Final Fantasy VIII
Categories: 1998 computer and video games | 1999 computer and video games | Final Fantasy VIII | PlayStation games | Windows games | Eidos Interactive games
| Final Fantasy VIII | |
| Image:Final Fantasy VIII logo.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Square Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Square Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Square EA (North America) SCE Europe (Europe/Australia) Eidos Interactive (EU Windows) |
| Release date(s) | February 11, 1999 (Japan)
September 7, 1999 (N. America) October 27, 1999 (Europe) January 25, 2000 (Windows) |
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Windows |
Final Fantasy VIII (Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVIII Fainaru Fantajī VIII) is a computer role-playing game created by Square Co., Ltd. for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows-based PCs. It was the eighth installment of the Final Fantasy series, and the second installment of the series to be released for the PlayStation,as well as the second installment to be ported to Windows. Three weeks after its release in 1999, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than $50 million USD in sales, making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title to date.
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Gameplay
The gameplay in Final Fantasy VIII is a departure for the series, most notably in its comparative deemphasis on traditional weapons and armor, and its draw/junction magic system. Final Fantasy VIII was also the first game in the series to introduce a "collectible card game" minigame, named Triple Triad.
Junction system
A new "Junction System" is used. This new system revolves around summonable monsters, called Guardian Forces (GFs). A character must have a GF assigned to them ("junctioned") before he or she can use command abilities in battle, such as Magic or Items. While previous Final Fantasy titles used a pool of magic points (MP) consumed by each spell to limit magic use; in FF8, spells are "drawn" from enemies or special Draw Points, and then consumed one at a time. GFs also allow characters to "junction" these spells to their own statistics for significant bonuses (a doubling of the base stat is not uncommon). Because of the sheer flexibility and depth of this system (combined with the ability to draw unlimited stocks of a spell from a single enemy), it is possible to build one's party up to incredible levels of power fairly early into the game, thus negating the need to make use of GFs at all.
Armor has completely disappeared in favor of statistic junctioning. While each character does retain a specialized weapon, that weapon cannot be unequipped, unlike previous games. A limited number of upgrades can be performed on each character's weapon to increase its power and effectiveness throughout the game (as well as alter its appearance), however.
Limit Breaks
As in Final Fantasy VII, every character has a unique special attack, called Limit Breaks, that are only available under certain conditions during battle. Unlike the previous game, limit breaks become available randomly every time a command is issued during battle, provided your character's current health is below 32%. As the character's health depletes, the probability of accessing that character's limit break increases. Alternatively, the magic spell "Aura" increases the probability of limit breaks appearing regardless of a character's remaining hit points. In the original Japanese version of the game, these moves were called "Special Arts," shortened to "Special" in the Status Menu. They were renamed "Limit Breaks" in the North American and European versions of the game.
Experience levels
As in most role-playing games, and in most previous installments of the Final Fantasy series, experience points are awarded following successful battles. If 1000 experience points are accumulated by a character, that character gains a "level," which increases that character's statistics. Unlike previous Final Fantasy games, however, the levels of enemy encounters are calculated based on the level of player characters. In other words, the higher the level of the player, the higher the level of the random monsters the player encounters. Higher level enemies are capable of dealing and taking more damage and may have new and stronger attacks available. However, increase in stats as a result of "leveling-up" is minuscule compared to the stats boost one gains from the Junction system. Some players take advantage of this fact to avoid leveling up, so enemies will remain weak while the characters will get stronger as better magic and Junction abilities become available.
The Guardian Forces themselves also gain levels and win Ability Points (AP). Inspired by Final Fantasy V's Job/Ability system, APs are used to learn special abilities and when an specific ability of an specific GF has enough AP, it becomes available for any character to use. Also, when a GF is summoned regurlarly by the same character, it will take less time for said character to call the GF. In addition to all of that, when a GF is summoned, the player will get the chance to boost up the power of said GF. By pressing select and rapidly hitting the Square button on the PlayStation controller, a number in the lower right hand corner of the screen will increase. Not all GFs have this ability, however.
Story
The nation of Galbadia initiates inexplicable hostilities against nearby nations Dollet and Timber. Both request aid of Balamb Garden, an elite military academy that trains mercenaries called SeeDs. Three newly-commissioned SeeDs, led by Squall Leonheart, are dispatched to deal with the conflict, which proves fortuitous: Galbadia, as it turns out, has fallen under the power of a Sorceress named Edea. Sorceresses are extremely dangerous, and the Gardens were founded to counter them. And Edea does not seem content with only one nation to rule. Squall and his friends are thus drawn into a conflict far greater than they could have imagined, a conflict which threatens the world itself.
