During Sony’s State of Play today, Square Enix showed off a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake. No, it’s not part two of the remake, but a quality of life upgrade with a few new features for PlayStation 5. The most exciting of these may be a new episode that will feature Yuffie from the original Final Fantasy VII.
For those who bought the remake on PlayStation 4, they can upgrade to the new PlayStation 5 version for free. The new version will feature a gorgeous photo mode, shorter load times, and apparently improved graphics. I say “apparently” only because the game looks amazing as it is on PS4. From the trailer I can’t really tell the difference, but if you have a 4K TV perhaps you’ll be able to appreciate the visual upgrade when the time comes.
The biggest announcement of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the addition of a new chapter featuring Yuffie Kisaragi. Fans of the original game will remember encountering the ninja after the Midgar section, and hopefully answering her questions so as to add her to the party. The new chapter won’t be a continuation of the remake, but will take place during the Midgar section featured in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Square Enix explains the plot of this chapter, which sees players take on the role of Yuffie in a prequel of sorts to her role in the original Final Fantasy VII:
In the brand new episode featuring Yuffie, play as ninja Yuffie Kisaragi as she infiltrates the shadowy Shinra corporation to steal a powerful Materia and restore glory to her homeland. Play alongside new characters and enjoy an expanded gameplay experience featuring multiple new combat and gameplay additions. This adventure brings new perspective to the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE story that cannot be missed.
This actually makes a lot of sense, as in the original game, it was implied that Yuffie had encountered Shinra previous to the events of the game. In Crisis Core, a prequel to Final Fantasy VII, she laments what Shinra has done to her hometown of Wutai and wants to restore it to its former glory. Here it looks like we’ll see what she was up to during that time.
The trailer also adds a couple of things to the story and retcons others. The character of Sonon, not in the original game, joins Yuffie in her quest. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays into things, as we have yet to see a character added to the Final Fantasy VII Remake storyline who has had much of an impact on the narrative. We also see that Yuffie gets a glimpse of Barret and Tifa, implying that she’ll know who they are. In the original Final Fantasy VII, Yufie has never heard of Avalanche’s members until meeting them in the woods.
That’s all we’ve noticed so far, but it looks like this small episode will provide a greater look into the direction Final Fantasy VII Remake is taking with its story once it releases. Players will be able to upgrade to Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on June 10th. It’s worth noting that while the upgrade is free for players who own the game, the Yuffie chapter will be DLC purchased separately.
