Square Enix surprised fans of the original Final Fantasy VII when it was announced that the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake INTERmission DLC would feature Yuffie, a character not seen in the original game until the party had ventured outside of Midgar. Now, the Japanese publisher seems to be further shoring up its canon defenses by revealing that the new content will offer fans the opportunity to “dig deeper” into the lore of Final Fantasy VII, while also making it seem as if Yuffie’s mission to Midgar helped line up her introduction to the party later on.

Square Enix took to its official website to showcase a discussion between Final Fantasy VII Remake co-directors Naoki Hamaguchi and Motomu Toriyuama. During the discussion, Hamaguchi confirms that the new Yuffie content would exist separately from Cloud and friends, though it’s also confirmed that this side mission would directly set up the fateful meeting between Yuffie and Cloud later on. “The new episode takes place at the same time that Cloud and company are continuing their fight in Midgar,” Hamaguchi confirms. “The story follows Yuffie on her mission as a ninja operative – tasked with stealing valuable materia from Shinra.”

Our goal was to present players with a story that leads up to Yuffie’s later encounter with Cloud and his group. In addition, the new episode was an opportunity to dig deeper into the lore of FINAL FANTASY VII.”

This is an interesting revelation, as until many fans of the original game simply though that Yuffie had happened upon the materia-laden party by chance. Hamaguchi’s commentary seems to suggest that Yuffie willingly follows Cloud and friends after their exit from Midgar and makes her presence known when the time is right. We can only hope that this time around she won’t steal our materia.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is slated to release on June 10, 2021 exclusively for PS5.

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