I’m old enough to remember all those years that the gaming community at large was desperate for Final Fantasy VII to get a remake. What once seemed like an impossible dream was eventually announced as in development, and then after another mammoth wait the first part of this project finally arrived in 2020. Now I was never one of the diehard FFVII fans back in the PS1 era, mainly because the first Final Fantasy game I played was the ninth instalment. I always respected this masterpiece of an RPG though, and was more than happy to check out a modernised take on it. It ended up sitting at the top of my game of the year list, impressing me in pretty much every conceivable way. The only thing better would be the ability to play it portably, and now thanks to Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Switch 2 I can do just that.
So for those unfamiliar with Final Fantasy VII Remake, it’s the first part in a trilogy that’s retelling the story of the original PlayStation classic. It covers the portion of the game that takes place in Midgar, and as of the time of writing the third part of this trilogy is unreleased and even unnamed. All three games will be coming to the Switch 2 though, so if this is your preferred or only way to play it then you’re in luck.
Final Fantasy VII Remake follows JRPG royalty Cloud Strife, an ex member of the Shinra combat unit called Soldier who is now helping out terrorist group Avalanche. In the heavily industrial city of Midgar, pollution and poverty are around every corner. Avalanche believe that the megacorp Shinra are killing the planet by draining it of an energy source known as Mako, and are looking to stop them by any means necessary. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way though (as any fan of the original will be painfully aware of) as well as a huge cast of beloved characters.
It won’t take long for you to be introduced to some of the most iconic gaming characters of all time, like the fiery leader of Avalanche Barrett, Cloud’s childhood friend Tifa, and flower-seller Aerith. The enemies are just as beloved too, especially Sephiroth who, let’s face it, is probably the most popular gaming villain of all time. The remake captures all of these icons perfectly, with flawless voice acting that fits their personalities to a tee.
The biggest change of all for this remake though is in the combat, which is now action based. You’ll move around the battlefield and attack, dodge and block in real time, with the familiar active time bar filling alongside which you can use to unleash special attacks. This evolved combat is some of the most engaging the genre has ever seen, with all the flash of the PS1 original coupled with perfect pacing and tense boss fights.
You’ll likely spend most of your time in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade playing as Cloud, but you’re also able to switch between characters to anyone in your party. Each party member functions differently, with totally unique attacks and skills. Barrett’s range is perfect for taking down hard to reach foes, Cloud has a punisher mode where he can counter all melee attacks, and Tifa is a punching specialist who has ridiculously powerful offense if she builds up her Chi. This change ensures all the different characters feel totally unique, which wasn’t really the case back in the nineties.
As you’d expect from a Final Fantasy game, there are all sorts of ways to customise and upgrade your party as you level up from all that slashing and slicing. Getting new gear and upgrading it is seriously compelling, but the real magic comes from playing around with Materia. These magic glowing balls can be slotted into weapons and armour, and grant access to spells, special attacks, summons and stat buffs. By combining Materia in joined spots you can even create powerful combination skills, such as mass healing and boosted elemental attacks. Deciding on Materia to use and levelling it up is so incredibly engaging, without being overly complex for a newcomer.
Now if you played Final Fantasy VII Remake over five years ago you’ll likely be nodding along to all this, but that’s not all this package contains. Because this is the Intergrade version of the game it includes the extra mini campaign centered around Yuffie. I hadn’t played this until the Switch 2 release, which is slightly odd as Yuffie is one of my favourite characters from the original game. It’s a fantastic five hour experience with a change of pace in combat, and a fantastic strategy minigame called Fort Condor to become obsessed with.
When I first experienced Final Fantasy VII Remake I was blown away by the visuals, which were at the time more impressive than anything I’d ever played. I was worried that on Switch 2 I’d be less impressed due to technical limitations, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Once that iconic intro began I was in awe all over again. It’s absolutely magic how well this game runs on a handheld console, with barely impacted visual fidelity and a stable 30fps that is so smooth it’s hard to feel bad about it. I’m not sure a more beautiful portable game exists, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to holding it in my hands.
It’s hard to find issues with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, be it on the Switch 2 or otherwise. There are a few too many sections where you’re forced to walk slowly as story happens, which gets a little tiresome. Some purists find the story changes upsetting too, but really there’s no pleasing them.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the new gold standard when it comes to Switch 2 ports, and one of the best games available on the system full stop. If you’re a framerate snob you may still prefer to play it on a more standard home console, but for a handheld option it’s seriously impressive. I can’t wait to play more of this trilogy while tucked up in bed on my Switch 2, as it’s now my preferred way to play one of my all time favourite games.
