Ranking Every Final Fantasy Spin-Off Game

Crisis Core is unquestionably the highlight of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The last property to drop when it hit PSPs in 2007 and 2008, it served as a prequel to the original game and succeeded in satisfactorily fleshing out the backstories of Zack, Cloud and Sephiroth. Nevertheless, there were plenty of unnecessary plot elements and like with all prequels, new characters like Angeal and Genesis had a limited impact because their absence in VII’s narrative gave away their fates.

With more than one hundred hours of gameplay when all of the optional content was considered, a well-crafted soundtrack that included new versions of classic VII tracks and original compositions like the beautifully melancholic ‘Burden To Bear’ and an action-based battle system that served as a precursor to the one seen (and widely heralded) in VII Remake, Crisis Core is a phenomenal game. Its exclusive release on the PSP, which had seen better days by 2008, didn’t help its exposure and if it had gone to the PS3 (or even the PS2), it’d certainly be held in higher regard more widely.

Neither Crisis Core (or Dirge of Cerberus) can apparently ever be re-made or re-released over licensing issues, given that the character of Genesis bears the likeness of Gackt, a Japanese singer. Here’s hoping that elements of it can instead be worked into future episodes of VII Remake in some capacity – the ending (no spoilers) certainly hinted at the possibility!