Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion has changed the design of Zack's Buster Sword to match the one seen in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
One of the bigger surprises of the Final Fantasy 7 25th anniversary stream last night was the reveal of Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, a remake of the PSP classic that told the story of Zack Fair, a character crucial to the story of Final Fantasy 7.
The trailer for Crisis Core Reunion showed that, although the gameplay has clearly been updated a bit and the graphics have seen a massive overhaul, the cutscenes themselves appear to use the same animations and scenarios as the original, just with increased resolution. This can be seen in the first cutscene shown in the trailer, which has Zack in the exact same pose as he was in Crisis Core. There's one key difference though - the design of the Buster Sword.
Final Fantasy fans quickly realised that Zack's Buster Sword had been updated to match how it looked in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The original Crisis Core featured the second Buster Sword design, but it looks like it's one of the few key things about Reunion that have been changed.
For those who don't know, the Buster Sword has gone through several different designs over the years. The original, which was used in Final Fantasy 7, is much more simplistic and only has one colour on the blade. The second design, used in Crisis Core and Advent Children, is much more intricate, with a stylised golden handle that seems to split into two shades for the blade. Finally, the blade was redesigned for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, combining elements of the two previous designs into one, while also adding in some of its own detailing.
Some are speculating that the change to the blade might indicate some sort of twist or crossover into Final Fantasy 7 Remake but, as pointed out by gaming journalist Alex Donaldson, it's more likely that Nomura just prefers the new design of the Buster Sword and wants it to remain consistent throughout the games.