In 1997 SquareSoft released what would become its greatest masterpiece, “Final Fantasy VII”. The Playstation exclusive (at that time) exposed many a video gamer to the world of role playing games (RPGs) that might’ve looked either intimidating or boring, or both. I happened to be one of those gamers who, knowledgably, hadn’t experienced the joys of entering a fantasy world where I could be a knight, summon mythical creatures in battle, and save the world in one way or another. “Final Fantasy VII” not only made me a fan of the “Final Fantasy” franchise, it also allowed me to enjoy a different video game genre that had gone unappreciated.
When video game magazines (at that time magazines were the premier medium for information; though the end of that era was drawing near) started releasing imported information about Squaresoft’s latest iteration in the “Final Fantasy” series, I became enamored with a game that could surpass anything I had experienced as a short-lived RPG player. Little by little, words like “junction”, “squall” and even the phrase “Pocket Station” became a part of my video game vocabulary without me even seeing a video of what was to come following the release of “Final Fantasy VII”.
For those gamers not around during (or can’t remember) September 1999, the second Tuesday of that month marked the release of Sega’s final home console, the Dreamcast. Gamers (including those at my school) couldn’t stop talking about the system they didn’t plan to own until, at the earliest, Christmas. Seriously, how were a bunch of 9th graders going to afford a $200 video game system right at the beginning of the school year? What sounded more appeasing was software for a piece of hardware I already owned in “Final Fantasy VIII” for the Playstation. Though I couldn’t buy the game yet, the “Video 2000” not far from my home had the game in stock once I got out of school and ready for me to play. For the next several weekends until my aunt Cicero went out of her way to buy the game in full, I hogged a rental copy of “Final Fantasy VIII”; hoping to feel the same way I did only a few months earlier while playing “Final Fantasy VII”. Fast-forward nearly twenty years later and “Final Fantasy VIII” is the talk of gamers looking to experience the epic entry again (like yours truly) or for the first time with a remastered version released across multiple consoles.
Did I Complete “Final Fantasy VIII”?
Though I was still a novice RPG player, I had learned enough from “Final Fantasy VII” to know what I was in for when it came to the role playing game mantras of “Explore everything”, “Fight everything”, “Take everything”. Little did I know the “valuable” information delivered in previews of the game didn’t prepare me for how different “VIII’s” battle system was to “VII’s” when I was younger. Rather than stick with the “Materia” system from “VII”, “FF VIII” adopts the “Junction” system where the player draws magic spells from monsters and attach them to particular stats to make their character grow stronger. Oh, and you really didn’t need to fight random monsters and grind levels in “FF VIII” because the monsters level with you. If the player’s characters’ average level is five, so too will be the enemy’s level. It definitely took some getting used to the new system back then, but things ran relatively smooth as I traversed the world of “Final Fantasy VIII” – a problem not encountered during this remaster playthrough.
After many hours playing before school, after school and various times during the weekend all those years ago, I finally reached the last “dungeon”. I was not only prepared for the final bosses, but also the secret enemy tougher than any adversary seen in the game thus far. Omega Weapon proved to be a formidable foe, but I was able to conquer the beast. Arrogant over my victory, I led my virtual allies to slaughter at the hands of the final bosses by attempting to rush through battles before leaving for some “Black Friday” shopping with my mom. Completion on that day was not to be, but less than twelve hours later I watched as the conclusive scenes played out. Once again, I had seen the end of another “Final Fantasy” tale. Unlike my time playing “FF VII” I purchased a strategy guide barely a week after playing “VIII” for the first time. I discovered almost everything that could be discovered and fought baddies galore – a goal re-instituted for the remaster that would take nearly sixty hours to complete according to my old PS1 saves.
Did “Final Fantasy VIII” Live Up to the Hype?
