Expectations going in were low, but theFinal Fantasy 725th Anniversary live stream delivered more than anyone could have expected. Not only did it outline the remainder of 2022’sFF7output, but it also went into the future and revealed thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwould be thesecond game in theFF7 Remaketrilogy. This title will cover a chunk of the originalFF7after Midgar, and will also include new story elements to go along with the remake’s new events. In the meantime, fans looking forward to moreFF7story developments may find something interesting inFinal Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis’s new Sephiroth backstory.
One other announcement could have serious story implications forFF7, and that isCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion. This title came as a shock for everyone watching, almost as much asFF7 Rebirthgetting a release window. For quite some time, it was rumored that Square Enix could not do anything with the PSP-exclusiveCrisis Coredue to it featuring the likeness of the Japanese idol Gackt. This was proven false a few months ago when Gackt’s character, Genesis, was added as a costume toFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, although few expected anything to come of it. The significantReunionsubtitle combined with the amount of effort going into revamping the old game suggest thatCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7may be more relevant to the ongoing remake than anyone currently knows.
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The Reunion Subtitle is Suspiciously Attached to This Spin-Off
The first hint that something more is going on withCrisis Coreis the new subtitle attached to it:Reunion. The term “Reunion” is significant in the lore ofFinal Fantasy 7, as it refers to the monster that resulted in Sephiroth creation. Discovered by Shinra in the Northern Crater,Jenova is an alien beingthat traveled to Gaia in the distant past. Jenova clashed with the ancient Cetra race, eventually being subdued at a great cost. Shinra believed that it had found the last surviving member of the Cetra race that would lead humanity to the Promised Land, and took her in for experimentation. It’s unclear if Jenova’s mind is still active, but her cells have proven to be immortal and capable of acting on their own.
The Reunion Theory was coined by Professor Hojo to describe what Jenova’s cells would instinctively do when separated. By placing some of Sephiroth’s Jenova-infused DNA into test subjects, Hojo created an army of near-mindless husks whose only thoughts were to return to the core of Jenova and reunite with it. In the process, Cloud and Zack were also implanted with Jenova’s cells, which later allowed Sephiroth to lure Cloud to him and prove Hojo’s theory correct. Sinceits original appearance inFF7, the term has been thrown around in relation to Sephiroth, and was also used during the initial trailers forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. One would think that such a weighted word would headline theRemakeinstallment coming afterRebirthto fit with the “Re-” pattern of the other two subtitles.
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake is Bringing Back the Entire Compilation of FF7
It seems strange for the term to be used before that point onCrisis Coreof all games.For most ofCrisis Core, Sephiroth is firmly on Shinra’s, and more specifically Zack’s, side. Jenova’s Reunion is years off at the beginning of the game, even if her cells may have influenced the madness of the title’s various villains. With such a loaded word associated with major revelations in the originalFF7, it’s difficult not to believe thatCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis more important than it appears.
One of the apparent intentions withFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis to bring back many elements introduced intheCompilation of Final Fantasy 7. TheCompilationis an anthology of titles surroundingFinal Fantasy 7, building on its backstory and future.Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s final boss appears to directly reference the three Sephiroth clones fromFinal Fantasy 7: Advent Children, and a couple characters from a Turk-centric novel appear as minor NPCs in the game’s middle section.Final Fantasy 7 Intergradewent a step further by having some Deepground antagonists fromFinal Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberusactually show up as boss fights. The only important entry missing isCrisis Core, which, aside from a few offhand remarks and its 1-vs-1000 version of Zack’s death scene being used, has been conspicuously absent from theRemakeproject.
Crisis Core’s Ending May Have Been Changed to Follow the Remake
What all of this has led fans to theorize is thatCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill be tied intoFinal Fantasy 7 Remakein some way. Thanks to the overhauled visuals and re-recorded voice lines, there is plenty of room to introduce a new cutscene at the end of the game. The originalCrisis Corealready had a secret movie detailingwhat Genesis did after the game’s events, and how he is now hibernating in a Deepground facility. This could easily be changed to herald his return in the mainFF7 Remaketrilogy.
Of course, with Zack’s new lease on life inFF7 Remake, the originally tragic end ofCrisis Corecould be altered to reflect this. It will likely be adapted faithfully to a point, but either the very end of the scenario or a brand new post-credits scene will show Zack’s current status. This begs the question, then, of whether theReunioninCrisis Core’s subtitle is referring to the livingZack’s potential reunion with Cloudand his other friends, or if it is teasing Genesis’ return. Genesis does have his own line of Jenova cells, something which is acknowledged in7 Remake.
Either way, signs are pointing towards some sort of new content late inCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, and it may give fans a taste of what’s to come in theFF7 Remaketrilogy.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwill be released in Winter 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
