Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Isn’t Ditching Its Slot Machine Combat

The remake of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII that was announced last month won’t just see the game’s visuals upgraded, but also its gameplay. One aspect of the Final Fantasy VII prequel that will remain intact though is its unique Digital Mind Wave combat system, which was one of the more well-regarded parts of the PSP game when it first released.

Functioning as a slot machine-like gameplay mechanic, the DMW would automatically spin once Zack Fair had earned enough Soldier Points by defeating enemies. If luck was on your side, you’d line up the same three images and unleash the appropriate Limit Break attack on enemies. Other bonuses included Zack being healed, his Materia being powered up, and his stats increasing tremendously if the reels all showed a lucky seven image.

The Final Fantasy VII account had tweeted this week that Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will feature a new menu-based battle system, leading some fans to believe that the DMW system had been done away with. In a follow-up tweet, the Final Fantasy VII account clarified that DMW is still in the game, and appears to be unchanged.

Other changes coming to the game include improved camera and character movements, an optimized UI, new background music arrangements by Takeharu Ishimoto, and full voice-acting throughout the prequel. In case you missed it, the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration livestream also revealed a closed beta test for mobile RPG FFVII Ever Crisis, the first trailer for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and confirmation that the Final Fantasy VII remake project will be a trilogy.

While you’ll have to wait until next year’s winter season to play Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will launch this winter on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC.