place several years before and puts you in the shoes of Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class, working for Shinra - yeah, you’ll be with the ‘bad guys’ for a change. Alongside his mentor Angeal and iconic characters like Sephiroth, he’ll undertake high-risk assignments during and after the Wutai War… and eventually see his perspective on things changed by a fair bit.
The futuristic city of Midgar and its environs never looked better, thanks to modern visuals that bring the game graphically up-to-par with the by-then formidable CGI cutscenes old times fans watched in awe. Despite some reused assets and an excessive recycling of models in some cases, the overall rendition hits the mark.
Story-wise, FFCC remains the same as far as the main plot is concerned, however some side-lore and cutscenes which don’t exist in the original have been added… a welcome extra. It’s a moving tale of sacrifice and loss in pursuit of one’s dreams, that will still elicit emotion in most players despite the subpar voice acting of several main characters.
Exploration & Secrets
During main and side missions, Zack will find himself going through linear levels with sparse side-areas that contain additional items or, rarely, more interesting secrets or quests. The stage layouts aren’t complex, a global map is almost always available and indicates most quest-givers and other important landmarks.
Between missions there’ll be numerous times where you’ll be free to roam some of the Midgar districts and the Shinra Building, both housing minigames, events and both combat and non-combat missions. If you want to get all unique items, you better talk with everyone every time the story advances, or risk missing something, since a lot of things are unmarked and missable as well. Generally exploration is compelling enough with the constant influx of new Materia, accessories and so forth.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2909193894
Combat System
Fights play out in real-time, and of course in a much-smoother way compared to the original. You’ll be able to block and dodge your way out of danger, perform basic melee attacks and use a plethora of magical and physical abilities (respectively powered by MP and AP) to defeat your enemies. Especially in optional missions, you’ll find yourself making new item presets very often to counter the increasingly powerful enemies before you which, in many cases, will have immunities, resistances or deal devastating debuffs only counterable through well-planned item combinations.
During each fight luck will be a powerful ally: the DMW Wheel is always spinning, and it will grant Zack random buffs, summons and special attacks (Limit Breaks) as the fight goes on. On one side this system gives even more variety, but on the other it’s entirely tied to RNG so depending on it too much isn’t wise - planning and solid builds will always be more important.
Character Progression & Equipment
While you’ll level up after fights (but only if you roll a 777 on the DMW), most of Zack’s power will derive from accessories and Materia. Each equipped Materia comes with a passive buff such as more HP, MP, better attack, defense… and these effects become stronger as that specific Materia levels up by bringing it in combat. Another way is Fusion, that combines different Materias and items to create new ones or stronger versions with customized passive buffs to better suit the builds you have in mind. To do the latter you’ll need SP, another XP type gained from fights, loot and by melting materia.
The bulk of really good items, summons and accessories will come from secondary missions, while the main quest has miserable rewards and loot in comparison. Be prepared to grind through dozens of bland secondary quests to finally unlock the high-level ones that have strong items and Materias as rewards or random loot.
The combination made with Materia opens up a lot of possibilities, and some can eventually become massively overpowered, making most fights and bosses trivial… except Minerva which, for those who know her, is even harder than in the original this time around.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2902899014
Secondary Quests & Minigames
Secondary missions are always about either monster elimination on the field, or fetch tasks that task Zack with talking with X, delivering something from point A to B and such. Some are worth your time, most are not in terms of rewards, but they may be related to additional lore or dialogues, like Aerith’s flower cart decorations to make an example.
Minigames are each unique and range from sniping missions to squat contests, various skill tests and more. Some of them can be failed or anyway cleared ‘imperfectly’ and you’ll need a reload to get the related achievements, which is kind of annoying... if you care, that is.