Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 1 was a brilliant retelling of the opening hours of Cloud’s finest days. Despite going through development hell, and even being split into multiple chunks, it proved that Final Fantasy VII Remake would be well worth our time, patience, and money. Unfortunately, it came out at the most awkward time. Launching right at the end of the PlayStation 4’s life, it was inevitable that we would see an upgrade to the next generation. Intergrade provides a next-gen remastering and the foundations for future parts, but that’s not what I’m discussing here today.

Final Fantasy VII Remake INTERmission is a short mini-campaign that plays out from the perspective of FFVII-veteran Yuffie! You control the famous Wutaian ninja as she teams up with the branch of Avalanche that Barret, and the crew, split from and attempts to overthrow the Shinra corporation! You’re joined by a fellow ninja named Sonon. He serves as your only party member.

INTERmission is full of heart and soul. The brilliance of Remake was how it re-characterized everyone while keeping their original trails. Yuffie has gotten the biggest face-lift so far. She was nothing but an annoying brat in the original. Now? You truly care for her and her struggles. Sonon, and this new faction of Avalanche, are brilliantly acted but a bit undercooked. You feel their performance but also the void in the little screen-time they get. In their short scenes, the returning main crew bring their A-game. I wouldn’t mind a complete remake of Advant Children done by this team!

Yuffie will be wandering around the Sector 7 Slums and Shinra HQ for the entirety of this adventure. In battle, she’s simultaneously as plain as you’d expect and the most unique of the cast. She’s as fleshed out as any other FFVIIR party member and focused on a mix of ranged and close combat. However, she can “synergize” with Sonon in battle to perform many more attacks and special abilities. I really hope you’ll be able to do this with the others in Part 2!

Unfortunately, INTERmission is only about two hours for a story run. There are only two main side-quests focusing on the new Fort Condor minigame, a simple tower-defense, and the returning Happy Turtle sidequest from the original. Both side quests felt like they dragged on, and didn’t offer much but useless repetition. Thankfully, there are a ton of battles to partake in after the credits roll.

INTERmission is clearly a door to let Yuffie into Part 2 and to satiate fan’s hunger while we wait. As an add-on to Intergrade, it does its job well. If you purchased FFVIIR before, and are unsure to grab INTERmission, I’d simply ask if you are willing to give $20 for five hours to completion and one new character for a game that’s not even out? INTERmission leaves me wanting more, but also out of $20, you certainly shouldn’t seek FFVIIR out just for this.

You can buy Final Fantasy VII: Remake here!

You can pick the DLC at this link!