When it comes to role playing games, very few things matter more than the story. “FF VIII” features either one of the most disappointing stories in the “Final Fantasy” numbered history, or a story almost too ingenious for its own good. No matter how hard we “FF VIII” fans want to believe the latter (look up “Squall’s Dead”/“Rinoa is Ultimecia” on the internet to find out what I’m referring to), all signs point to a group of writers who looked to create something epic, yet failed to actually write a cohesive & understandable narrative featuring mostly well-developed characters with true reasons for their actions (including falling in love). All the emotional investment and information gathered through three-quarters of the plot practically means nothing by the last act. It’s frustrating to replay a game featuring a story chockfull of potential (a trained group of young individuals looking stop the terrorist acts of a witch who turned traitor on the man she loved) only to see it fall under the weight of a ridiculous attempt at creating something profound & scientific. With that being stated, the dialogue and overall mystery connected to the game’s lore is only matched by a rather exemplary example of good pacing.
Going back to the gameplay – “Final Fantasy VIII” features the continued usage of the turned-based battle system. But the aforementioned “Junction” system is a broken mess; even more broken than the Materia system from “VII”. With the “Draw” command, a player can have his characters draw up to 100 of a certain type of magic spell that can subsequently be used to level up each character’s stats – thus rendering leveling useless for the characters. Another issue with the “Junction” system is actually using magic degrades stats if said magic is attached to that characters stats like a Cure spell helping Zell’s speed being reduced anytime it’s needed in battle to avoid a game over. The player’s characters become almost invincible against regular monsters at lower levels as long as each character has magic junctioned. Of course Draw grinding is usually up to the player and not necessary to succeed, but it proves to be the most beneficial especially against the tougher bosses. Limit Breaks, instead of being built up via a meter increased by successful enemy attacks, are solely associated with the protagonists’ health – meaning it can be activated continuously if the characters are at low health and, thus, abused for easier victories. Once again, it’s not a necessity, but is readily available to use as they see fit to make things a little less difficult in a relatively easy game.
But it’s not all bad or disappointing. “Final Fantasy” games are known for having fantastic mini-games and “VIII” is no different. “Triple Triad” was the equivalent of playing a “Final Fantasy VIII” version of the “Pokemon” card game. While that might not sound appealing, the feeling of building a masterful deck and playing against random characters around the world becomes incredibly addicting. And then there’s the world itself. Following in the footsteps of “Final Fantasy VI” and “VII”, “VIII’s” futuristic, metropolitan feel is often offset by dense jungles, underground tunnels and space. Yep, space. The world feels huge and the player isn’t forced to visit every place – so if to see it all will take dedicated exploration. Side quests are both numerous and exhaustive including hunting with Chocobos. The issue with side quest in “FF VIII” has to be the lacking nature of certain rewards given after going through grand examples of tedium.
Another positive about “Final Fantasy VIII” is the soundtrack. Nobuo Uematsu returned for this project to deliver such classics as “Liberi Fatali”, “The Man with the Machine Gun”, “Ami”, and my personal favorite, “The Oath”. There have been many a time someone has asked what I’m listening to, hear the music and think it’s something from a major motion picture.
The remastered version is definitely a mixed bag. While the character models have been upgraded, everything else in the world (including the cutscenes) are either still in their original, pixilated form or terribly “smoothed” over to create blurry backgrounds & textures. The 4:3 screen ratio and 240p cinematics definitely leave something to be desired. Implementations from the other PS1 “FF” remasters like three-times speed increase or even invincibility return here for those who either want to just enjoy the story or make that Draw grinding a little easier.
Though not the masterpiece of its era like “Final Fantasy VII”, “FF VIII” proves to be positively by being innovative in various ways be it the graphics at the time to its battle system. It’s sad that the best things about this game are mostly aesthetic; even if those features sound, look and play wonderfully.
Should You Play “Final Fantasy VIII”?
Time hasn’t allowed one of my favorite gaming experiences from my high school years to grow fondly in the pool of nostalgia as its predecessors has done. “Final Fantasy VIII’s” flaws are profound, yet the uniqueness of “FF VIII” is truly remarkable. The need for an organic challenge is usually lacking in “FF VIII”, as are some of the narrative points & structure. The polarizing nature of things like the Junction system and character arcs will forever keep “Final Fantasy VIII” in the position of a “black sheep” in the franchise; especially in regards to the PS1 entries. But the positives of “FF VIII” – be it the soundtrack, revolutionary graphics, a story that is unlike any other in the franchise, and a battle system that goes a little too far in allowing for player customization – will always make me recommend this experience.
