biteho.com

E3 2021 has come and gone. The industry event gave us some exciting new glimpses at the biggest upcoming games, but not everything we know about got a chance in the spotlight. There are still many heavily anticipated games that we’ve been waiting to hear more about for some time now. Below we highlight all the biggest games that were missing from E3 2021.

To catch up with GameSpot’s coverage of E3 2021, check out our Play For All event hub, where we’ve posted all our stories and features. You can also read our E3 2021 recap, or check out our roundup of the best trailers. Otherwise, read on for all the games missing from the show.

Metroid Prime 4

If there’s one game we haven’t heard from in the longest of times, it’s Nintendo’s Metroid Prime 4. This game was announced at E3 2017, but we’ve seen little else aside from its logo ever since. It’s wild to think that nothing has been shown from the game in nearly four years, and even wilder to realize that 2017 is also the year the Switch was initially released.

That’s not to say we haven’t received any development updates around the project. In 2019, Nintendo announced that while the game is still in active development, it had to restart the process entirely, proceeding now in collaboration with Retro Studios–the studio behind the original Metroid Prime Trilogy. We’ve also heard small news of famous developer talent joining and re-joining Retro Studios throughout the years, which bodes well for the upcoming game.

In the Nintendo Direct that took place during E3 2021, Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi said the company is still hard at work on Metroid Prime 4. While it didn’t have anything new to show, we did get details about an all-new 2D entry in the series called Metroid Dread. It’s clear Nintendo has bought itself some time with that announcement, but we still eagerly await the day when we’ll hear more about Metroid Prime 4.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 is undoubtedly one of Square Enix’s most anticipated upcoming games. After the stunning and brilliant Final Fantasy VII Remake, many have been eagerly awaiting more news about the retelling/reimagination of what’s next for Cloud and company. All we know is that the story must continue.

Square Enix’s E3 2021 presentation passed by without a single mention of Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2, so it looks like we’ll need to wait a while longer before we get to see what’s next. Fortunately, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is out now on PS5, which should tide fans over, but that next part can’t come soon enough.

Project Triangle Strategy

Project Triangle Strategy is a tactics-based RPG from Square Enix that seems to echo classic games from famed creator Yasumi Matsuno, such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre. The game was something of a surprise when it was revealed earlier this year, with its Octopath Traveler-like hybrid retro visuals and commitment to the tradition of the aforementioned tactical RPGs it appears to model itself after. But what makes this particular game exciting is its focus on moral choices you need to make, which will alter how the story plays out.

A decently fleshed-out demo for Project Triangle Strategy was released after its initial announcement, possibly signifying that the game is a little bit further along than other projects in Square Enix’s lineup. With a proposed release date of sometime in 2022, we’re hoping Square Enix will reveal more about this game soon–maybe even unveil its final title. After all, Project Triangle Strategy is possibly the worst (and best) name for a game.

Beyond Good & Evil 2

Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil 2 dazzled everyone purely with the ludicrous nature of its existence. Nobody would’ve guessed a sequel to the cult-favorite adventure game from famed developer Michel Ancel would come to fruition after years of dashed hopes. And yet, there it was, on Ubisoft’s E3 2017 stage. Since then, news about the project has been up and down, with some new trailers and the occasional reassurance from Ubisoft that it’s still in development. Speaking of which, work on Beyond Good & Evil 2 heavily differs from Ubisoft’s other unreleased projects in that it actively involves the community in dictating what goes into the game.

Recently, the biggest news to break about Beyond Good & Evil 2 was the departure of Ancel, who was helping to lead development on the sequel. His leaving didn’t spell doom for the project, though. In his announcement post, he said that the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2 has transitioned to moving on autonomously without him–which seems to bode well for the game. Regardless, we didn’t get to see or hear anything about Beyond Good & Evil 2 at E3 2021.

