Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is set six years before the 1997 PSX game Final Fantasy VII , following the adventures of Zack Fair as he discovers the truth about the organisation he works for, Shin-Ra. At this time, Cloud Strife is still a Shinra Guard and Aerith Gainsborough also makes an appearance.
The gameplay in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is played as an action RPG, with events mainly set around the city of Nibelheim. The game features a unique turn-based battle system called DMV or Digital Mind Wave, where characters' portraits spin on reels in the top left corner. Players can award power-ups by lining up the same character in all reels, and attacks are both physical and spell-based, with materia also returning.