Intermission is needed in bitterness and charm

Intergrade, version Final fantasy vii remake optimized for PS5, came accompanied by a chapter INTERVENTION, made in Yuffie Kisaragi… Originally Yuffie was an optional character in Final Fantasy VII, but it looks like she will get her due regard this time around. Spoilers below.

The introduction of InterMISSION gives a good idea of ​​how the story will unfold. Yuffie is obviously as outgoing and upbeat as we remember, which leads to great moments of comic relief. However, we do know that the Final Fantasy VII universe is far from a happy place. It doesn’t take long for the player to encounter the mysterious hooded characters (whose importance to the story tends to increase greatly in the following episodes of the game).

As in the introduction, everything in Yuffie’s chapter fluctuates between charming and bitter. Full of friendly characters, Midgar is a depressing city. Although the protagonist’s friends are very friendly, we know the fate of Sector 7 from the very beginning. The tragic beauty of returning to a doomed city is to fall in love with those who live there, to the point where we forget the fate of many of them. And when he throws himself in the face of the player at the end of Yuffie’s journey, it is impossible not to resent the injustice and horror emanating from Shinra.

The richness of detail in this new passage through Midgar is impressive. We cover nearly every minor character from the original game, with Tifa, Barrett, Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse visiting just moments after the mission in which Cloud separates from the group and crashes into Aerith’s church. It even confirms that Avalanche is a much larger group than it appears – Yuffie is initially associated only with the least “extremist” group in the organization, and Barrett’s team is considered the most dangerous.

While it might be fun to meet all your favorite supporting characters again, even a few less important to the plot, such as the little girl who asks for help in finding the three cats in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Kairi, it’s hard to doubt that this is an additional chapter. was truly impossible on PS4. After all, almost all scenarios are identical to the base game. As for the mechanics, there are not many innovations here either. The main difference is probably the synchronized attacks between Yuffie and Sonona Kusakabe, a character created exclusively for InterMISSION.

Yuffie and Sonona’s relationship may not be as well developed as many players would like, but it works well enough to keep the story’s climax strong. On the other hand, in terms of gameplay, they complement each other very well.

Yuffie’s ninja style makes her work as both a ranged and melee fighter. Sonon, on the other hand, is a typical melee character. So if you get the strategy right, your enemies won’t stand a chance. This is just a warning: Sonon cannot be controlled. Unlike what happens in the main game, the player can control Yuffie and give orders to Sonnon without direct control of the character.

Throwing a star, Yuffie manages to make combos from a distance using the normal hit button. These attacks can be neutral or ice and fire elementals (if you activate the appropriate ninjutsu). Okay? Yuffie is arguably more versatile than all the characters in the main game. Well, maybe I was just captivated by the novelty factor after playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, who knows how many times.

As if Yuffie’s boss wasn’t feeling enough, InterMISSION offers additional scenes with Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Barrett following the conclusion of Final Fantasy VII Remake. In other words, fans’ hearts will beat faster for a long time in the final segment of the new chapter. The arrival of Cloud and the others in Calm, as well as the bonds of friendship they have forged with each other in a peaceful environment, cause tremors that simply cannot be eliminated from the text.

Clearly InterMISSION won me over. If Square Enix decided to release two more chapters in this format, I would play with confidence that the experience will be worth it. Since that shouldn’t be happening, I’m making another request: release Fort Condor as a mini-game and for the next few chapters, it’s much better than I thought.