Skull & Bones

It hasn’t always been the best news for Ubisoft Singapore’s long-awaited pirate game Skull & Bones. The game has been delayed several times since its original announcement at E3 2017. Most recently, it was meant to launch sometime after March 2020.

According to Ubisoft management during a recent news briefing, development on the game has been going well, and the additional time will allow the studio the breathing room it needs to realize its vision. However, based on the project’s current status, it’s clear that Ubisoft wasn’t ready to give Skull & Bones the spotlight again at E3 2021. So, with more time required in the oven, we’ll have to wait a while longer until we properly sail the seven seas.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad game was purposefully left out of this year’s E3 festivities. Warner Bros. announced ahead of time that it wouldn’t be making an appearance, confirming that Turtle Rock’s Left 4 Dead spiritual successor, Back 4 Blood, would be the only game shown during its segment.

With the action-adventure shooter set to release in 2022, it’s likely Warner Bros. aims to reveal more of Suicide Squad at a later date–which has DC fans restless. After all, we barely know anything about the game. So far, all we’ve seen is the debut trailer, a lovely mood piece that offered a quick glimpse into the tone Rocksteady is going for with this one. The game tasks you with killing a Brainiac-controlled Superman as protagonists Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark.

Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy was also not at E3 2021 for the same reason as Suicide Squad, with Warner Bros. saving it for another time. The upcoming Harry Potter universe game is in active development by Avalanche Software. Set in the 1800s, Hogwarts Legacy is an RPG where you create your own wizarding school student. You’ll attend classes, learn new spells, and gain the freedom to explore a vast open world consisting of familiar Harry Potter locations, including the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade Village.

During Sony’s PS5 stream last year, we got a brief glimpse of the game, but have heard only minor rumblings since, particularly about controversies surrounding a former developer and its subsequent delay to 2022.

Gotham Knights

Like Suicide Squad and Hogwarts Legacy, Gotham Knights also passed on E3 2021 this year. As the next major release from WB Games Montreal, Gotham Knights is a Batman game without Batman. That might sound ridiculous, but Gotham Knights focuses on the adventures of the Bat-family seemingly after the death of the Caped Crusader. As Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and the Red Hood, you work to restore justice in Gotham City and depose a villainous secret society known as the Court of Owls.

Since its official reveal last year, news for Gotham Knights has been limited. It was also hit by a delay earlier this year, and is now scheduled to release sometime in 2022.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake

Shortly before E3 2021, Ubisoft announced that its upcoming Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake being delayed to an unspecified date, eliminating any chances of it appearing at the company’s press conference. Still, the game is in active development, with the extra time enabling the team to “deliver a remake that feels fresh while remaining faithful to the original.”

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was a highly influential and critically acclaimed action-adventure game, so it makes sense that more time is needed to meet expectations. We just hope we get to see more of the game again sooner rather than later.

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI was one of the crowning jewels of Sony’s PS5 stream last year. As a (potentially) timed-exclusive and the next mainline entry of Square Enix’s tenured RPG franchise, expectations for the upcoming game are undoubtedly high–if not just as high as those for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2. The no-show from Final Fantasy XVI at E3 2021 could be due to Sony potentially having an exclusive claim to more information about the game, but it’s all up in the air at this point.

All that’s left to do now is wait for whatever Sony or Square Enix plan to do next. Maybe that’ll be the time to see what’s going on with all the political drama in the world of Valisthea. For more about Final Fantasy XVI, be sure to check out our feature detailing everything we know so far.

Pragmata

With all the recent fanfare around Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, you might’ve forgotten that Capcom has an entirely new IP in the works: Pragmata. Revealed during Sony’s PS5 stream last year, the upcoming sci-fi game looks absolutely surreal, with its debut trailer focusing on an astronaut and a little girl being attacked by some otherworldly, physics-defying force. You should watch it if you haven’t already.

Regardless, Pragmata was a no-show at E3 2021, and for a good reason. The game isn’t scheduled to release until 2023. It was initially slated for 2022, but Sony confirmed that it was delayed at CES 2021.

