There were once Tifa story segments planned for Final Fantasy VII Remake, but they were cut during development. The upcoming Yuffie DLC for FF7 Remake Intergrade has the chance to add them back in, as they took place during the same part of the game's story.
In FF7 and FF7 Remake, Cloud is separated from the other members of the party during the Mako Reactor 5 bombing mission. The Air Buster robot explodes, sending Cloud plummeting to the slums below. He lands in the Sector 5 Church, where he meets Aerith for the first time. Cloud and Aerith fight their way through Shinra troops and the Turks on the way back to her home. Cloud then spots Tifa on the back of a Chocobo Wagon as she heads to Don Corneo's mansion. He learns she is going undercover in order to learn more about Don Corneo's dealings with the Shinra Corporation. Aerith and Cloud decide to sneak into the mansion, as well, leading to the FF7's famous cross-dressing section.
According to an interview with FF7 Remake developers in the Ultimania guidebook (as translated by aitaikimochi on Twitter), there were plans to include new story scenes that focused on Tifa during Cloud's absence from the party. These would have shown Tifa helping out her landlord and picking out her dress for the Don Corneo mission, then showing the events that led to her climbing into the Chocobo Wagon. These scenes never made it into the final version of the game due to time constraints, but there's a chance they could appear in the FF7 Remake Intergrade DLC.
How FF7 Remake Intergrade DLC Could Include Tifa Solo Stories
The Yuffie DLC in Intergrade is two chapters long. Based on the footage seen in the original trailer, it seems one of these chapters happens after the Mako Reactor 5 mission, as Yuffie spies on Avalanche while they talk about losing Cloud. This puts it in the same timeframe as the cut Tifa scenes. Square Enix has the chance to show Tifa preparing for the Don Corneo mission, either as a player character or through Yuffie's eyes. Yuffie is trying to form an alliance with Avalanche, so it would make sense that she would want to observe the group, including Tifa, before formally asking for their aid.
It's unclear exactly how long the Yuffie DLC for FF7 Remake Intergrade will be or how much it's going to cost. It will add new Materia and summons, so it's clear developers are putting a significant amount of work into its content. Yuffie's storyline should be interesting enough on its own, but it would be amazing to see the lost Tifa content restored in the DLC.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is coming to PlayStation 5 on June 10, 2021.
Source: aitaikimochi/Twitter