In the latest in a series of videos called Creator’s Voice, Final Fantasy Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi discussed the upcoming rerelease of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, making its debut on a Nintendo Console for the first time after being much requested.
Intergrade was the expansion of the initial 2020 PS4 release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, which followed the party’s escape from the city of Midgar and initial conflict with the antagonist organization Shinra. This portion of the 1997 original series only takes up about 2-3 hours of the first disk, encompassing around 40 hours here and making up a full game. the Intergrade DLC was meant to bridge the gap between part 1 of the remake series and part 2 by introducing a new story where the player takes the role of Yuffie, shortly before the party meets her outside of Midgar. A slate of technical improvements was also present.
Currently, the two released titles in the series, Remake and Rebirth, are available on the PlayStation 5 and PC. Fans have argued the series should see release on the Nintendo Switch, though debates about the original system’s hardware limitations have raised questions about whether it could run on the platform. Thankfully, as Hamaguchi states in this interview, with the Nintendo Switch 2’s vast hardware improvements over the predecessor, it is possible to port the game without compromise.
Hamaguchi additionally said, “Being able to play this game on the Switch 2 in handheld mode means you can play it on the train while commuting to work.” Aspects like this should help make the series more accessible in Japan, where portability has always been a desired aspect. This aspect, as he says, will also allow players to connect with each other and the game, being able to easily show the game and their progress to others.
Final Fantasy VII Remake on the Nintendo Switch 2 will also feature elements like GameChat. A feature that Nintendo has been touting along with the system’s new Camera, allowing players to play the game and see each other. Through this, they can share their game screen and enable sharing in real time.
Hamaguchi stated, “I have high hopes that we can build a strong partnership between Nintendo and the Final Fantasy brand.” This falls in line with Square Enix’s renewed commitment to developing for all platforms. In this vein, he also nonchalantly stated,”I hope players are looking forward to the Final Fantasy VII Remake series on Switch 2,” suggesting heavily that this is just the start.
It will be interesting to see, alongside the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, if mainline entries will also see release on the platform. Previously, Final Fantasy XV, which was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One simultaneously but did not see release on the Nintendo Switch, instead got a port of the Pocket Edition, a more cartoony and streamlined mobile version of the game.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will release on June 5 alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Square Enix has yet to confirm a physical edition for the game.
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