Bayonetta 3

For nearly four years, fans have eagerly awaited news about Bayonetta 3. The upcoming Switch exclusive was first confirmed during the 2017 Game Awards. Still, information since its big debut has been scarce, existing in a nebulous space among other games like Metroid Prime 4 and The Elder Scrolls 6.

Series creator Hideki Kamiya recently assured that more details about the game would come sometime this year. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s E3 2021 Direct presentation wasn’t that time, so we’re hoping it’ll be at the next big one. Until then, we’ll just have to continue using our imaginations to picture what Bayonetta’s next big adventure will be like.

Fable

Microsoft’s E3 2021 briefing was one of the show’s highlights overall, but what it didn’t have was any news about the long-awaited new Fable. Fans might have been hoping to see something–anything–about what Microsoft has in store for the RPG series, but alas, it was not meant to be. The game is in development at Playground Games, following the closure of the series’ creator, Lionhead. Playground’s other main team is working on Forza Horizon 5, which had its big announcement at E3 this year, so the developer wasn’t absent from the show overall.

The fact that the new Fable didn’t show up at E3 2021 is not necessarily a sign that the game is in trouble. That said, the series is beloved, and fans are no doubt eager to see where it’s headed next, so here’s to hoping Microsoft takes the lid off the project sooner rather than later.

The Elder Scrolls 6

This one may be something Bethesda will have to deal with for the next few years, but after announcing The Elder Scrolls 6 back at its E3 2018 conference, the publisher has kept its audience entirely in the dark about the game. We knew it would be coming after Starfield, but with that game not releasing until the end of 2022, it’s possible we won’t hear more about The Elder Scrolls 6 until as late as 2023.

The truth is that the game shouldn’t be on this list because Bethesda shouldn’t have even announced it yet. But alas, we do know it’s in the works, and that means being disappointed for a year or two more before it makes another appearance.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is perhaps one of the most anticipated games of 2022, mostly because it’s looking to experiment with everything we’ve come to expect from the franchise, offering a vast open world to explore as you embark on a journey to create the Sinnoh region’s first Pokedex.

Based on its debut trailer, many have compared Pokemon Legends: Arceus to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which puts a truckload of high expectations on the already highly anticipated game. The sheer potential of this one has us hoping that the Pokemon Company will reveal more about what we can expect from the game soon. We understand why it wasn’t given the spotlight at E3 2021, though, seeing as it would’ve gone directly up against Breath of the Wild 2. Regardless, we’ll see whether or not Pokemon Legends: Arceus can hope to meet them when it releases on January 28, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl didn’t show up at this year’s E3. The franchise, in general, didn’t have a presence at the show. It made sense not to see much about Pokemon Legends, but Shining Pearl & Brilliant Diamond are both confirmed for this November, so it came as a shock to not hear at least a minor rumbling about them during Nintendo’s Direct presentation. These remakes of Generation IV are coming soon, though, and we have to imagine that the Pokemon Company will have an event sooner or later to give us another deep dive.

Splatoon 3

Nintendo announced Splatoon 3 earlier this year, and we know the game will arrive next year, so not seeing it at all during a 40-minute E3 Nintendo Direct presentation was pretty surprising. Perhaps it’s a matter of not wanting to over-share when we know the basic Splatoon formula–or that Nintendo wants to push Splatoon 3 when an upgraded Switch is available. But it was a curious omission nonetheless.

Still, in Nintendo’s case, it might be that one of the reasons Splatoon 3 wasn’t shown is that there was simply so much else to show, from Breath of the Wild’s sequel to a remake of the first two Advance Wars games. There are plenty of other chances this year to show more Splatoon 3.

Avowed

We know The Elder Scrolls 6 is still years away, but what about Avowed, the first-person fantasy game from fellow Xbox Game Studios developer Obsidian? Set in the world of Pillars of Eternity, the very short teaser shown last year got us excited about an RPG that looked like a very competent Elder Scrolls alternative.

