Final Fantasy VII Remake Intermission
Midgar sets up its ninja warrior course
Though she’s a character who’s completely optional in the origin game, this DLC doesn’t skimp on giving Yuffie plenty to do. During the period in which Cloud is separated from Tifa and Barrett, Yuffie teams up with another AVALANCHE cell to meddle with Shinra’s plans, while interacting with major characters, seeing familiar events from another perspective, pushing the overall story forward, and even using a combat style that feels unlike anything in the base game.
Hailing from Wutai, a country sinister corporation Shinra has been at war with for some time, Yuffie is an upbeat ninja looking to step out from her ninja master father’s shadow. Teaming up with fellow ninja Sonon, the two aim to infiltrate Shinra’s base of operations in the centre of Midgar and steal the ultimate Materia.
The powerful weapon also factors into the main game’s story, and Yuffie’s adventure neatly weaves into what we already know to create something additive rather than something hastily bolted on. In fact, extra cutscenes at the end of the DLC even have some big implications for the inevitable sequel, and will be mandatory viewing for fans who want to know where that will take us.
Even running around the towns and dungeonlike areas feels different as Yuffie. She’s more agile than Cloud, and that’s really enhanced in the game’s 60fps Performance mode. She doesn’t slow down to cross small beams, but runs across them, and can wall-run and swing on ropes to cross gaps. It’s still very linear, but makes the environments feel more dynamic.
NINJA WAY
In combat, you only control Yuffie, and she has a mix of close-quarters and long-range attacks that work best in tandem, such as throwing a shuriken, using it as a target to cast ninjutsu, then jumping across the battlefield to carry on the combo. You can still issue commands to Sonon, and hitting p puts them into a synchronised mode where attacks complement one another, and allows for unique and powerful abilities that cost both their ATB ability bars. The catch is that the bar increases more slowly when they’re synergised, so linking up at the right time gets you the most bang for your energy buck. It gives a glimpse of how combat could evolve into the next game.
It’s not a long adventure, but fighting’s easy to pick up, assuming you’re familiar with the base game. Later combat can be quite tricky, and will really test you on Hard mode. Side-quests add some playtime, including a neat version of the PS1 version’s Fort Condor game. Intermission isn’t revolutionary, but is still a welcome middle step to adventures anew.