Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is an incredible action RPG, don’t get me wrong. With it being ported to the Switch 2 with minimal compromises to be near parity to modern console versions, it’s a must have for a Switch 2 owner wanting to immerse themselves in Square Enix’s deep FFVII universe. It’s just a shame that those with the older Switch version have no way of porting their progress to this version, even if the graphics are more beautiful than ever.
It’s very strange to me how Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion was shadow dropped on the Switch 2 the way it was earlier this month. It wasn’t that I wasn’t expecting Square Enix to eventually bring Crisis Core to the Switch 2 – I was. It wasn’t that I thought Crisis Core was not worth bringing to the Switch 2 – it is. It’s the game’s release timing, meaning when the game was released on the Switch 2 in light of the rest of the FFVII remakes being launched on Nintendo’s newest console. Regardless of my surprise, Crisis Core is now on the Switch 2 as a native game, free of its shackles from being a Switch 1 game…
…wait a minute.
It’s important to recognize the herd of elephants in the room that is Square Enix’s decision to omit an upgrade path from Switch 1 to Switch 2. They’re not alone in enacting these kinds of measures for Switch players – SEGA has been doing this, too. It’s a weird decision to lock out existing Switch players who initially paid full price for Crisis Core on the Switch (and haven’t yet finished it) to miss out on the Switch 2 version’s singular benefit of being fully optimized for the Switch 2. It’s important to call this out now because Crisis Core, like its mainline Final Fantasy VII counterparts, is a sizeable RPG that can demand around 50 hours or so to complete should you opt for a full completionist playthrough. If you’re playing slowly, but steadily, that number can push into the 70-hour mark.
I’m now struggling to figure out who this game is for, then. I find it hard to believe that there’s a sizeable population of Switch 2 owners who want to play and have not yet played it on another console. It was originally launched on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and XBOX back in December 2022. I would imagine that those who have been chomping at the bit to replay 2007’s Crisis Core set in the refreshed timeline that is the contemporary FFVII universe would have already purchased the game on any of those platforms, let alone play a good chunk of the game. Releasing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion in September 2026 on the Nintendo Switch 2 and bringing it to graphical parity of the current-gen consoles would be a great opportunity for OG Switch owners who haven’t yet been able to finish one of the best, if not the best, action-RPGs of modern gaming. There are tons of games to play, folks; don’t assume that the average player has succeeded in completing each and every game in their libraries.
But alas…Square Enix has opted to make Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion a separate purchase on the Switch 2. You can’t import your existing save from the earlier Switch version, either. You’re locked into starting over from scratch if you purchase the original version prior to today. And…it’s priced at $50.
If you haven’t yet played Crisis Core, though, you’re in for an absolute treat. From its gameplay alone, it’s a smooth yet satisfying RPG that’s worth far more than the hours needed to hit the end credits.
Much of the game’s events take place sometime after the events of Remake Intergrade and slightly before Rebirth. Rebirth was launched on the Switch 2 a few months ago and runs just as smoothly as Remake Intergrade. There’s much debate about when one should start playing Crisis Core Reunion. If you play Crisis Core before Rebirth, then you should expect Rebirth’s plot to be spoiled in some fashion. If you play Rebirth before Crisis Core, you’ll miss out on some important context for a specific character’s trajectory. Either way, spoilers are inevitable, but it’s probably best if you played Crisis Core before Rebirth just so you can feel a sense of continuity in the forms of converging storylines.
Zack Fair’s trajectory as lead protagonist in Crisis Core kicks off prior to the events of Remake Intergrade. It’s heartfelt, gripping, and far more human than a typical Final Fantasy title. What I loved most about this prequel of sorts is that it doesn’t burden the player with overwhelming worldbuilding and mechanic onboarding at the start. Instead, it assumes that the player has a grasp on the universe as it is, focusing more on the action and addicting combat than anything else. Coming out of reviewing Wolverine a few weeks ago, I enjoyed the hell out of battle after battle, slicing and dicing enemies with Zack’s weapons all the while a slot machine was consistently spinning in the corner of my screen. That slot machine would grant me temporary boosts (like a few seconds of unlimited action points), keeping me fully engaged in battle even if my pools of mana and action points were low.
Sure, there’s a level of grinding that’s expected of any RPG from the likes of Square Enix. But Crisis Core Reunion hits differently. I legitimately wanted to keep fighting and unlocking new abilities because enacting those abilities was just as satisfying as button mashing basic attacks. My bar for repetitious combat is admittedly quite high, so I didn’t find things repetitious as others might. That said, if an RPG successfully distracts from the norm of repetitiousness, that’s an RPG worth playing over others with far more grindy gameplay.
On the Switch 2, Crisis Core looks absolutely gorgeous. It runs very well with its “Handheld Boost” in Performance mode in that inputs are snappy along with a consistent 60fps. While the “Graphics” mode sets the framerate to 30fps, things still feel reactive thanks to the game’s simplicity. Square Enix has mastered the art of porting its beautiful modern games to the Switch 2. Comparing this version of Crisis Core with the Switch 1 version yields a noticeable improvement in graphical quality and performance across the board, sure, but I legitimately struggle to recommend this title to someone who already owns the Switch 1 version. For me to see the value in dropping another $50 on Crisis Core, there should have been something else added content-wise to separate it from the earlier version.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is an incredible action RPG, don’t get me wrong. With it being ported to the Switch 2 with minimal compromises to be near parity to modern console versions, it’s a must have for a Switch 2 owner wanting to immerse themselves in Square Enix’s deep FFVII universe. It’s just a shame that those with the older Switch version have no way of porting their progress to this version, even if the graphics are more beautiful than ever.