Though it wasn’t shown at E3 2021, Obsidian says it’s hard at work on the game and will share more soon, so we may not have to wait too long to see how it’s shaping up. Since it’s not coming to Xbox One, it could be an awe-inspiring technical showcase for Xbox Series X.

Perfect Dark

The Perfect Dark reboot came across as a pleasant surprise when it was first announced at last year’s Game Awards. For those who’ve long awaited a new game in the series, the upcoming reboot represents an exciting return for protagonist Agent Joanna Dark.

Since the reveal, all we’ve had for months is that debut trailer, and that situation didn’t change at E3 2021. It seems like Microsoft and developer The Initiative both need a bit more time before they can give us another taste of Perfect Dark.

The Callisto Protocol

The Callisto Protocol is an upcoming spiritual successor to the Dead Space series. Revealed at last year’s Game Awards, this new third-person survival horror game–set in the same universe as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds–caught a lot of people’s attention. After all, EA has effectively shelved the Dead Space franchise, making this game the next best thing for diehard fans of the series. And with Dead Space co-creator Glen Schoefield at the helm, The Callisto Protocol sounds like a formula for success.

Unfortunately, E3 2021 wasn’t the platform for the game to make another appearance, as it’s still very much in early development. So it may not be another year or two until we get to see more of The Callisto Protocol. In the meantime, though, the debut trailer remains a thrilling mood piece to watch, leaning hard on terrifying sci-fi horror.

GhostWire Tokyo

GhostWire Tokyo was announced a few years ago, before Microsoft’s ZeniMax acquisition, and we’ve heard very little about the game since then. Creative director Ikumi Nakamura left Tango Gameworks just a few months later, despite her presentation becoming a meme and earning the game extra attention during E3 2019.

We know GhostWire Tokyo will be a first-person action-adventure game with spooky elements, but Tango Gameworks needs to show some extended gameplay before we’re convinced it is combining them effectively.

Forspoken

Square Enix hosted its own E3 2021 showcase this year, and it probably shouldn’t have, because it was a bit thin. There were only a few real game announcements, and it contained a few revelations people were not psyched about (such as Babylon’s Fall being a cooperative live service game). Square Enix definitely did not have a show-stopping moment this year. Would including Forspoken in the presentation have completely saved the show? No, but it’s undoubtedly one of the most exciting games coming from the publisher.

Previously known as Project Athia, Forspoken is a unique take on fantasy that uses a gritty, realistic art style. It was developed specifically for the PS5, so it’s going to leverage the console’s power, and given the… not great visuals of a few of Square Enix’s other games at the showcase, it would have been very impressive.

Everwild

Developer Rare showed up at E3 this year with a big game, but it wasn’t its new IP, Everwild. Instead, the studio focused on its big Pirates of the Caribbean crossover expansion for Sea of Thieves and didn’t say a peep about Everwild, which remains elusive and mysterious.

One of the reasons why the game may not have appeared at E3 this year is because, as multiple reports have said, the game was rebooted after its creative director left in 2020. According to VGC, the game is undergoing a “complete overhaul,” and if this is true, that could explain why Microsoft held back making any announcements about the project. The game’s design was said to be “restarted from scratch,” so it’s understandable–if true–that Rare wouldn’t be in a position to talk about or show off the game until a later date. Rare is an esteemed, beloved studio with a good track record, so fans are no doubt eagerly anticipating the full reveal of Everwild.

MachineGames’ Indiana Jones

Wolfenstein developer MachineGames is working on a new Indiana Jones game. We first got to hear about it shortly after Lucasfilm announced that all video games based on its properties will now live under the “Lucasfilm Games” umbrella, and that’s just about all we’ve heard since then. With nothing but a 30-second teaser out, it’s clear that the game is still in early development, making it understandable that it didn’t show up during the Xbox & Bethesda joint press conference.

