FINAL FANTASY VIII

You ever notice how the two big Youtubers who hated this game, Spoony and ProJared, both got into serious relationship problems while all the people who adore this game about accepting and holding onto love in a defiant gesture against apathy are all in healthy relationships? Really makes you think...

Final Fantasy VIII is a strange, disorienting game. It leans a lot more heavily into what FFVII was going for with its more futuristic approach to its world. But in terms of character writing and combat, it’s quite different, in some ways for the better, and other ways for the worse.
The game is very easy to break thanks to the junction system. I think this is just a common fact about the game. The junction system is heavily debated amongst fans as to whether it’s any good or not. I personally think it’s cool. The game just does a very poor job of explaining the system. It’s an interesting way to gain stats, use summons and magic, and overall, a cool way to enable character growth instead of relying mostly on levels or equipment. Hell, it’s best if you have as few levels in the game as possible because of how the overall level scaling in the game works. It makes for one of the most unique systems in the series and even in JRPGs from the 90s. I think the system was quite influential, as was FFVIII in general.
I’ve always liked Final Fantasy games' gameplay for the pre-planning aspect, how much freedom or how many interesting choices the game gives me to build the characters and overall team before a fight. Rather than the actual combat itself, which I still greatly enjoy since it displays the quality of my character/team building. And FFVIII had a neat system for me to mess around with. As previously mentioned, the game is very easy to break, even if you aren’t aware of the known ways to break it, you kinda just find them as you play. If you pay attention to the world, GF abilities, and how to use them, you should easily be able to come up with a way to break it. And I like this. I tend to like JRPGs that let me break their systems if I understand them well enough. You can still play the game like a typical JRPG, but it just isn’t as fun that way because the encounters in the game range from average to pretty good.
I wanna talk a bit about Triple Triad, a card minigame that feels like crack cocaine. At first, I just played a bunch of it because I found it incredibly fun. It’s very simple but has tons of depth, making it very easy to lose track of time as you play games of it. But I also noticed how it interacts with some of the GF abilities you can acquire. Namely, being able to turn cards from the game into spells and items in the game. Making it one of the ways you can absolutely break the combat of the game. The rewards have such a large impact on the general combat and party building that it’s very hard not to play it a bunch during your playthrough.
Usually, though, what I care about the most in a Final Fantasy are the characters and world. And this is where the game became a bit of a mixed bag for me. Squall was generally unlikable in the first 2 discs, which makes sense from a story perspective, but it made for a dull protagonist for most of the game. When he goes through a majority of his character arc and has an attitude change, he’s fine, but still one of the least memorable FF leads. Which kinda sucks because he has an awesome character design. On the other side of the spectrum, Zell is pretty hard not to like. He’s one of those super happy go lucky energetic characters that we see in JRPGs pretty often and I’m a sucker for them personally so I liked Zell.
Seifer is kinda just a weirdo that made me laugh a lot when he’s around. He’s like one of those 10 year old relatives you might know who thinks they’re hot ♥♥♥♥ and cool but comes off to adults as super goofy and childish. He isn’t around much though which sucks, and led to me forgetting he’s a part of the story many times. Selphie, Quistis, and Irvine are kinda just there, I don’t mind them, but they don’t do anything for me as characters. Rinoa’s pretty good, though, and she might be my favourite character in the game next to Zell. And the main antagonist is pretty horrifying, and in terms of lore and overall story, is great. But they are very, very lacking as a character. I don’t mind this too much, honestly, since I found their presence to be a good enough driving force, but there's some untapped potential here.
The romance in the story was a mixed bag for me. I’m a fan of Rinoa and Squall and was rooting for them, but they didn’t give me enough of them being close together, and the pacing is pretty bad. It almost felt like it went from them not being close to them being really close. Lacking a natural buildup when it comes to character relationships, especially love, can be detrimental to how I feel about characters by the end. And that kinda happened here. The next 2 games did a much better job at giving us a more natural love story.
I found the overall story to be pretty lacking, but there are moments I found great, like when you get the airship in the game. A very important part of an FF story at this point in the series, and the way it was done here was very cool. The Laguna flashbacks were also some of my favourite story segments in the game. I quite liked Laguna, and while the flashbacks didn’t connect with the main story as well as I hoped, it was still a cool way of trying to tell the story, and I could see what they were trying to do. The main issue I had with the story was the pacing; sometimes it felt like we were speeding through it, which led to underdeveloped characters and a bad execution of events. Other times, it would have huge exposition dumps, which were written in a very convoluted way, making it read very poorly. I do like the ending sequence quite a lot, though. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, from making me disturbed to depressed to kinda confused but happy all in like 20 minutes. It’s stuck with me for the past week. It was probably cus Zell finally got to demolish a plate of hot dogs.
The side quests and the world were fine. I like some of them, like the one with Zell and the library girl. I do wish the world were more interesting, though; it’s got some cool and weird stuff in it that I liked, like the UFO and Obel Lake. But something about it didn't give me the same wonder and fascination that many of the other FF worlds do. The areas and atmosphere are really nice, though. I enjoyed most of them, and the way the areas meshed with the music made for a magical experience. I especially love the atmosphere of the game after disc 1, where it feels dreamy and disorienting. The dungeon design is fairly simple, though, and so I found it lacking many times.
Of course, the music is fantastic, possibly one of the best by this point in the series. It’s got a militaristic sound to reflect the early narrative of the game, but it has a lot of the classic wonder and magic heard in the previous games as well. And the melodies are just so nice to listen to, making exploring areas a lot more memorable. The final boss theme is hands down one of the best in the series. Lastly, graphically, the game looks good. It’s a huge step up from FFVII in terms of character models. And the overall art direction and pre-rendered backgrounds look amazing. The only thing that’s lacking is the character faces; some of them look fine, like Zell’s, but most of them look wonky or wrong. I felt Rinoa’s face looked the worst since it looks nothing like her character art or FMV model.
I honestly didn’t expect to find so much to love in Final Fantasy VIII; it’s got a very unique gameplay system in the series, a very memorable atmosphere, and an amazing soundtrack. But it does fall flat with many things, such as its characters, its pacing, and the story in general. I honestly think this is the game in the series that could get the most out of a remake. It felt like they couldn’t quite capture what they wanted to with the time and technology limits they had, which led to some poor execution of some great ideas. I know I’d personally love to see a remake of this much more than FFIX just because that game did exactly what it wanted to and to full effect.
7/10
full review:

