![]() We still have Hard mode and some additional VR challenges to return to, plus a new VR challenge now unlocked in the main game. If anything, the optional side quests and mini-games are the more enjoyable part this time around, and with those factored in it took us nearly nine hours to see the end. Still, there’s more than enough substance, variety and surprise to make Yuffie’s quest worthwhile. It’s fair to say that Square Enix has wrung every last drop of intrigue out of Midgar’s architecture now. Indeed, the one downside of INTERmission is that, while many of its maps are new, the familiar scenery of industrial squalor and metallic labs, full of armoured security forces and mechanical monstrosities, starts to feel overused, particularly in the second half. Even bosses get a little predictable, except the multi-phase final villain (who series veterans may remember from another FFVII spin-off game). And because so much of the game takes place in scrapyards and Shinra facilities, there’s not the range of opponents there might be. However, because you’re controlling the same one-and-a-half characters for many fights, INTERmission does miss the complex dynamics of a full party. As in the main game, bigger battles often require little tactical adjustments to win, and it’s highly gratifying when a tough foe falls to a new approach. The two can also ‘synergise’ to synchronise their efforts or unleash powerful special moves, and timing links is as important as timing your blocks and dodges. Sonon then fits around Yuffie’s style, not least protecting the fragile ninja from damage in various ways. Having an all-purpose magic attack available at all times also means you can forego a lot of elemental materia, loading Yuffie with skills and passive-boosts instead. She can hack away up close with her oversized boomerang-like weapon, or launch it from afar, wedging it into an enemy then pelting them with ninjutsu magic. It’s a tonal switch that’s expertly supported by new additions to the soundtrack, from a remix of the old game’s Wutai theme, to a medley of hip-hop, metal and swinging jazz that match Yuffie’s teen exuberance.Īs for the combat, throughout INTERmission you’ll be fighting as Yuffie alone or alongside the staff-wielding Sonon, who you can only direct to use spells and abilities, and Yuffie is quick and versatile to suit her starring role. Yuffie sees the place with fresh, adventurous eyes, and so, therefore, do we. Especially neat is how it contrasts with Cloud’s presence in the slums in the main game, as a dour, jobbing merc. While the second half concentrates more on combat challenges, then, the first is an eclectic bag of treats. Even bosses get a little predictable, except the multi-phase final villain” “Because so much of the game takes place in scrapyards and Shinra facilities, there’s not the range of opponents there might be. The second is down to business, developing her relationship with fellow Wutai agent Sonon, as they infiltrate Shinra tower’s basement research labs. ![]() The first is bright and frivolous with the excitement of her arrival and touristic desire to experience a taste of Midgar. The two chapters in INTERmission effectively mirror the two sides of Yuffie, too. It’s a combination that establishes her character with fresh appeal and intrigue for later episodes. Equally she’s desperate to prove herself in an adult world, and her enthusiasm covers for some repressed vulnerabilities. She’s childishly adventurous, dressed in her Moogle cape, sprinting around with arms and eyes wide at the thought of new materia. And if it’s far-fetched that someone so boisterous has been entrusted with an undercover mission into Shinra territory, that gels with the inner silliness of VII that Remake happily nurtures.Īt the same time, today’s Yuffie – which we still can’t get used to hearing pronounced as ‘Yoofie’ – has a little more about her. ![]() She’s bratty in a way that can grate, but then she always was. Of course, the real focus in INTERmission is on Yuffie, and like Fort Condor, like the player characters in the main game, she’s been recreated with an elegant combination of established traits and modern flair. ![]()
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