In Episode Intermission, Yuffie Kisaragi, self-proclaimed Wutai ninja in a class of its own, finally makes an appropriately pompous appearance and joins the anti-Shinra fight. Yuffie’s ninjutsu and shuriken-centric skills are an invigorating, frenetic addition to Remake’s deep real-time combat system. New supporting characters appear briefly and help bring the slums and sectors beyond to life. And while the abbreviated plot of Intermission never really hits the bull’s eye, it ultimately serves as a powerful introduction to a beloved protagonist while also hinting at further Final Fantasy VII content.
Intermission’s loop is practically the same as last year’s remake: sift through visually captivating hub areas for treasure chests, randomly placed materia balls, and optional quests (with the added benefit of Fort Condor, a new table-top mini-game). Yuffie’s two chapters take you back to the slums and Shinra headquarters. Between the two main locations you will also cross meandering passages in unprecedented factories and scrapyards. However, these moments play out like the linear, monster-infested locations from the base game. Although I spent most of my time in recycled environments, gossip from nearby NPCs and appearances by familiar faces like Johnny and Chadley brought the world of Final Fantasy VII to life. I always found it nice to hear some citizens comment on my performance in the game when I completed missions in the city. This also helps ground Yuffie and her narrow-minded companion Sonon in the bigger story. Even if Cloud, Tifa and Barrett are not the stars of this series, their momentous actions – e.g. the reactor bombs – still shape the story beats of Intermission.
With the help of fresh-faced Avalanche agents, Yuffie infiltrates Midgar to recover a top-secret, almighty materia. This overarching goal, however, often fell by the wayside because the page content was much more tempting to chew on. Still, I didn’t mind, because reuniting old pals like Jesse and Wedge at Fort Condor or repeatedly killing wild beats with Yuffie and Sonon’s eye-catching vortices was where the experience really came together.
The struggle is the bread and butter of intermission. The moment I took control of Yuffie, I was amazed by her breathtaking agility – long-range shuriken throws turn into close-range combos in no time. Afterimage effects fill the screen as the quirky ninja pierces its enemies in mid-air while soaring high. Yuffie’s acrobatic barrage reflects her flashy and eccentric personality. She’s pretty resourceful too, as her default weapon can switch items in a snap, which helps make the menu analysis easier that you would normally do to equip materia. Thankfully, I never had to retreat from the action to prepare for enemy weaknesses, which made the fight more streamlined and constant. Because of this, I’ve only ever equipped other weapons to maximize their capabilities; the 4-point shuriken in the early game was just too valuable to stay on the sidelines.
Synergized attacks – tag team abilities that can only be activated when both Yuffie and Sonon have at least one ATB charge – feel like miniature limit breaks, with their own dazzling cinematics and significant damage numbers. I can’t remember a single time that I didn’t try to use this feature, and I have often wished Remake implemented something like this. Watching Yuffie straddle Sonon’s staff while giving the final blow to a boss never got old.
Fort Condor, an entertaining change from the intense combat sequences, is a tower defense mode in which troops from three different classes (attacker, vanguard and ranged combat) meet to take down enemy outposts. Each class has a specific weakness, and by customizing your roster before starting a game, you can create optimal builds that prioritize different styles of play. There’s one caveat: Reinforcements spawning drains an AP bar, which not only prevents overcrowding but also highlights split-second decision making.
I’ve enjoyed placing bases on the board to create lower cost units so I don’t have to micromanage every phase of a particular game. It was satisfactory to lure enemy soldiers to one side of the map and send swift attackers to abandoned outposts, especially on higher levels of difficulty. With only a handful of competitors, Fort Condor still feels like an attached feature. I also wish there were more boards and units to buy in local stores. Fort Condor reminds me of Gwent from The Witcher 3 and Orlog from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and I hope more of these will be implemented in the future.
Episode Intermission is brought to life by its bubbly, if goofy, main character. I loved how Yuffie’s personality came to fruition through the myriad of ways she interacted with any environment – slipping down poles or hurling her shuriken on distant mechanical switches to solve environmental puzzles. Exploration and combat are supported by eclectic score track that includes jazzy trumpets as well as roaring guitar riffs. And the level of detail that the graphics mode brings to flowing clothes, strands of hair, and other textures has always amazed me. I wish the narrative from Intermission was a little longer so I could spend more time getting to know the small cast, but Yuffie grew the opportunity. Cant wait to see how it fits into the remake.