Ubisoft’s Star Wars Game

Ubisoft also confirmed it was working on a Star Wars game after the Lucasfilm Games announcement. Like the Indiana Jones game, we’ve learned next to nothing about the project since it was announced. All we know is that it’s an open-world game developed by Ubisoft Massive–the same team that’s at work on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which is confirmed to release in 2022. As such, the upcoming open-world Star Wars game is still very much in its early stages, so don’t expect any news about it to come anytime soon.

IO’s Project 007

Now that IO Interactive’s Hitman trilogy is complete, the developer is hard at work on new projects–though Hitman is still receiving a fair share of post-launch support. We currently know IO is working on a game based on the James Bond franchise with a completely original story, confirmed earlier this year.

As we came to expect going into E3 2021, we’re not likely to see the game any time soon. IO has been on a hiring spree to meet the demands of working on the project, among others in its docket, so it’s likely we’ll need to wait a few more years until we get to see the game at any big industry events or streams.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

It’s no surprise that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was a no-show at E3 2021. Publisher Paradox Interactive removed developer Hardsuit Labs from the project earlier this year–leading to a bunch of layoffs at Hardsuit–and then announced that a new studio would be taking over. This has delayed the game, pushing it out of its previous 2021 launch window. The publisher has yet to reveal which studio is taking over the project or why it decided to drop Hardsuit Labs. However, this probably means that Bloodlines 2 is still a ways off from release.

Diablo IV

There was no word or sign of Diablo IV at E3 2021–though if you’re looking for some new Diablo info, be sure to check out our Play For All interview with Rod Fergusson, where we talk about Diablo II: Resurrected. Diablo IV still doesn’t have a release window, but we know quite a bit about the game already (which makes it all the more puzzling that no new trailer or launch date announcement was made at E3 this year).

This upcoming RPG takes place decades after the events of Diablo III’s Reaper of Souls expansion, focusing on the common people and their struggles in a now-ravaged world. In addition, several of the traditional Diablo classes make their return in this sequel, including the Barbarian and Rogue (the latter of which hasn’t been seen in the franchise since 1996’s Diablo).

New Mass Effect

BioWare was notably absent at E3 2021, not piggybacking off any of the press conferences to further detail what’s going on with its new projects. So we didn’t get any new information about BioWare’s new Mass Effect game–heck, not even a confirmation of its name. For now, all we know about this new Mass Effect is that it exists and that original trilogy character Liara is a part of it, as she is seen in the game’s announcement trailer. Theories abound as to what the plot of this new game could be, with our favorite being that this game is a follow-up to both Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Given that we know a bit more about BioWare’s next Dragon Age game, we imagine that is coming out before this new Mass Effect game, so we could be quite a ways from hearing more. And speaking of Dragon Age…

New Dragon Age

BioWare’s absence from E3 2021 meant that we didn’t get to see any new developments for its upcoming Dragon Age game, either. Still untitled, this upcoming RPG is wrapped in mystery. We have a few details, though. BioWare: Stories and Secrets revealed that the primary setting for this game is Tevinter, a human nation mentioned in previous Dragon Age games but never shown. Reports indicate that the game won’t feature a multiplayer component (thankfully), but that hasn’t been confirmed. Executive producer Christian Dailey has also teasingly released concept art for the game, one of which revealed that the Grey Wardens will feature in the game in some capacity. But other than that, nothing.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

While we got to hear more about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II at the Xbox Games Showcase – Extended stream, it technically wasn’t at E3 2021. According to developer Ninja Theory, the game actually hasn’t entered full development yet–which explains why we didn’t get to see more at Microsoft’s E3 2021 presentation. Still, we’ve got a bit more new information about the upcoming sequel thanks to a recent dev diary.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II continues the titular protagonist’s journey, this time taking place in Iceland. Unlike its predecessor, it’ll be releasing exclusively for Xbox platforms and PC.

Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s tone often slides between light, funny moments and dark, tragic drama. But from the first moments of Intermission, the DLC mission added to the game with its Intergrade PlayStation 5 upgrade, it’s clear this new episode is mostly a comedy. In jumps Yuffie, one of the original game’s optional characters, and immediately her dangerous espionage mission to infiltrate the evil Shinra Corporation in Midgar is played like a kid goofing off. It’s a vibe that really works for the DLC, trading on the fact that Remake continues to be great about establishing fun, eccentric characters.

Taking place in the middle of Remake’s story, during the portion in which Cloud is separated from his compatriots, it follows Yuffie as she embarks on a mission to steal a secret Shinra weapon on behalf of her homeland, Wutai. Though the mission is dangerous, Yuffie approaches it with all the seriousness of a kid playing pretend–even though she’s on her way to first meet with Midgar’s Shinra resistance movement, Avalanche, and then sneak into the headquarters of a company that recently concluded a full-scale war with her home.

The trouble with Intermission is that this side story doesn’t feel essential to anything going on. Sure, the DLC is providing context and backstory for a character that fans of the original Final Fantasy VII know will show up later in the story, but Yuffie’s mission is largely about her wandering around areas we’ve already seen, floating past but barely interacting with Remake’s cast, and taking part in minigames to waste some time. Yuffie’s a fun character to spend time with, even if you don’t have history with her from the first iteration of Final Fantasy VII, but it all comes off as a tease for something better down the road in FF7 Remake’s next installment. And after the remarkably deep and excellently realized version of the story that is Remake, Intermission feels like exactly that: a half-measure to fill time while we wait for the real show.

That’s not to say Intermission isn’t fun to play more often than not, though. When Yuffie is in combat, which is pretty damn often, she’s a blast to play. Like all the characters of Remake’s main cast, Yuffie has her own unique combat style that distinguishes her from how everyone else has played up to now. As a Wutai ninja, she packs a throwing star that’s good as both a close-range melee weapon and at long ranges. The options allow you to control the distance as you fight enemies–you can get in close to wail on them, bounce back to create a gap, then throw the star for distant damage that Yufife follows up with elementally charged “Ninjutsu” attacks that keep her out of harm’s way. Tap the Triangle button and you can retrieve your thrown star, not by drawing it back to you, but by sending Yuffie to it, allowing you to quickly close gaps and use enemies to maneuver around the battlefield.

Yuffie’s combat is all about controlling space and landing combos, and the string of melee attacks, star throws, and Ninjutsu allow you to absolutely lay into enemies for long barrages that can knock them off their feet and make them easy to dispatch. Once you get a rhythm down, there are times when it can be almost too easy to dismantle foes with all the options Yuffie has on-hand, especially as you add more weapons and materia to the mix. She’s a fast-paced fighter who can be devastating when you string her attacks together, and it’s a lot of fun to deftly mix all of her attacks together to dominate the battlefield.

Partway through the first chapter, Yuffie is joined by Sonon, her partner on the mission and a slightly older Wutai operative. In combat, Sonon acts as another means by which Yuffie can build out combos. You can’t control him, but you can trigger “synergy,” which has Yuffie and Sonon executing ability attacks for big damage and added effects. It’s a cool, if fairly simple, system that provides another tool for combat, while keeping the focus on Yuffie and her specific style.

Gallery

It’s in the dynamic between Yuffie and Sonon where we see shades of Remake, and Intermission at its best. Because Yuffie is technically the senior ninja despite her age, Sonon defers to her, while bouncing between exasperation for her overconfident, just-wing-it antics, and trying to give her a little helpful advice. For her part, Yuffie takes it all in stride. She knows how great a ninja she is, but she also never lets go of that air of excitedly performing “cool” for whoever happens to be looking in her direction. She’s a kid of incredible talent who’s still desperate to be taken seriously, while Sonon is a protective older brother type looking for a middle ground between annoying overbearance and risky overindulgence.