Characters
- Main article: List of Final Fantasy VIII characters
Most of the major characters of Final Fantasy VIII are students, and later SeeDs, of Balamb Garden. Chief among them are Squall Leonhart, a quiet young man with a reputation of being a solitary loner. Among his fellow SeeDs are Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt Irvine Kinneas also joins the group, but although he was trained at a Garden like Squall and his friends, (albeit Galbadia Garden instead of Balamb Garden) Irvine is a sniper, not a SeeD. The final primary playable character is Rinoa Heartilly, the daughter of a powerful general of the Galbadian Army. Rinoa is the leader of a resistance movement fighting against Galbadian military power. She enlists the aid of Balamb's SeeDs in her efforts, and falls in love with Squall. The relationship between Squall and Rinoa is one of the central themes of the game. Laguna Loire, Kiros, and Ward are playable characters in the "past scenes" in the game. Seifer Almasy is the rival of Squall, even a SeeD cadet, who later will become an ally of Sorceress Edea Kramer, primary enemy of SeeDs.
Other appearances
Characters from Final Fantasy VIII have made cameo appearances in four other games: Squall (renamed Leon) and Selphie are encountered in Kingdom Hearts, Squall is a secret character in Chocobo Racing, and Squall and Rinoa are playable characters in Itadaki Street Special. Squall also appears randomly (yet rarely) in the title screen of the PlayStation port of Final Fantasy VI.
Gilgamesh, a recurring villain from Final Fantasy V, reappears as a Guardian Force in Final Fantasy VIII, with a possible oblique reference to the earlier game taking place in an "alternate dimension."
Recently, Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin have been spotted in the latest Kingdom Hearts II trailer at the Square Enix Party. It seems they will be making appearances in this highly anticipated game.
Locations
- Main article: List of Final Fantasy VIII locations
Final Fantasy VIII takes place primarily on a large, unnamed world, which has one moon.
The planet comprises four major landmasses: the largest covers most of the eastern map, and includes a northern polar region; a large secondary continent lies to the west, and contains a large proportion of the game's places to visit.
The remaining two landmasses are smaller and mostly desolate: the southernmost is long and thin, and the other, a short distance north, is the broken remains of a continent that underwent an impact event, in fact it could more accurately be seen as an archipelago.
A number of larger islands flesh out the game world, and a smattering of off-world locations round out the game's playable areas.
Fanbase and Criticism
The Final Fantasy VIII fanbase is gigantic. Final Fantasy VIII may perhaps be the Final Fantasy subjected to the most fanfiction creation ever, second only to Final Fantasy VII. One Japanese fan even took up the job of novelizing the project, creating a 400+ page document. The backstory produced by the game's writers is believed to be substantial, with the segments used in the game merely the tip of the iceberg. While the game's storyline is vast in itself, some aspects of the characters' backgrounds, as well as the political and historical settings of the game, are not fully explored, leaving much open to interpretation and extension.
Significant differences in the gameplay of Final Fantasy VIII from previous installments in the series (such as the "draw" and "junction" systems) have made it one of the more controversial games of the saga. Although many gamers cite it as their least favorite game of the series, others cite it as the best of all.
Musical score
Nobuo Uematsu composed and directed the soundtrack for Final Fantasy VIII, which was released on four compact discs by DigiCube in Japan, and by Square EA in North America. Additionally, a special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game, performed by Shiro Hamaguchi, was released under the title Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec.
The score is best known for two of its songs: "Liberi Fatali" (sample) ▶(?) a Latin choral piece that is played during the introduction to the game, and "Eyes on Me" (sample) ▶(?), a pop song performed by Chinese singer Faye Wong. The latter song was released as a CD single in Japan and ultimately sold over 400,000 copies, making it the best selling video game music disc ever released in that country until the release of "Hikari" by Utada Hikaru for Kingdom Hearts.
Packaging artwork
 Final Fantasy VIII |
Final Fantasy VIII |
Final Fantasy VIII |
Final Fantasy VIII |
Final Fantasy VIII |
External links
| Final Fantasy VIII characters |
|
Squall — Rinoa — Quistis — Zell — Irvine — Selphie — Seifer — Laguna |
| Final Fantasy series |
|---|
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII |
| Compilations and collections |
| I-II | Collection | Anthology | Chronicles | Origins | Dawn of Souls |
| Spinoffs and related titles |
| Before Crisis | Crisis Core | Dirge of Cerberus | X-2 | Rise of the Zilart | Chains of Promathia | Treasures of Aht Urhgan | Crystal Chronicles | Mystic Quest | Tactics | Tactics Advance | Kingdom Hearts | Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories | Kingdom Hearts II |
| Film and television |
| Advent Children | Last Order | Legend of the Crystals | The Spirits Within | Unlimited |
fr:Final Fantasy VIII it:Final Fantasy VIII ja:ファイナルファンタジーVIII pl:Final Fantasy VIII pt:Final Fantasy VIII zh:最终幻想VIII