The first major PlayStation State of Play presentation concluded with one of last year’s biggest PS4 games, Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Part of the announcement was for a free PS5 upgrade for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but the bulk of the trailer revealed Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. Intergrade is a new Final Fantasy 7 Remake premium episode that will launch alongside the PS5 upgrade. The key selling point of Intergrade, however, is the return of Final Fantasy 7 party member Yuffie.
Yuffie Kisaragi is one of the youngest members of the Final Fantasy 7 party and is both a ninja and a Materia hunter. Her homeland of Wutai was conquered by the Shinra Electric Power Company, making her sympathetic to the efforts of Cloud, Tifa, and friends. In the original Final Fantasy 7, Yuffie isn’t met until much later in the game, but it appears Square Enix wants to introduce the character much earlier in the storyline.
Many Final Fantasy 7 players will recall Yuffie as a young, energetic, pain in the butt that randomly attacks the party before eventually stealing its Materia. The Yuffie shown in the trailer still seems young, with her moogle cloak and clumsiness, but she also seems more focused and prepared. As with the full Final Fantasy 7 Remake cast, it looks like Square Enix will be expanding Yuffie’s personality and character in exciting and surprising ways.
The trailer shown for the Intergrade DLC featuring Yuffie does ask more questions than it answers, however. Yuffie doesn’t directly interact with Cloud and friends, instead joining with another Avalanche member named Sonon Kusakube who wields a pole. There’s also a teaser at the end of the trailer for the return of Weiss the Immaculate, a character from the Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy 7- spin-off game. How Yuffie’s story, described as a hunt for a rare materia, fits into the Final Fantasy 7 Remake story remains to be seen.
One other key detail regarding the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade DLC is that it has only been announced for PS5. Starting June 10, PS5 users can either buy Final Fantasy 7 Remake or upgrade from their PS4 discs, after which they can acquire the Yuffie DLC. It’s unclear if it will come to PS4 eventually, but it can probably assumed to be a timed exclusive at worst.
Technically, Intergrade is the name of the combined Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Yuffie DLC package. As such, Intergrade will be made available as both a physical and digital product, as well as via a special Digital Deluxe Edition, priced at $69.99 and $89.99 respectively. Both include the Yuffie DLC, while the Digital Deluxe adds a digital mini-soundtrack, a digital artbook, and character sheets. Pre-orders for either include a Cacstar weapon for Yuffie to use in the DLC.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now on PS4, with a PS5 release to follow on June 10.
