Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII is a more intimate experience then the other games in the series. Not only do we know the characters better, but the story is at a smaller more personal scale. There is no threat to the world at large, there is no giant meteor on its way, there is no invading humanity destroying army. There is just the story of honor, friendship and loss. I really like how they approached the world with care and restraint. The story is enough to remember why you love the series and why you care about seeing more adventures in this gritty world. It is a refreshing change from the large-scale encounters we usually see and a nice reminder that stories do not need to be epic, they just have to be well told.

In order to have an engaging game around these events and stories, Square Enix took inspiration from a number of sources, notably their Kingdom Hearts franchise. Crisis Core is an action oriented RPG that is a real time game in every aspect: you walk on the maps, and as you encounter random creatures, they appear on the plain with you without any transition to a separate battle screen. At your disposal are a large number of abilities that are pulled from the Materia you are equipped with. If you equip Thunder, Fire, Cure or other Materia types, they are added to your list of available commands. The L and R shoulder buttons cycle through the pre-installed actions and your attack button activates the spell or action. The circle button defaults you back to a standard strike attack option so in a pinch so you can easily get your job done. It is a great way to implement a deep combat system in a simple and effective package.

This is how you perform your regular actions, but choosing and equipping the Materia and accessories can be a very in-depth process as well. Not only are there dozens of normal Materia you can find through battles or exploration, but you can fuse Materia together to make more powerful versions. Equipped Materia gains levels up to a cap and the same Materia may have different beneficial side effects. Add to this the fact that you can also fuse accessories and materials with the Materia to make unique ones that further add to the depth of this game's ability system. I found myself on more then one occasion getting lost in the fusion process for over an hour just playing around and seeing what combinations I could make to better my character.