Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Switch 2 Review
Shinra Box-Smashing Simulator
Final Fantasy VII Remake made its long-awaited arrival on PlayStation 4 in 2020, bringing with it the first part in Square Enix's much expanded take on the seminal PlayStation RPG. It was followed up in 2021 with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade , providing some upgrades and a new Intermission story chapter to PlayStation 5 and PC, and now makes its way on to new platforms, with the Nintendo Switch 2 version being the focus of attention here. While it is very much the same game, it fits wonderfully onto the Switch 2, and the game remains an excellent first part to the ongoing Remake trilogy that is well worth experiencing.
Final Fantasy VII Remake offers a retelling of the original Final Fantasy VII' s first act, which takes place in the metropolis of Midgar, a city divided between the slums on the ground and the upscale segmented disc above them. Smartly, however, Square Enix includes some new story elements that bring forth potential divergences from the original game, meaning that players of the original can never be entirely sure how Remake' s events will exactly play out. The causes and impacts of these divergences are left deliberately nebulous, which leaves a lot of questions open, but make for appreciable twists on events.
[caption id="attachment_166725" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The game begins with the familiar opening bombing run sequence.[/caption]
All of the base elements are the same, however. The game primarily follows mercenary Cloud Strife, who has recently arrived in Midgar on a mission for resistance group AVALANCHE to bomb one of Shinra's Mako reactors powering the city and said to be draining the planet's energy. Cloud is a former member of Shinra's elite SOLDIER group, Shinra being the company that rules Midgar and much of the world around it. Other elements, including the world and character histories, are provided through context, such as Shinra's longtime foe Wutai, and the recent war between the two. Much of Remake involves Cloud working with AVALANCHE -- which includes childhood friend Tifa among its members -- and his conflicts against Shinra, but Cloud also has visions of the mysterious man named Sephiroth, alongside the mysterious Whispers, who seem to influence how certain major events play out.
The game is divided into nearly twenty chapters of varying lengths, and its structure works nicely overall. Remake significantly expands some events from the original game and adds its own new ones. They may not be strictly necessary for the plot, but are ultimately very welcome as they help establish more of the characters within Midgar and the culture within the city itself, make its more emotional parts pack a stronger punch, or are simply entertaining in themselves. It helps a lot of the characters become more memorable, not just Tifa and Barrett, who gain significantly from the game, but also their AVALANCHE allies Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. The story moves along at an appreciable rate, though it does make for a little bit of pacing whiplash at times, particularly when one more atmospheric section comes during a time when the characters are ostensibly rushing to get back. Meanwhile, the finale proves to be exciting and leaves the story off at a surprisingly satisfactory point, even if there are some elements that feel shoehorned in to make it more cinematic. There's a lot to unpack from the story, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable romp packed with action and emotion, but also with plenty of moments of levity to lighten things up every now and then.
The Intergrade version also includes a new Intermission story episode, taking place around the midpoint of Remake but best saved until after finishing it. It focuses on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth party member Yuffie Kisaragi, with the five-hour episode seeing peppy young ninja Yuffie arrive in Midgar on a special mission from Wutai to steal a supposed ultimate Materia held by Shinra, joined by fellow ninja Sonon. Offering some ties to Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus , it might not offer anything that particularly adds to main story, but it's an entertaining side story that gives Yuffie a bit more characterisation ahead of her Rebirth appearance and a bit extra depth to the machinations of one part of the Shinra machine.
[caption id="attachment_182849" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The game's detailed realisation of Midgar is hugely impressive.[/caption]
Part of what makes Remake' s narrative and its realisation of the world so enjoyable is the game's stellar presentation. The voice acting is excellent throughout, with great performances from the main cast and even minor characters, and the music backing is superb. Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki act as the main composers for Remake' s score, which features a fantastic mixture of new arrangements of the original score from Nobuo Uematsu -- who also contributed a new theme song -- as well as additional tracks. Its exciting battle themes and more emotional tracks combine to enhance every moment, with a few more quirky tracks also helping to highlight the lighter moments. The game carries this on with hugely impressive and detailed world design, incredible cinematics, excellent combat visuals, and other visual flourishes to make it a treat to behold. That said, there are moments where the game's visuals vary, with some gameplay sections notable for necessitating lower quality textures or models than its lovingly-crafted full cutscenes.
On the whole, the game's performance on Switch 2 is impressive and the game turns out to be an excellent fit for the system. Even though there are some small quibbles, such as some darker areas likely benefiting from a gamma correction setting on handheld mode, having the game available to readily play on the handheld mode with its great and stable performance is a delight. The smaller Switch 2 Joy-Con's analogue sticks compared to the DualShock/DualSense can make the controls a little more finicky, although the face buttons actually feel like they go the other way and help out with a particular mini-game.
