Crisis Core Game Mechanics

[ShuyinFair]

We now have a copy of the Japanese Version of Crisis Core for the PSP. Because of this, I am now able to give detailed explanations of the the finer mechanics of the game. I will atempt to explain each section bit by bit, but if there are any things you want to know about, or if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Battle Controls

Unlike Final Fantasy 7, Crisis Core plays in a real time environment, without the use of an ATB system. Because of this, Zack is able to attack repeatedly without waiting for enemies to attack him first. However, this rule also applies to enemies, so you aren't really at any advantage here. In fact, the battle system resembles Kingdom Hearts more than Final Fantasy. The only difference is that Zack can only execute an attack when he is in battle mode- Sora can use any of his abilities at any time.

So what are the battle controls?

X- Nothing
O- Select a command
Triangle- Block
Square- Roll

Block- If Zack isn't using another command, he is able to use his sword to parry attacks. Damage is either reduced by half or to zero depending on the attack, Zack's vitality and the monster's Strength.

Roll- Like Sora, Zack has the ability to dodge roll. Be aware that if Zack is casting a spell and you roll before he finishes, the spell will be cancelled. Similiarly, if you are attacked during the seconds it takes Zack to cast a spell, you are unable to cast. This also applies to enemies.

Attack- This command is always available and doesn't consume ANYTHING to use. The first option on the menu, it can be used by simply pressinfg O. Repeatdly hammering the button sometimes results in combo chains, though you don't get anything for acheiving this.

Magic- Depending on your materia set up, Zack can have upto four magic spells. Once selected (you have to scroll through the attack bar to where your materia is equiped using R or L) Zack will hold his hand to his head and the familiar green light will grow around his feet. If Zack is hit by an enemies attack at this time, or if you BLOCK or ROLL, the spell will be cancelled and battle will resume. Magic itself looks like it did in Dirge of Cerebrus: Fire is a missile that flies at an enemy, Blizzard appears above the enemies head and falls onto them, and Thunder sends out two beams of light, striking upto two enemies at once. Fortunately, Materia is as sophisitcated as it was in 7, and not a complete let down as in DoC. There are hundreds of spells to cast, including all the old favourites and it levels up in the same way as 7. However, levelling materia doesn't automatically give you the next level spell. For example, a Fire materia is different than a Fira materia. Each materia has 4 levels and MASTER.

DMW- I have no idea how this is meant to work, it just seems to do what it likes. The three reels in the top left hand corner continue to spin as long as there is AP left. I think that whenever two of the same character are lined up, the reels appear large on the screen and if the final reel is a match, a limit break is executed. It seems than any levels you are to gain are also determined here though i'm not sure why. Zack, Materia or the limit break in question may level up at this point.

Command Materia- The same way as magic is used, Command materia adds an extra option to the command menu, though it takes up the space of a magic slot. Commands use up AP but are useful as they can change the situation of a battle completely. For example, Spin attack allows Zack to hit all enemies near him twice for half damage. Jump lets Zack leap into the air for a while, avoiding all damage, and then strike a foe with his sword. Unlike Magic, there is no wait time for the action to happen though if Zack has no AP, the command cannot be used.

That's all for now, I will add frequent updates to this so be sure to check back often.

[ShuyinFair]

Materia

As with Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core has a huge selection of materia for you to customize Zack with. To begin with, you can only equip four materia but once he becomes 1st Class in chapter 4, this increases to six. As it used too, materia is seperated into four classes: Magic, Command, Independant and Support. Magic materia is green and disciplines spells such as Fire, Blizzard and Thunder. Within this catagory there is also restorative materia (which is a lighter shade of green), which commands Cure, Protect and Regen. All magic spells, as always, consume MP.
Command Materia allows Zack to execute different abilities in battle, for a small amount of AP. Some examples are Spin Attack, Punch and Jump. A second type of command materia is a deeper shade of yellow and holds abilities such as Steal.
Indepenant Materia, works seperately of any other materia and is light blue in colour. One example of independant materia is Scan.
Finally, support materia grants Zack increases in status, such as HP or Strength. Whilst they are great on their own, they can be fused with other materias to give them the same boost in stats. This is a good way of ensuring Zack has these increased stats without consuming valuable materia slots.

Unlike Final Fantasy VII, Materia (particularly Magic Materia) doesn't level up through gaining AP. Nor does its levels automatically mean that the Spell level increases. In other words, Fire materia will level to Fire Lvl. 1-5 to Master, instead of Fire, Fira, Firaga. In order to get these increased spell levels, the player needs to fuse materia with another and obtain a whole new orb of materia. So what is the point of levelling materia in the first place? It is more likely you will receive a new materia the higher the original orbs level. For example, Fire- Master and Thunder- Level 2 will become Fira Level 1. Also, any stats bonus will be passed onto the new materia, thus further increasing Zack's strength.

[Rand]

Would haste and stuff like that fall under support independent or magic?

[ShuyinFair]

Neither. I believe that Haste falls under Time Materia as it did in FF7 and is therefore Magic.

[Rand]

Hm, ok cool.