1997 provided one of the most influential years in gaming history mostly thanks to the power & success of one groundbreaking RPG, “Final Fantasy VII”. Years after “FF VII’s” release came a groundswell of support & fandom for both the franchise & role-playing games in general. As time progressed, the characters of “Final Fantasy VII” found their way into other games and even different forms of media including a full-length movie. But all the people wanted was another chance to return to Midgar, Cosmo Canyon, and even the Great Northern Crater with a graphical update. Instead, the developers at SquareEnix went with the idea of a full-blown remake starting with an expansion of what was seen during the original iteration’s early portion.
Over twenty years after “FF VII” changed gaming forever, its remake finally arrived; but it was missing something and someone special. SquareEnix refused to wait and produced a little slice of what is to come by presenting a piece of DLC featuring everyone’s favorite materia-stealing ninja; and this “FF 7” fanatic was excited to see what antics Yuffie Kisaragi could create in “Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode Intermission”.
Did I Complete “Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode Intermission”?
Like it’s eighth generation predecessor (though thanks to this being a Playstation 5 exclusive, gamers looking to play the DLC have to upgrade to the “Intergrade” version either free for those who have already purchased the game on disc or digitally, or purchase the “Intergrade” edition), “Episode Intermission” features quite a few things to sink one’s teeth into beyond the main, barely four-hour-long story. There are a few mini-games and side quests that range from collecting posters for a bar to smashing boxes under a strict time limit. Chadley’s VR Battle Arena returns to give players the chance to fight the summon Ramuh to add his materia to Yuffie’s inventory.
The most profound optional time consumer is the re-imagined Fort Condor mini-game where players use purchase and earned avatars in hopes of conquering an opponent’s outposts placed across a battlefield. There’s also the return of “Hard Mode” that unlocks after finishing the story, adding several battles in the VR section and presenting tougher battle stipulations – a difficulty I’ve yet to conquer after completing the story & obtaining a majority of the trophies in a little over eight hours.
Did “Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode Intermission” Live Up to the Hype?
Taking control of Yuffie following “Remake’s” narrative events, specifically the bombing of Mako Reactor 5, players are allowed to try out the ninja’s rather outlandish, yet incredibly fun combat style that utilizes blistering strikes & throwing her patented shrunken. Yuffie tossing her weapon of choice can cause continuous damage to whatever enemy it sticks to for a short period of time; allowing the protagonist to execute non-elemental attacks from afar before calling her weapon back for hack & slash strikes. Midway through the story’s first of only two chapters, Sonon is introduced – another Wutai ninja like Yuffie who works for an Avalanche side group intending to steal the “Ultimate Materia” from Shinra HQ.
Using a staff, Sonon actually works more as a close-range fighter that can be commanded to execute his skills & magic attacks thanks to the weapons & materia attached to his equipment. Unlike “Remake”, players can’t switch between Yuffie and Sonon as the latter works more like Red XIII as the computer handles a majority of everything he does with the player getting a chance to order the aforementioned skill attacks & magic usage. A majority of the combat implementations seen in “Remake” return here including the “Active Time Battle” bars that fill up when Yuffie and Sonon land successful attacks.
These ATB bars are necessary for doing well in combat as an available “ATB” bar allows the characters to perform specific abilities attained from whatever weapon is or has been equipped, magic spells courtesy of the “materia” slotted in the protagonists’ weapons and armor, or items for both restorative and offensive reasons. The most profound combat addition is “Synergy”. Through the tapping of the L2 button, Yuffie & Sonon will team up to perform simultaneous regular attacks and, if their ATB bars are filled up enough, land devastating double team versions of their regular skill maneuvers. But there is a limiter to “Synergy” attacks as the ATB bars fill up around three times slower than when Yuffie & Sonon are doing their own thing; meaning using “Synergy” attacks is usually best when enemies are near death or staggered/stunned via the returning “Stagger” system.
Underneath every enemy is a bar that will build when an adversary is struck. Hitting an enemy’s weak point or striking them with something they’re prone against like the Shinra security grunts being hit with fire will greatly increase the “Stagger” gauge. When fully staggered, the enemy will collapse; open for a barrage of attacks including the returning “Limit Break” skills that becomes available if a playable character is hit enough without dying (though a full “Limit Break” bar doesn’t go away if the character is knocked out). Some enemies are a lot easier to stagger than others especially in regards to boss battles, but it quickly becomes the focus of every fight.
The “Stagger” system ties nicely into the usage of magic and materia. Materia implementation is very much like the original as materia attached to weapons and armor will make certain attacks & defensive measures available. With each successful battle comes the reward of points that eventually level up equipped materia for more spells to become useable. Materia combinations are still incredibly effective such as slotting “Fire” materia alongside an “HP Absorb” orb inside Yuffie’s shrunken to ensure every time the magic lands it restores a bit of her health.
Also returning from “Remake” is the weapon upgrade system and how “Summons” operate. Each weapon found has a dedicated ability that can be learned with usage in combat; thus being available no matter what weapon a character has equipped. By leveling up, each character’s weapons gain points that can be spent on stat upgrades solely connected to said item that will boost everything from health, strength, and even the duration of buffs like “Haste” or “Barrier” as long as the weapon is equipped. Every weapon has some sort of limitation be it sacrificing physical strength for magical superiority or losing some defense points for more materia slots. Shockingly some of the base weapons gained for each character can be the best overall statistically, but may lack the necessary materia slots needed for success. Though the player must weight pros & cons when it comes to everything that can be equipped, the overall execution rewards experimentation.
