Final Fantasy VII Remake’s late-gen arrival on the PS4 was a cause for celebration. Though not without its faults, VII Remake provided players with engaging gameplay, new story elements and a mostly beautiful presentation. Now,that experienceis about to get an upgrade on the PS5. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade adds 60fps gameplay, full 4K resolution and enhanced effects that are assuredly exciting updates. What makes Intergrade a compelling upgrade, however, is the new Episode INTERmission, which puts players in the shoes of everyone’s favorite ninja, Yuffie. We got to see an early section of INTERmission, giving us a glimpse into how the Wutai ninja plays.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Episode INTERmission picks up following the destruction of Mako Reactor 5. Yuffie has arrived in Midgar as an operative of the Wutain government with orders to steal Shinra’s most powerful Materia. To do this, she’ll need to rendezvous with her Avalanche contacts.
Straight away, Episode INTERmission makes it clear that Yuffie plays differently from the other characters. While Cloud and Tifa focused on close-range combat and Barret and Aerith on long-range, Yuffie finds herself in the middle, capable of playing at both ranges. A tap of the Square button has her attack at close range and holding it continues her attack while creating some distance. Meanwhile, her unique ability sees her fling her throwing star at an enemy, and while it’s away, players can tap Square to perform long-range ninjitsu attacks.
Yuffie’s unique skills manifest outside of battle as well with players able to throw her shuriken to smash far away crates and collect items. Her ninja abilities also allow for cool traversal animations, like wall-running.
Eventually, Yuffie meets up with her Avalanche contacts in Sector 7. It’s here that we got to see some gameplay of the new minigame, Fort Condor. Similar to a MOBA, the objective of a Fort Condor match is to destroy your opponent’s base. To do so, you’ll spend ATB charges to deploy units that automatically march towards the opponent’s base and engage enemy units. Units come in three roles – Vanguard, Ranged and Defense – which determine their strengths and weaknesses. Players can also deploy Materia to cast spells, though each Materia can only be used once per match. Fort Condor appears like a decent distraction from the main quest.
Accompanying Yuffie throughout the story is her partner Sonon, a Wutai warrior trained by her father. Unfortunately, Sonon is not a playable character, but he’s not useless. He’ll not only help out in battle, but Yuffie can also create synergy attacks with him. These synergized attacks easily stagger enemies and deal plenty of damage. For example, a Synergized Windstorm creates a gust of wind that damages nearby enemies and brings them to you for easy follow-up attacks. Both also have their own Limit Breaks, which will undoubtedly help players get out of tight spots.
The slice of gameplay all led up to a boss fight against Gigantipede, a robotic centipede. This boss fight was a perfect summary of all of Yuffie’s mechanics. Here, she would switch her Ninjtsu element to Thunder to deal additional damage. When the boss attached himself to the steal grating, her long-range unique ability still allowed her to do damage. When there was an opening, she used a synergized attack with Sonon to deal extra damage and fill Gigantipede’s Stagger Bar. It was a flashy display of her abilities. To finish the fight in style, Yuffie summoned the episode’s one new summon, Ramuh.
The Lord of Levin, a franchise mainstay, makes his debut in INTERmission and he’s ready to smite his foes with wicked lightning. His Voltaic Lance summons a lance that deals electrical damage for a short period. Meanwhile, his classic Judgment Bolt ultimate attack calls a storm that blankets the battlefield with lightning. It was an explosive end to the battle and our look at INTERmission.
While fans are undoubtedly ready for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part II, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is shaping up to be a worthwhile detour. What we’ve seen suggests that the game will run and look great, and it’ll be interesting checking out some of the PS4 version’s less-flattering areas (i.e., that low-res door in Sector 7) and seeing how they’ve been improved. There’s no doubt, however, that INTERmission is the star of the show. Yuffie looks like a fun addition to the game with her unique mechanics, and the new Fort Condor minigame looks like an interesting distraction. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Episode INTERmission should provide enough fun and new content to help make the wait for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part II easier.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade launches June 10 on PS5. Episode INTERmission is included with the $69.99 version of the game. For those who own the PS4 version and upgrade to Intergrade, you can purchase Episode INTERmission for $19.99. The episode will not release on PS4.
