Final Fantasy VII Remake hit shelves on April 10, 2020. And let me tell you, after waiting months, and conquering waiting lines, it felt great to walk into GameStop and then proceed to have to wait another week because they ran out.

Nonetheless, on April 17th, I finally got my hands on the best game of 2020. The game left me in awe, with its beautifully complex characters, incredible soundtrack, and fun, action-packed gameplay. I was entranced, and still find myself playing the game today, after completing my first run months ago. So you can imagine the hype I felt personally for the new episode of the game, featuring our favorite ninja girl, Yuffie Kisaragi. 

But that’s where the controversy starts. You see, I, like many other Final Fantasy VII Remake players, haven’t got my hands on the PS5 console. After viewing the trailer, and doing a bit of research, the game was revealed to be a PS5 exclusive, which honestly stinks for fans of the series, like myself.

Now, this isn’t an article trying to guilt Square into changing their game, because honestly, it’s pretty fair. Times are changing, and while most of us wish Square put this on the console they started with, and the PS5, we have no choice but to accept it for what it is.

Now, the burning questions that come with every trailer. Who’s the main character(s)? What exactly is going on? And most importantly, when can we see this masterpiece on shelves? Readers, that and more, in this article. Keep in mind that these are my thoughts and interpretations of the trailer. The information presented in the article is not 100% confirmed and consists mainly of inferences I’ve made.

Of course, the trailer starts with a bit of a recap of the story behind the episode. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret at the Sector 5 Mako Reactor, before it explodes. Cloud sees Sephiroth, the villain of the main game, and attacks him. Sephiroth then attacks back, cutting the floor up with his, (And yes, I’ve looked), eight-foot-long katana. Cloud falls to the Sector Five Slums, meeting Aerith and such in the main story. However, this is where the new stuff is introduced. 

A Girl spying through a scope device looks down at the Midgar below the building she’s standing on, giving a good monologue on who she is and why she’s there. She tells the audience her identity is Yuffie Kisaragi, an operative from Wutai, looking to take down Midgar. She’s seen interacting with AVALANCHE, agreeing to help them in their personal mission against Shinra, who are essentially the people who run Midgar.

After all the talking and the pretty graphics, we get a good look as to who exactly we’re playing with. Her fighting style is unique, like every other character, and honestly looks the most fun. Tagging alongside her is a new character, Sonon Kusakabe.

He refers to her as ‘Boss’ in the trailer, so I think that maybe he’s just an average henchman under Wutai. However, we all know Tetsuya Nomura would not give us this guy without him being important. His playstyle looks like that of Cid Highwind’s from the 1997 original. Their weapons being extremely similar in design. Yuffie uses a 4 pointed shuriken in this episode, by the way, which is no surprise seeing as that’s what we see her within the original. The trailer shows off new mechanics like wall-running, and sliding down poles, as well as gameplay of battles with these two characters.

And, in all seriousness, let me just say this — this game, in its entirety, is gorgeous. The graphics are remarkable, and it’s amazing how well they not only captured the original essence of these characters, and yet made them that much more modern in the Remake. 

Anyways, beautiful graphics or not, the trailer ends with a similar sight for the 10 people who actually played the PS2 spin-off, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. Personally, I didn’t touch DoC with a 10-foot pole, so thank God for Twitter comments. The last few frames show a character under the name of ‘Weiss’. Weiss was an antagonist in Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. And since I didn’t play that game, I don’t know what he wants or why he’s there. However, this I do know. If I didn’t want a PS5 before, now I know I have to get my hands on one, just for our girl Yuffie. 

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, on shelves June 10th, 2021.