I first played Final Fantasy 8 (FF8) when it was released in 1999 as a wee little eleven year old. I was blown away by the massive leap in graphics quality as I watched human-shaped figures walk through beautifully rendered backgrounds. Of course it looks incredibly dated now, but the remastered version goes a long way toward making it both visually appealing and nostalgic on my PS4.
Note: These posts are not entirely spoiler-free, though I have forgotten most of the game, so honestly, there’s not a lot I could spoil if I wanted to.
Okay, let’s go!
- The intro still slaps! The music is ominous and thrilling and exciting, the fight between Squall and Seifer is dramatic, and Rinoa in a field feels eerie and hopeful and that fall into each other’s arms at the end – so romantic!
- I have so much to say about Quistis, and I will later, but even here in her introduction, it just rubs me the wrong way that she makes fun of Squall in this weirdly intimate way when all we know about her is that she is his instructor.
- A lovely little spoiler exists if you search Squall’s computer in class when it casually mentions that GFs may cause memory loss, though this isn’t proven.
- I love that FF8 sets up the card-playing game immediately. This is my favorite mini-game from any Final Fantasy game, and I am all about collecting cards, turning monsters into cards, and saving often so that if I lose Ifrit or Diablo I can undo it!
I think the battle system in FF8 is my favorite of all Final Fantasy games as well. I adore the system of junctioning GFs and magic to make yourself stronger. It relies so heavily on strategy as you have to balance using your powerful magic as a junction to increase your stats while also being powerful magic that you’ll want to use in battle. I love the Draw action in battles, and my strategy is always to max out on every spell immediately.
Similarly, I love the strategy surrounding limit breaks in FF8. The fact that your strongest attacks are only available when you are at your weakest moment is dramatically appealing, but it’s also a fun fine line to walk. I have lost many a battle because I risked staying at low health to keep doing Renzokuken one turn too many and got wiped out by the T-Rexaur. So fun!
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