Final Fantasy VII had its fair share of mini-games, and Remake happily takes up the mantle. Three of its chapters include a set of optional sidequests that are enjoyable to partake in and are also rewarding for the extra bits of world building and the tangible in-game rewards they provide. The mini-games help to break up the game's sequences and ensure it's not just a matter of moving from place to place and engaging in combat. Some are definitely more enjoyable than others, and a few bits of interaction might be a bit unnecessary, but Square Enix's attempts to give players plenty of different things to do is ultimately appreciated. One of the game's odder quirks is to give players a lot of boxes to smash, which can give players some free MP restoration plus restorative items and ends up being pleasantly cathartic.
[caption id="attachment_166723" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Combat is exciting and requires players to keep on their toes and adjust to the situation and foe.[/caption]
Final Fantasy VII Remake combines real-time action with the series' familiar Active Time Battle elements and it works very well. Controlling one of three party members, but able to switch between them at any time, players try and avoid taking damage by defending or dodging while unleashing regular combos that build up the two-step Active Time gauge, with the computer-controlled members doing the same. When the gauge is sufficiently filled, players can order that character to do an action, such as use an ability, cast a spell, or use an item. The computer is quite smart at controlling them, taking enough damage that players need to pay attention to their health, but never putting them in unnecessary danger, and enemies will focus more attention on the controlled member.
The UI is put together nicely and provides players all the details they need to keep track on what's going on, while also giving plenty of opportunity to put on an exciting visual display. There are plenty of little touches to help players out, such as a red tone shown around the outer edge of the screen when a party member gets into low health and making it clear when an enemy has been made vulnerable. Players do need to stay focused and reactive, knowing when to attack and what abilities are best to use for the situation and foe. Each character has their own style and abilities that give them a distinct feel and may make them more effective for certain situations than others, but it quickly becomes second nature and easy to remember how each one controls and the roles they are best placed to play.
Other elements, such as summons and Limit Breaks, add further depth to the combat system, giving players extra opportunities to unleash powerful and flashy attacks that can get them out of trouble when needed and provide extra bits of excitement. The game does a good job generally ensuring that there aren't too many regular encounters and they don't last too long, saving its best for its boss fights. It can be a little frustrating to figure out the strategy required for some specific bosses, but they all make for exciting occasions, and there is a large selection of memorable fights to be found in the game.
[caption id="attachment_182851" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The chapter structure and plenty of mini-games helps break things up quite nicely.[/caption]
While players don't have a huge amount of control over character builds, they are able to put their own stamp on strategy through character equipment. Party members level up automatically, but each has a weapon, bracelet, and accessory that provide stats boosts and passive bonuses. The weapon and bracelet have slots for Materia, which can have a large impact. Spells can only be used if the Materia that bestows them are equipped, and there are many other types of Materia that can provide various passive bonuses or apply other synergistic effects that players can use to work with particular strategies. Players can pick up a variety of weapons that provide new unique abilities for each character and can be upgraded as the game goes on. All weapons remain viable throughout the game, though it's worth switching to pick up the abilities they bestow. While there may not be any major party build decisions, and only a very short period when players have a choice of party members, it does enough to keep players feeling involved in the party's growth.
There are four difficulty options that players can switch between at will from the outset -- Easy, Easy (Classic), Normal, and Normal (Classic) -- with the Classic options seeing the party automatically do regular attacks and take avoiding actions where applicable. On the Normal setting, most battles provide enough challenge to keep players active and engaged without providing huge amounts of challenge, though there are notable battles here and there that players will need to find effective strategies to deal with, with a definite ramp up in the final chapters. For those seeking more of a challenge, a Hard Mode is available, but only after the game has been completed. The Switch 2 version comes with a new Streamlined Progression option, also being added into the existing versions of Intergrade through an update, which gives players the ability to effectively turn on various "cheats", though the majority of the game's balancing is already fairly player-friendly in the first place.
Ultimately, Final Fantasy VII Remake can be considered a rousing success and sets up the Remake trilogy to great effect. There's a huge amount to enjoy about the game, be it the exciting combat, impressive presentation, highly endearing cast, fascinating adjustments to the original tale, or detailed realisation of Midgar. If one hasn't already dove into Final Fantasy VII Remake , the fine Nintendo Switch 2 release is an excellent opportunity to.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
The post Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Switch 2 Review appeared first on RPGamer .
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