Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion may have been released after Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but several plot points during Zack Fair's journey set up the main game's story. While it's possible to play and understand FF7 Remake without playing Crisis Core Reunion first, the story makes more sense with context provided from Zack's time as a SOLDIER 1st Class. Since Crisis Core Reunion has been released on PC and consoles, it's easier than ever for players to witness how it sets up the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Crisis Core Reunion and Final Fantasy 7 Remake.]Even though Zack doesn't appear much in Final Fantasy 7 Remake outside a few mentions, his presence can be felt through other characters, primarily Cloud. Although not many canon events were changed to the extent seen in FF7 Remake, there is new dialogue in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion that wasn't in the original game, and that doesn't stop it from tying into the remake universe. Instead, the limited story changes to Crisis Core Reunion might be important for understanding the ending of FF7 Remake and the INTERmission DLC.
Crisis Core Reunion Is Critical To Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Story
Zack Fair's importance might have been underrated since Crisis Core was only released on the PlayStation Portable, so players may not have had the chance to learn about him aside from mentions in the original Final Fantasy 7 and his appearances in the movie, Advent Children. Multiple characters from the main game appear in Crisis Core Reunion, and the parts of their pasts that are shown provide reasons for how they act in FF7 Remake. This is particularly true for characters like Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Sephiroth, whose roles in FF7 Remake are affected by their experiences in Crisis Core Reunion.
Zack Is Mentored By Angeal In Crisis Core Reunion
Not every player is happy with Crisis Core Reunion's voice acting, even if Zack and Angeal received new voice actors, but the mentorship Zack receives from Angeal is important because his values are then somewhat ed down to Cloud. Zack has a strong sense of honor and does what he believes is right, and for him, the Buster Sword that he receives from Angeal symbolizes those beliefs. Since Zack tells Cloud to be his living legacy, Angeal also lives on through Cloud, and his Buster Sword continues to be used for the good of others.
Sephiroth Learns The Truth Of His Creation During Crisis Core Reunion
A fateful mission to Nibelheim results in Sephiroth discovering that his mother, Jenova, is not human and that he was born as the result of a Shinra experiment. While game mechanics might make Sephiroth the weakest Final Fantasy final boss, he does significant damage to Nibelheim, killing and injuring many locals. This might be the most important plot point set up in Crisis Core Reunion since it shows how Sephiroth went from being a Shinra elite to a villain set on destroying the planet.
Crisis Core Reunion Shows Why Tifa s AVALANCHE
Tifa's hatred towards Shinra and her decision to AVALANCHE stems from the Nibelheim incident, where Sephiroth became a villain. Tifa is hired by the Turks to be a tour guide for Zack and Sephiroth when they go to Nibelheim to inspect a faulty Mako Reactor since she's a local and knows the area, working as a tour guide for Mt. Nibel regularly. Tifa in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is strong in her own right, and even when she's younger, she manages to save Cloud - who is a Shinra Infantryman sent to Nibelheim - during the incident.
Although she saves Cloud, Tifa loses her father in the incident and gets injured herself. Considering that her hometown is also destroyed during the Nibelheim incident, it might not come as a surprise that Tifa develops a hatred towards Shinra and SOLDIER as a result, even refusing Zack's help when she's injured. These events lead to her being a connection between Cloud and AVALANCHE in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which helps set the events of the game's story into motion.
Zack & Aerith Form A Relationship In Crisis Core Reunion
Aside from being important to the ending of the INTERmission DLC, the relationship between Zack and Aerith could contribute to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's different story order. Zack finds strength in his memories of Aerith when he's trying to escape Shinra with Cloud, and Aerith is shown to still think fondly of him after their years apart, which is evidenced by some of her dialogue with Cloud in FF7 Remake. At the end of INTERmission, Zack is shown alive and at the Sector 5 church where Aerith spent a lot of time before leaving Midgar.
Zack's Death Sets Cloud On His Journey In Final Fantasy 7 Remake
The final plot point of Crisis Core Reunion sets up a large portion of Cloud's personality and actions in FF7 Remake. After being experimented on by Shinra, Zack escapes with Cloud, who is nearly comatose. They're pursued by Shinra, but Zack fights the army sent on his own to save Cloud and hopes that he'll survive and see Aerith. While he doesn't survive in Crisis Core Reunion, Zack could return with a new Fate resulting from fighting the Whispers in FF7 Remake.
However, this would mean that FF7 Rebirth could have two Clouds, one of whom having been deeply affected by the trauma of Shinra experimentation followed by Zack's death. This Cloud is the one who takes the role of protagonist in FF7 Remake, and being unable to cope with what he went through leaves him with confused memories, mistaking himself with Zack. But he's only able to become the protagonist because Zack breaks out of Shinra's lab with him, and then fights to his death in order to save Cloud, which makes this the most important plot point because FF7 Remake wouldn't be possible otherwise.
As a prequel, Crisis Core Reunion gives players insight into the events that led up to the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake with several plot points directly tying into, or setting up, the main game. It's possible that Zack returns in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but keeping his death in Crisis Core Reunion and limiting the changes made in the game was the right choice for Square Enix due to how Zack's death is a big factor in starting Cloud's story in FF7 Remake. Aside from being an emotional journey in its own right, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion works to set up Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
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