Tokyo Game Show 2022 Complete Coverage

Tokyo Game Show 2022 - Crisis Core Reunion is an Awesome Update to a Classic Game

At Tokyo Game Show 2022, I was able to spend 20 minutes with Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion and it was a welcome return to a late-2000s classic. The TGS demo takes place early in the game, midway through the Fort Tamblin mission. You fight some guards, meet a suspiciously familiar young ninja girl, fight Vajradhara Tai & Vajradhara Wu, take on some mysterious soldiers, and finally battle against Ifrit.

Visually it looks great—even on the Switch. In cutscenes, there are more than a few times you could be tricked into thinking you were seeing something from Final Fantasy VII Remake rather than a remastered version of a nearly 20-year-old PSP game. That said, there are still some artifacts that even the most lovingly crafted reskin can't hide. When speaking, the characters' lip flaps often don't match the dialogue and when they turn, they rotate like a tank rather than move like an actual person.

The additions to Crisis Core aren't just visual, however. The demo was fully voiced—from the lines of lowly random soldiers to Yuffie's adorable attack on Zack (and his equally cute reaction). There are also some noticeable gameplay additions as well. As both the Switch and PS5 controllers have far more buttons than the PSP did, the game is easier to control than it was back in the day—and the addition of a second thumbstick to control the camera is an absolute game changer.

But beyond that, it's the same Crisis Core that released back in 2007—from the slot machine summon system to the general flow and pace of battle. So, if you disliked the original, I don't think that this new coat of paint—no matter how beautiful it may be—will be able to win you over. However, if you are a fan of the original or have never played Crisis Core before, this demo has me convinced that Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is the definitive way to experience the story.

Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion will be released on December 13, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.