On Friday, Square Enix released new information on upcoming releases in their Final Fantasy VII universe, including a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and registrations for a beta version of the new mobile game, Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier.
Intergrade, which will be released on June 10, is the enhanced and expanded version of the bestselling Final Fantasy VII Remake, with updated graphics and gameplay designed for the PlayStation 5. The June release also brings new story content led by Yuffie Kisaragi and newcomer Sonon Kusakabe in FF7R Episode INTERmission.
The final trailer showed new scenes from INTERmission, including a confrontation between Yuffie and Scarlet, the director of the weapons division for Shinra Electric Power Company. It also teased characters like Weiss and Nero, known from the 2006 first-person shooter and FFVII spin-off Dirge of Cerberus.
Another FFVII Easter egg was the Fort Condor minigame, which had existed as a side quest in the original game. In the trailer, it appears as a board game, though it remains to be seen if the actual location will appear in future installments.
Yuffie’s mission is concurrent with the events of Remake, as she attempts to sneak into the city of Midgar to steal materia from Shinra. With INTERmission, Yuffie makes an early debut to the remake’s compilation, as she was originally an optional party member who would only appear after the first arc in Midgar.
The First Soldier joins a growing collection of cross-platform games and media tied into the Final Fantasy VII universe, based on the original PlayStation game in 1997. The film Advent Children kicked off the first round of new works set in this world, followed by Dirge of Cerberus in 2006. Dirge introduced Weiss, Nero and the underground soldiers known as Tsviets – all of whom will be making an appearance in INTERmission.
First Soldier will be a battle royale action game that takes place prior to the FFVII series as players compete to be SOLDIER candidates. Square Enix announced that pre-registrations for a closed beta-test of First Soldier are open through May 27, and are currently limited to Android devices.
There was also a Livestream Friday morning that featured gameplay, which included scenes around Midgar, melee combat for monsters, magic casting with materia,l and more.
The mobile game will be released later this year and will be available to iOS and Android. It will be free to download, though with in-app purchases.
Intergrade, as well as the bonus INTERmission storyline with Yuffie, will only be available on the PS5. Many owners of the Remake can receive a free digital upgrade for their PS5 system, though the INTERmission episode will cost $19.99. For more details and an FAQ about upgrade restrictions, visit the official Intergrade website.
