A long-missing Final Fantasy 7 spin-off is finally making a return in a remastered form, Square Enix has revealed.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion was revealed in a special live stream that was broadcast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Final Fantasy 7 - at long last giving newer fans a modern way to buy and play this lore-packed FF7 spin-off.

Crisis Core originally released as a PSP exclusive all the way back in 2008. Despite its popularity, and despite some other PSP Square Enix titles such as Final Fantasy Type-0 and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep making the jump to other platforms, Crisis Core never did so - remaining as a PSP exclusive long after the console was out of production. Additionally, Crisis Core was never available digitally - so it wasn’t even playable on the Vita. In recent years, the only reliable way to play the game has been to either get your hands on a PSP or to emulate it.

That’s no longer the case, however – Crisis Core is coming back, with a remastered version of the game set for release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch consoles, with a release set for Winter 2022. A specific date has not yet been detailed.

"The 2007 cult classic action RPG and prequel to FINAL FANTASY VII. CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- REUNION is a true remaster that follows the original story of SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair on his mission to find missing SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos, unraveling the stories of Cloud, Sephiroth, Aeith, Tifa and more," reads a blurb for the game provided by Square Enix.

Playing Crisis Core is likely to be extremely helpful in understanding the ongoing lore of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake as it moves into its second release - as Crisis Core protagonist Zack Fair has a role to play in that game.

Crisis Core is a prequel to the regular Final Fantasy 7, telling the story of Zack, the young soldier who becomes a friend and inspiration to Cloud. The game showcases all-new events in the FF7 universe, but also weaves in and out of key moments that are featured in FF7 in flashback - adding more context to them.

Alex started out his career in the games media as an over-eager kid working on fan sites, and now has decades of experience. He's the resident expert on esoteric matters such as Pokemon Go, gaming hardware, and genres like RPGs, fighters, and strategy games. Outside of VG247 he's the co-founder of genre-dedicated website RPG Site. He also collects original arcade machines, Lego, and considers himself a whiskey buff.

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