While the dynamic between Yuffie and Sonon is an interesting one, it doesn’t get tested or pushed much. That’s because the DLC neither covers an especially long time, nor puts the pair in especially impactful situations (you can wrap up the main story in four or five hours, longer if you decide to do some side content). The first chapter sees Yuffie and Sonon helping an Avalanche member avoid getting captured by Shinra by wandering through a sanitation plant in the undercity; the second has them running around the Shinra building. There aren’t any real twists or turns and there’s not much in the way of conflict except for the mission itself and the robots Shinra dispatches to try to stop you.

The same goes for what the story adds to the overall tale of Remake. Intermission plops you in the middle of Sector 7 during the tumultuous time before the story’s midpoint, but you mostly just get a few lines that flesh out the backstory of the squad of Remake. What’s more interesting are the bits in which Yuffie and Sonon have idle discussions about the political situation in Midgar and the rest of the world, as well as their ideological similarities and differences to Avalanche and its anti-Shinra operations.

Those little tidbits are where what Intermission adds to the story seems useful. It gives these little looks into both Yuffie’s character and the larger political landscape of Final Fantasy VII Remake, in a way that helps you understand the world a little better. But these small items are pretty few and far between, and while the character-building for Yuffie is nice, it’s not super clear why we’re revisiting this point in time or these places, or what revisiting them adds to the game overall.

There’s a big swing in this feeling right at the end of the DLC, where Intermission starts throwing deep-cut FF7 characters into the mix. It seems pretty clear that the idea here is to bring the wider FF7 universe, fleshed out in spin-offs like Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus into the main storyline, but the DLC doesn’t provide any context for what’s going on or, crucially, who these people are. Again, it plays into the idea that Intermission feels like a tease for where things are going later on, when we’re likely to get a more complete look at some of these elements. For now, it mostly adds confusion, especially if you’re not overly familiar with all that extra FF7 lore, and makes for some less than satisfying moments as the DLC wraps up.

Gallery

Apart from the main story, Intermission also adds some side content to keep you busy, but it mostly seems to exist to pad the runtime. There are a few new combat challenges and minigames, like Whack-A-Box (in which you break boxes by hitting them, earning points before a timer runs out) and Fort Condor, a sort of light strategy game. Fort Condor is the big new item in Intermission, mixing the spirit of chess with the creature summoning of Magic: The Gathering, in the broadest sense. You get a series of characters you can place on the board, who then march toward your opponent’s side and try to destroy their three forts. Your opponent can also drop characters, and who wins a fight depends on a rock-paper-scissors system that determines which types of characters get the upper hand. Its simplicity makes it very easy to pick up and play.

Fort Condor can be fun, especially as you add new pieces and boards to your repertoire, which give you a variety of options for your attacks and defenses, and the ability to use some magic spells during a match. But it’s all pretty simplistic, ultimately. You don’t control the character, you just choose where to put them, and the strategy is all about what pieces you use and when. Boards that let you get pieces out faster and in greater numbers tend to win, and there’s just not a lot of brainy options or strategic thinking that can help you to win out if you happen to have the wrong set of pieces of a particular matchup. With only a handful of matches to play during your first run through the story, it also won’t keep you busy for very long.

Altogether, Fort Condor, the story of Intermission, and all the other content in the DLC suffer from the same problem: They feel exceedingly thin. Not that an add-on chapter to a game needs to be especially enormous, but Intermission is a DLC that mostly takes place in one of the hub areas of FF7 Remake, and yet lacks meaningful character interactions or side quests to flesh out its world. Hanging out with Yuffie and Sonon is fun, but while you have run-ins with a number of important characters in key moments, the whole thing brings little to your understanding of the story of Remake as a whole.

In the end, Intermission is a pit stop, a quick jaunt into the gas station minimart of Final Fantasy VII to refuel, grab a snack, and get ready to wait some more. With its fun combat and quirky character moments, it’ll likely remind you of what you like about FF7 Remake–but it won’t be enough to hold you over.