For years, Nintendo fans have been on the outside looking in when it came to marquee titles from Square (Enix). This has been going on since the PlayStation 1 days, and while things have improved in recent years, the Final Fantasy mainline games were ones that Nintendo owners had to go elsewhere to play. The tide is turning. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has finally made it to a Nintendo platform thanks to the Switch 2 version of Remake Intergrade. Let’s talk about it.
Story
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a retelling of the early parts of the original Final Fantasy VII including all of the key story beats, characters and locations around Midgar. Not only this, but completely new elements that were not found in the original also show up to help bring this new version of the city to life. Over the course of the game, you’ll get a better handle on the just how messed up Shinra really is, a more in depth look at tertiary characters and more. Things can be a bit plodding at points and it might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s nice to see this expansion. I also liked the mostly spot on portrayal of the main cast. The performances might have sounded a bit different in my head all of those years ago, but I think everything here is on point.
Outside of the main story beats, there are occasional side quests that can be taken on. Some of these will immediately be familiar to fans of the original, while others are completely new side stories altogether. Although these are welcome additions, they are by no means necessary. Still, some of them can be pretty entertaining and at the very least can help you gain levels or gear to aid in the main missions.
Gameplay
Final Fantasy VII Remake (Intergrade) features an action heavy battle system that offers some menu based options. With that being said, the majority of your actions in battle will be melee heavy (or range based with Barrett and Aerith). Successfully performing actions, or blocking, will allow you to use abilities, equipped Materia in the form of spells and items. It takes some getting used to, and I think this makes it so fights can be more interesting - if you just had the ability to spam magic or items from the start of battle, that would make for a pretty subpar experience. The abilities differ per character allowing for a number of variations. Cloud has some abilities that can significantly increase an enemy’s stagger gauge, which in turn makes it quicker to take them out. Barrett can use a defensive buff that decreases the chances of him being interrupted while attacking. Tifa can add more strength to her regular attacks. I think you get the picture. Using these is key to bring down enemies and changing between your active party members in battle allows for this to happen more efficiently. It’s a great system and offers a lot of variety.
Of course, it just wouldn’t be a game in the Final Fantasy VII universe without Materia. Many of these that you know from the original game are here, included a handful of Summon Materia. Regular Materia is used from the main battle menu, however, Summons are a bit more limited. These are activated during longer form battles and can be brought forth only once per battle. Once summoned, the creatures are essentially non-playable combatants fighting in your stead. You can direct their moves, or you can just let them do their own thing. Outside of battles, you’ll likely be spending quite a bit of time setting up not only Materia that can be actively used in battles, but also ones that enhance equipped Materia or characters directly. Adjusting these as well as the various weapons you come across are the keys to success. While quite different from the original game, I really enjoy the battle system and getting everything set up. It takes some time, but is rewarding when it pays off in battle.
If you’re not comfortable with the battle system or if you just want to take in the story, there is an easy mode that allows for just that. There is even more additional help with the Streamlined Progression options which allows for things like dealing 9,999 with every hit, max HP and more. For me personally, I enjoy the battle system and don’t feel the need for THAT much help, so I’ve been playing the game on Normal (Classic) for this playthrough. Still, it’s important to note that Remake Intergrade is accessible to pretty much anyone.
Exploration
Outside of battles, you will be traversing Midgar’s nooks and crannies. While there are quite a few interesting places to see (Wall Market is absolutely stunning, for example), exploration is pretty limited given the linear nature of the game. This is not an open world game, but rather a pretty linear one set in a gorgeously recreated version of Midgar. Even with that said, most of the environment remains static with only a few select items and areas available to be interacted with. Gamers looking for a more action-oriented experience in terms of exploration will be disappointed by this. While some may argue that this detracts from the overall experience, I feel that the gameplay and story, crucial to any RPG, make up for this. Sure, Square Enix could have crafted a more open area for Midgar, but doing what they did helps keep the focus and prevents having a wider, and more than likely, emptier world had they gone down the “open world” route.
Visuals, Audio & Performance
This fully realized version of Midgar, the classic characters and villains from the original game look better than ever, even on the Nintendo Switch 2. The environments are full of details, lighting is top notch and the attention to detail is fantastic. Place like Wall Market are vibrant, busting with citizens and look alive. The main character models are super detailed, down to showing the appropriate Materia being placed in their weapons. Despite all of this detail, particularly with the environment and like I mentioned previously, some people may be a bit annoyed that very few of these can be interacted with.
Most of the time everything looks great, however, there are some occasions where the game will chug a little bit. This didn’t seem to happen under any specific set of circumstances, but rather at random. I noticed it a bit with some earlier scenes with Cloud and Aerith that would chug a little bit. Not only that, but many fans (myself included) may have noticed how character hair, particularly Cloud’s, can sometimes look a little bit frizzy. Automaton Media addressed this in an interview with Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the FFVII Remake trilogy. You should read this for yourself in full, but generally speaking when there is a lot going on on-screen, the possibility of lower resolution and the “fuzzy” hair is more likely to happen. The Switch 2 is powerful, but still lacks some of the oomph found on other platforms. Even with that said, the game looks and runs great, typically holding around 30 frames per second. Sure, you can likely find it cheaper elsewhere, but this is a good option for both handheld play or gaming on the big screen.
Conclusion
Square Enix has crafted an excellent port of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for Nintendo fans. It’s absolutely awesome to have a portable version of the game that runs nearly as well as its console brethren. There are some hiccups along the way, and the game overall suffers from being a bit linear, however if you’re looking to go back to the game for the first time in awhile or for the first time ever, the Switch 2 version is a great option that shouldn’t be overlooked.
But let’s turn things over to you. Did you pick up FFVII Remake on the Switch 2? Did you play it on either the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5? What are your thoughts on this series? Sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
Final Score: 9.0
by Danny Bivens
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