The ability to summon mythical beasts to fight alongside the character is only afforded to the player when the game dictates. A “Summon” meter will appear on the screen during various hectic, mostly boss battles. Instead of spending Magic Points/MP, the player will have to use some, if not all of their ATB bar to summon Ramuh into battle for a short period of time. While the summon is in combat, the player can spend more ATB bars to unleash special summon attacks before said summon does an explosive exit that inflicts incredible damage against the adversary. There aren’t as many enemy variations in “Intermission”, but the boss battles are presented incredibly well outside of, arguably, the final fight. Due to the action-oriented nature of “Remake” and now “Intermission”, the dynamics of boss battles are greatly changed mostly for the better including the new Gigantipede boss forcing the player to be attentive of the action on foot & in the air.
As mentioned earlier, there is more to “Intermission” than its story and the combat system. Side quests aren’t numerous, but enjoyable such as a collectible mission that sees the player potentially facing some tough adversaries with Yuffie alone if the player takes up said mission during the first chapter. And then there’s “Fort Condor”. On a tabletop battlefield, two competitors choose sets featuring avatars representing one of three colors that have strengths & weaknesses in correlation to the other colors (green is strong against blue, red is weak to blue, red is strong against green). With its own ATB bar, players will choose the upcoming avatar on the list as assigned to dispatch them onto the battlefield. Depending on what the opponent chooses as a defensive measure could mean the difference between advancing into enemy territory & potentially winning by destroying the enemy’s outposts or taking a defensive measure to protect the player’s outposts. While there can be some cheap moments, “Fort Condor” is one of the most enjoyable “Final Fantasy” mini-games of all time.
Though Yuffie is the star of this “Intermission”, the fact is there are several new characters introduced and some returning characters as well. The aforementioned Sonon is given enough backstory through cutscenes to explain why he’s so determined to take on Shinra. Scarlet gets more screen time than expected and revels in every scene she’s a part of especially when confronting Yuffie. There are cameos & scenes from the main cast of “Remake” including the expansion of “Remake’s” ending. But it’s not all positive from a character perspective as Yuffie’s first onscreen allies are just bodies needed for exposition & a “Fort Condor” tutorial. Ann the revelation of two new adversaries near the game’s end feels underwhelming at best.
Technically, “Remake Intergrade” and “Intermission” are impressive from both visual & audio perspectives. Like so many SquareEnix games, “Intermission” looks gorgeous with upped texture models & resolutions compared to the original PS4 version of “Remake”. The soundtrack stays true to what came before it in “Remake” with some standout additions including the “Happy Turtle” themes. Framerates and overall stability are remarkable.
The game’s biggest issues all center on the combat in regards to casting magic and the ATB bar. No matter the difficulty, “Intermission” can punish the player for trying to play the game properly. If the player pulls up the “Command Menu” during any battle and chooses a mid-to-high level ability or magic spell there is a good chance an enemy can cancel the intended action by suddenly striking that character. This wouldn’t be an issue if not for the fact the hit character loses a part of their “ATB” bar or the MP used for said hopeful maneuver; potentially ruining an entire battle if the characters are in dire straights. Enemies, however, armor through hits when preparing magic spells or significant attacks unlike the protagonists; making things even more unfair for the player. During the more grandiose battles, cutscenes also reset command lines including “Limit Breaks” if said cutscene occurs when the player’s super maneuver is activated at the wrong time.
Another issue is the handling of magic attacks. While some spells like “Fire” and “Lightning” have homing-like qualities, “Ice” attacks are stationary and won’t do any damage if the enemy is able to move away; potentially being a loss of MP if the player thinks they have a chance to add to an enemy’s “Stagger” bar. There are also dodge/roll & guarding/blocking mechanics that work well enough, but the player is unable to cancel into rolling or guarding when performing a combo; potentially leaving them open for an attack even if they hit the defensive buttons at the necessary time.
“Intermission” doesn’t reinvent the wheel and tries to add to what worked so well in “Remake”. There are some glaring issues from its predecessor that make their way into this piece of DLC while presenting one of the franchise’s most entertaining characters in better fashion than ever.
Should You Play “Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode Intermission”?
“Intermission” understandably doesn’t try to outdo what was presented over a year ago; just adding a little bit of exposition to a character that will, most likely, become pivotal to the narrative whenever “Remake Part 2” arrives. For those who want to reenter the world of Midgar without replaying “Remake”, this is an entertaining additional piece to the first of who-knows-how-many entries making up the “Remake” saga; though not something that feels like it needs to be played immediately. The problems that hindered certain aspects of “Remake’s” combat still remain and the lacking character development in regards to every protagonist but Yuffie and Sonon definitely leaves something to be desired. Also, gamers need to know that the basic upgrade to or purchase of “Intergrade” doesn’t provide “Intermission” and the DLC needs to be bought separately. This DLC is a worthy purchase for “FF 7 Remake” fans and those who understand that even kids can conquer the biggest foes.
