After months of waiting, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade has arrived. This release of the much-discussed remake brings the game to PlayStation 5, and adds a fairly sizable DLC campaign to the already chunky action-RPG. Players take control of the formerly optional party member Yuffie Kisaragi, and, along with her partner in crime Sonon, infiltrate Midgar to steal materia for the Wutai insurgents. This DLC gives players a look at what’s going on elsewhere in Midgar while the main plot is happening, and gives them access to new VR battles and a major new minigame to boot.
And that’s not all. Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s INTERmission DLC comes with a huge host of plot developments for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2. Fans who are in for the long haul should consider this DLC to be mandatory playing (or at least viewing) if they want to keep up with the conversation. Yuffie’s two chapters, compact though they are, set up Part 2 like little else in the main game. It’s pretty much the trailer for FF7R Part 2 that fans are now waiting for. Because of that, expect FULL SPOILERS FOR FF7R INTERGRADE.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrades DLC Sets Up The Characters for Part 2
Final Fantasy 7 Remake ended on a fairly ambiguous note. Sephiroth was defeated, though all that really did was repel him for a little while. The party, consisting of Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII, start down the long, dusty road from Midgar to Kalm, the closest town to Midgar. And it appears that, due to the defeat of the Arbiters of Fate, Zack and some members of Avalanche have survived FF7R Part 1. However, it wasn’t clear exactly where the plot was headed after that. Thanks to INTERmission’s lengthy ending cutscene, fans now have a better idea. Yuffie loses Sonon and witnesses Sector 7’s destruction, driving her away from Midgar and motivating her to find some new friends and allies. Sonon is likely dead, but who knows what Deepground could do with a dying man.
The main party, meanwhile, are still walking through the wasteland. They catch a ride from Chocobo Bill to Kalm, which heavily implies that the famous Nibelheim flashback at Kalm’s inn will be how FF7R Part 2 opens. It also sets up the first chocobo ranch of Final Fantasy 7, which will be vital if FF7R Part 2 decides to go open world. Aside from that, not much more is really set up for the cast to do in the future, though the first chapter of the DLC does firmly establish that Avalanche is a larger operation with ties to Wutai.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake INTERmission Brings in Compilation of FF7 Elements
However, the real interesting developments have little to do with the main FF7 cast. INTERmission brings forth a massive infusion of Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 elements alongside its expansion of Yuffie’s past. Deepground is introduced as a faction within Shinra, and is a result of Shinra's secret experiments to create genetically modified super soldiers. They are currently led by Nero the Sable, who is the acting leader while his older brother Weiss the Immaculate is restrained elsewhere. Deepground were introduced as the main villains of the FF7 spin-off Dirge of Cerberus, but it looks like they’ll play a larger role in the Remake. They probably won’t appear much in Part 2, but they’ll likely show up in full force alongside Hojo when the party returns to infiltrate Midgar.
The other big talking point of the DLC’s ending is the surprise appearance of Zack at Aerith’s church. He psyches himself up to meet his girlfriend Aerith again, but is only met with the sight of Sector 7 refugees when he throws open the doors. It’s not confirmed yet, but it seems that Zack has time-travelled to the end of the Midgar section of Final Fantasy 7 after surviving Shinra’s attempt on his life. That also brings up the question as to whether the injured Cloud on his shoulder at the end of Remake proper is still around, or if that was just an echo through time or something. At any rate, Zack now occupies the same timeline as the Remake party, and will certainly meet up with them at some point. This is also the perfect chance to have him become a playable character. The ramifications for Zack’s presence will no doubt be huge, but fans will have to wait and see what Square Enix chooses to do with him.
Yuffie’s DLC Teases the Combat of FF7R Part 2
Aside from the many plot and character teasers INTERmission provides, there’s a more subtle tease that many players won’t think about: the combat. Yuffie’s DLC is quite combat heavy, especially in its second chapter where Yuffie and Sonon take on all manner of mechanical monstrosities in the depths of Shinra. Yuffie’s combat takes the already involved fighting of the base game and pushes it to all-new heights: with partial control of Sonon, aerial options, and a unique ninja magic stance, Yuffie has a ton going on. It feels like she has more mechanical depth than Cloud and Tifa, who already have surprisingly involved playstyles. This, combined with the much improved aerial combat that feels a bit closer to FF15 than FF7R, could be an early look at the direction gameplay will go in Part 2.
That’s not all, either. The team-up mechanics with Sonon may also be foreshadowing plans for the sequel. While Sonon himself is not playable, he can be instructed to stick close to Yuffie or go all-out, commands that could reasonably be given to other playable characters to ensure they stay out of harm’s way or press the attack. There’s also the matter of Yuffie and Sonon’s team-up Synergized attacks. While the Synergized buff is active, Yuffie and Sonon can coordinate almost everything they do, whether that be combos, ATB skills, or even Limit Breaks. This feels like a no-brainer for the regular party, and will open the door to all sorts of new team-up attacks that FF7R felt like it was lacking. Hopefully things like this will be seen when Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 finally appears down the line.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is now available for PS5.