Is Crisis Core: Reunion connected to FF7 Rebirth?

❘ Updated: 2024-02-20T16:00:00

Square Enix

Is the Final Fantasy 7 prequel Crisis Core: Reunion connected to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the other FF7 remake chapters? Here’s what you need to know. Be warned, spoilers for all of Final Fantasy 7 lurk below.

The original Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 told the origin story of Zack Fair a soldier serving alongside Cloud who gave his life to defend the FF7 protagonist. Cloud would later repress this memory and adopt Zack’s identity until he learned the truth about his past. The game essentially charted the events that led up to this moment and while Zack was the main playable character of Crisis Core, it was actually an origin story for the Cloud we know.

The Final Fantasy 7 Remake made some major changes to the lore, existing in a parallel universe to the original FF7, this game revealed that Zack survived his ordeal defending Cloud, and is still alive in the FF7 Remake. This changes everything about the story of the Remake/Rebirth universe, including what happens next, and what it means for Cloud as a character.

However, with Crisis Core being remastered as Crisis Core: Reunion in 2022, does this new version of the prequel still exist in the original universe? Or does Reunion follow the new timeline established by the FF7 Remake series?

crisis core remaster improvements explained

Is Crisis Core: Reunion part of the FF7 Remake universe?

Is Crisis Core: Reunion canon with FF7 Rebirth?

The answer to this is a complicated yes and no. Essentially, Crisis Core: Reunion is just a remaster of the original Crisis Core, therefore, like that game, is still set in the original Final Fantasy 7 timeline rather than that of the Remake continuity. The story of Reunion faithfully retells the events of Crisis Core, including the death of Zack Fair.

However, despite the Remake story featuring some important differences, especially regarding the fate of Zack, Reunion is also considered part of the larger Final Fantasy VII Remake universe. In truth, Square Enix has not confirmed how this is possible, as the ending of Remake directly contradicts the ending of Crisis Core: Reunion, but this is indeed the case.

Perhaps Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will shed some light on this issue, as Zack Fair will feature as a much more prominent character in the narrative. So for now, treat all the events in Crisis Core: Reunion as canon in the FF7 Remake series, then consider the updated scene involving Zack’s survival in Remake as the true ending of Reunion.

Hopefully, this will all make sense by the time we’ve seen the ending credits of Rebirth.