Final Fantasy VII Remake was a stunning-looking title when it landed on PS4 in 2020. Despite weird shortcomings in its presentation, VII Remake put on afantastic-looking showfor the outgoing console. With the PS5 releasing just a few months later, however, fans wondered whether Square Enix would release Final Fantasy VII Remake for the new console. Fast-forward in time, Final Fantasy VII Intergrade is about to launch on PS5, bringing with it a laundry list of visual and performance enhancements, as well as a new chapter starring Yuffie. Since we couldn’t play the Yuffie chapter (it wasn’t made available in time for review), we’ll hold back on judging the whole package. We can let you know, however, what kind of visual upgrades to expect.
First off, the door is fixed. That low-resolution apartment door that spawned many memes has been completely fixed and it’s an example of what Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade does best: cleaning up the low-resolution problem areas in the PS4 version. While the overall presentation on PS4 is strong, the occasional low-quality asset is an eye-catching sore. Intergrade replaces those assets with much higher-quality ones.
Overall, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a much cleaner-looking game than its PS4 counterpart. While you won’t find next-gen techniques like ray-tracing, the results are a game with clearer, more detailed textures. Enhanced effects also add more drama to scenes, particularly where there’s fire or fog. Certain scenes involving lots of fire effects or a particular stage sequence that uses fog look even more dramatic in Intergrade.
While ray-tracing isn’t present, there’s a genuine effort to make scenes look and feel more realistic. Lighting in certain areas now looks like it comes from a source in the environment. Reflections also showcase more detail, though they continue to use a mix of cube maps and screen-space reflections. These are both small changes that work to make the world of Midgar feel more believable.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade retains the same core experience as the PS4 version outside of graphical improvements. You get the same story, fantastic blend of action and turn-based combat, and explosive setpieces of the PS4 version, just with a prettier presentation. It also plays a lot better, should you opt for the Performance Mode, which knocks the resolution down to provide players a smooth 60 frames-per-second. It’s an excellent way to enjoy the game, though resolution purists can switch to the Graphics mode for a 4K, 30fps experience. Outside of this, if you played Final Fantasy VII Remake a year ago, you’ll know what to expect.
As for PS5 specific features, the game doesn’t truly use the console’s unique selling points like titles built for the console. DualSense support is alright, though it doesn’t come close to matching the output other games have achieved. What is impressive, however, are the load times. Final Fantasy VII Remake’s sometimes minute-long load times have nearly been eliminated. After all these months after the launch of the PS5, the SSD’s abilities remain as impressive as ever.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a solid upgrade of the PS4 version, smoothing out the graphical and performance inconsistencies of the last-gen release. It doesn’t use any next-gen techniques like ray-tracing, but does use the PS5’s power better to suck the player into its world. While we aren’t ready to pass judgment on Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade yet, what we’ve seen is a solid upgrade. Be sure to check back for the full review following our playthrough of Intergrade’s new content, Episode INTERmission.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is available June 10 on PS5. Owners of the PS4 game can upgrade to Intergrade for free but will need to purchase INTERmission. The episode is included with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade.
