When the trailer forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade,the PS5 version of theFF7 Remake,dropped as part of Sony’s State of Play event in February, news that Yuffie would be headlining two DLC chapters drew the most attention.Focusing on Yuffie for theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeproject will expand the world of the original game, and it sounds like a lot of time and effort has been put in to give Yuffie, and her partner Sonon, a unique narrative.
The materia hunter has been a fan favorite in a cast full of very well-likedFinal Fantasycharacters, but Yuffie’s story in the originalFinal Fantasy 7is never given time to shine. The nation of Wutai feels almost tacked on to the original game, but in theRemake,it comes up in news reports. However, inIntergrade,fans will finally get to learn much more of Yuffie and Sonon’s story.
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In a recent interview with Testuya Nomura, more details about whatFF7 Remake Intergradewill be like were revealed, including how Yuffie and Sonon changed during development. Nomura reveals that Sonon, an Avalanche-sympathizer and skilled fighter, was originally supposed to be more of a “bishonen” type character, a younger pretty boy type. But as production went on, Nomura and his staff changed Sonon’s design to that of an older, more experienced fighter. The reasoning behind the change was to show fans a different side of Yuffie, having her interact with someone older, rather than a beautiful teenager like Cloud.
Yuffie’s chapters inFF7 Remake Intergradewill feature new materiaand new summons, though just what those will be has not been revealed yet. In the original game, Yuffie starts out with the Steal materia, so it could be one that makes an appearance in Intergrade.
When adding characters to the mix for theFF7 Remakeproject, it makes sense to start with Yuffie as she is the character who was most significantly cut out of theFF7world. Yuffie had a fair amount of backstory cut from the original game, and finally got a little more room to grow inFF7: Dirge of Cerberus. Intergrade looks to be correcting this by bringing in Yuffie and Sonon, and will bethe onlyFF7 RemakeDLCbefore Square Enix goes full steam ahead onPart 2of theRemake.
Nomura has offered up a good deal of information on the Remake project, which is why it is surprising to hear thatNomura will not be directingFF7 Remake Part 2. That doesn’t mean Nomura is out entirely, he will be staying on as a creative director, overseeing the general direction of the project.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradewill be available June 10th on PS5.
