Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII is the sequel to the hugely success Final Fantasy VII. It was designed specifically for PlayStation and featured the same graphics capabilities but it had more realistic graphics compared to the cartoon-like characters from Final Fantasy VII. The game’s production began in 1997, and took two years to finish before it was released in 1999.
The game follows the adventures of Squall and his crew in their quest to stop a sorcerer from the future called Ultimecia from reducing the speed of time. The music was written by the composer who composed it that composed Final Fantasy VII (Nobuo Uematsu) and was released to wide praise from the critics.
The game is based on summons systems like earlier Final Fantasy games which are called Guardian Forces. Apart from being the source of many of the most deadly assaults, Guardian Forces also provide the ability to link magic to specific skills and stats that allow characters to improve. This is in contrast to the previous systems, which concentrated on the use of armor and accessories to boost a character’s stats.
As opposed to many different games of the franchise the cast of characters was created to look more real. There aren’t any Cait Sith or Vivi-like characters from FF8.
This section includes a complete walkthrough and strategies to Final Fantasy VIII.
Review
Final Fantasy VIII was a fantastic sequel in the wake of Final Fantasy VII which was a huge hit (and it was a difficult one following). It was different enough from the previous game to make it an original and enjoyable experience, without deviating away of it’s FF formula to eliminate many of the elements from the past that players of the series had hoped to be able to.
The most difficult thing for the developers to work on in Final Fantasy VIII was creating an immersive story that was just as captivating as the previous game. I’d say the creators and writers were pretty good at the job in this regard despite the complexity of the job. Every character in FF8 are very relatable, as it is among the very first Final Fantasy games that lacks certain of the more insane and unrealistic characters that are featured in several other titles such as Cait Sith Red XIII and even characters such as Vivi of Final Fantasy IX and Kimahri from Final Fantasy X.
The story is set in a more contemporary environment that has a more modern, futuristic style rather than a fantasy style that is reminiscent of the past. There were some players who complained about the lack of a real ‘fantasy’ feeling, which is the reason why creators for Final Fantasy IX decided to take a complete return to the classic design of some of the earlier titles (much at my dismay since FF9 was among the worst games within the series). I thoroughly loved the style and look and feel of this game.
The story did not really have the same zing in regards to Ultimecia, the final villain and the main villain of the plot. A large portion of the game is in focusing on Edea as the antagonist, until the point at which it becomes clear that the main adversary will be the Sorceress Adel as well as Ultimecia. Contrary to Final Fantasy VII which, in the final chapter, much of the time is dedicated to constructing the narrative around the antagonist (Sephiroth) as well as the reasons for the actions of his character the game takes less time exploring the plot of Ultimecia. It’s essentially a powerful sorcerer from the future who wants to “compress time” in order to end the existence of all things and combine the two, transforming her into a god. Final Fantasy IX was plagued by the same issue.
I also wasn’t satisfied with the poor attempts to connect each of the characters’ stories. The game explains within the story that using Guardian Forces results in amnesia, which is one of the consequences of their use. When the writer is forced to use amnesia as a plot tool to make a story more cohesive, it is obvious that they have made use of shortcuts and liberties to ensure that the story is successful. The most troubling part is that there’s no need for it. The story would be just the same in the event that the main characters did not suffer from amnesia, and didn’t discover the fact that they all grew as orphans.
The flashback scenes that took place in Laguna were extremely boring. They were absolutely important and they were a good fit to the overall theme in the game (involving the concept of time and compression) However, every time I play the game, I get groggy when I come to any of Laguna chapters or sub-sections.
However they are minor imperfections on a surprisingly good and entertaining tale and actors.
Graphics are for majority, the identical to the graphics of Final Fantasy VII apart from the more realistic look of the setting and characters. There are numerous cinematic scenes throughout the game that add an enjoyable accent to the most significant moments that tell the tale (the dancing scene that takes place in Balamb Garden was a highlight). Its world map is as big and interesting to look at as the one in FF7.
The gameplay however is the reason why Final Fantasy VIII has very no resemblance to the previous games. Final Fantasy VIII employed a “magic junction” and “draw system. Each character was able to choose”Draw” or “Draw” command on their turn, which allowed the player to draw magic from of the opponent. Every time they draw magic, they would be granted anywhere between one and nine points of this magic spell until they’d accumulated 99, at which point further magic was able to be drawn. After a person had drawn a specific type of magic it was then ‘joined to one of the character’s stats like Strength, HP or Magic. which would increase that stat.
The system of drawing and joining magic came with an extremely steep learning curve. I was so naive in comprehending these systems that on my first time around I ended into characters which were hilariously poor.
It was definitely a different system that provided a significant variation in the gameplay that was different from the previous Final Fantasy games, but there were many issues with the system, for example:
1.) The requirement to continuously perform magic tricks until have 99 instances of each kind of magic. This was a very boring and monotonous aspect to taking part in the sport.
2.) Using your magic (and dropping your inventory from 99) will actually increase your players ‘ stats (depending on the stat you’d joined the magic with). This led to several players trying to reduce their use of the magic utilized and focusing their attention on attacking. It’s not a huge issue as it is still an excellent way to play engaging gameplay, but it limits the style an individual player can choose to play. It would, for instance, be extremely difficult to create teams that had one who is a magician.
3.) Guardian Forces (the summons of Final Fantasy VIII) also needed to be drawn from bosses and enemies. A lot of Guardian Forces could be missed completely, and they can be found at the end of the game once more however it became an aggravating aspect of the game because, in each of the battles with bosses, players had to be careful to ensure that they’d tried to draw from every boss.
The addition of the Triple Triad the card game to be the main bonus game was a great option! This is another aspect of the game that it is possible to miss crucial cards in your initial playthrough, however there was no necessity to play any additional Triple Triad to complete the game that you would prefer to.
Triple Triad cards can be transformed into essential items that aid you in your progression through the game. While certain rules may be very irritating (who is truly aware of how to play the Plus, Same Wall and Combo rules? ) The game lent its itself well to regular game playthrough throughout the game.
There’s nothing to be said about ending game content however Final Fantasy VIII certainly lends its self well to repeated playthroughs. I’ve personally played the whole game about five times and am certain that I will revisit it within a matter of minutes. The story elements and game play are completely unique to this version and is certainly a wonderful expansion to the Final Fantasy library.
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