It’s these tiny details that will delight fans, as it felt like I was being rewarded for my efforts to complete such a sprawling JRPG. It was nice to overhear NPCs talking about parts of the base game story that I’d already completed, offering their commentary on events that they technically weren’t present for. It might even be worth reading a plot summary and refreshing your memory so you can make the most of it.īut beyond the broad strokes, there were also a number of little callbacks that seek to reward returning players in Episode Intermission. Just make sure you’ve beaten the main game first, as the side story assumes that you have. There are juicy moments in this episode that have ramifications for the entire project, so I’d argue you can’t really miss it if you want to know everything about this brave spin on a stone-cold classic. I’ll save you the spoilers, but it’s worth playing for that alone if you’re a Final Fantasy wiki geek. The later story beats in Episode Intermission will definitely excite the lore nerds too, especially those desperate for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2. She makes for a wonderful main character who is easy to root for but complex enough that her constant quips don’t grate. Thanks to meticulously animated cutscenes and fantastic voice acting, Yuffie’s enthusiasm is physical and infectious. Once you wrap the main story, the narrative in Episode Intermission is easy to get into. Boss battles were given a new lease on life, and it was fun to try and put together Photo Mode action shots in some of the game’s more striking combat arenas. Personally, I used the Chapter Selection system to jump into a variety of chapters across the main campaign to see how they play out with the graphical bump.
I’d recommend playing through the start of the main campaign again so you don’t get blindsided by it.
#Final fantasy vii remake length trial
But just keep in mind that it may be a trial by fire if you’re a returning player who hasn’t engaged with the game in some time. Episode Intermission is meant to be played after the main campaign so you will be familiar with the combat system by the time you play it. I died a lot in the early game and found it to be quite challenging at first, but you’ll soon get used to it as you progress. You’ve got short-range physical attacks, but then you’ve also got long-range shuriken attacks, and there’s a middle ground between the two that you have to pin down with combos to really make the most of her move set.
Yuffie is a hectic fighter, and I found that there were quite a few quirks to get used to at first. This goes hand in hand with the Performance optimization mode, with the high frame rate bringing her dance-like combat animations and elemental effects to life. Kisaragi fights like a ninja and, as a result, is a lot more agile than the other playable characters like Cloud and Barrett from the base game. It takes about five or six hours to complete and focuses on Yuffie Kisaragi, a character who will be familiar to fans of the 1997 original. As you’re spinning through the air as Yuffie or clobbering goons as Cloud, 60FPS just makes the combat that much more legible.īeyond the remastered visuals, Remake Intergrade also includes an entirely new side story called Episode Intermission. Credit: Square EnixĪt its core, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a fast-paced action game, and it feels like I can appreciate the combat even more thanks to the framerate bump. And listen, 4K is great and all, but I’m confident that once you switch to Performance, you will never want to look back.įinal Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. ’Graphics’ offers stunning 4K visuals, with ‘Performance’ maintaining a fluid 60 FPS at all times.
#Final fantasy vii remake length upgrade
The main upgrade from a visuals standpoint is that you can now switch between two different Optimization modes. There’s also some haptic feedback improvements that you probably won’t notice, and a Photo Mode that is, while appreciated, quite clunky.įor the visual upgrade alone, Intergrade is a great excuse to play a great game in its ultimate form, especially if you didn’t catch it last generation. It features several technical buffs, including faster loading times and expanded graphics options. Looking past the odd name, Remake Intergrade is essentially an enhanced version of Final Fantasy VII Remake for Sony’s new-gen console. READ MORE: How Life is Strange: True Colors elicits empathy to do right by the queer community.
As it stands, the game didn’t really need a visual overhaul for the PlayStation 5, but Square Enix has gone the extra mile anyway, delivering Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. It was tempting to halt your progress and simply gawp at the rich tone and texture of Midgar. When Final Fantasy VII Remake first came out in April of 2020, I wrote that its visuals were mind-boggling.