Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (クライシス コア -ファイナルファンタジーVII-, Kuraishisu Koa -Fainaru Fantajī Sebun-) is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII and is a part of the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which includes other products related to the original game.

The game primarily focuses on Zack Fair, a young member of the paramilitary organization SOLDIER, who is assigned to look for the missing SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos. As he searches for Genesis, Zack discovers Genesis' origin, Project G, and how it is related to two other high ranking SOLDIERs; Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley. The game's storyline takes the player from the war between the megacorporation Shinra and the people of Wutai to the events in Nibelheim, ending just before the beginning of Final Fantasy VII.

The game was directed by Hajime Tabata, with Tetsuya Nomura serving as character designer. Before development, the Square Enix staff initially planned to make a PlayStation Portable port of the mobile phone game Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, but after discussion, they decided to create a new game. The plot is based on a scenario Kazushige Nojima had in mind when working on Final Fantasy VII. Crisis Core enjoyed strong sales, selling over three million units worldwide. Critical reception was generally positive.