Final Fantasy VIII is one of the most misunderstood games in the series. It came out right after the huge success of Final Fantasy VII and tried to do something very different. Instead of focusing on a classic good versus evil story, it tells a more personal and emotional tale about young people facing complicated feelings and growing up.
Many players say the story is confusing, the pacing feels uneven, the characters sometimes seem underdeveloped, and the ending can be hard to understand. These criticisms are fair. The game expects you to pay close attention because many important details are subtle or hidden. The characters do not always explain what they feel, and some plot points are only hinted at. The story’s structure can feel rushed, especially near the end. This makes it tough for some players to connect with what is really going on.
That is exactly why a remake would be so valuable.
With today’s technology and storytelling techniques, the game could show the emotions and relationships much more clearly. Dialogue could feel more natural, and key moments could get the attention and depth they deserve. The world of Final Fantasy VIII, from Balamb Garden to the futuristic cities, could be brought to life in a way that feels alive and immersive. The music and atmosphere could also be enhanced to better support the story’s emotional beats.
At its heart, Final Fantasy VIII is about identity, memory, fear, and love. It is about how people grow up and try to connect with others, even when it is difficult and messy. These themes are timeless and still resonate today. The story’s focus on personal struggles rather than traditional fantasy battles makes it stand out in the series.
Final Fantasy VIII does not need to be rewritten. It needs to be retold in a way that is easier to understand and that lets the emotions come through more strongly. A remake could finally allow more players to experience the story the way the creators intended.
This game was never a bad story. It was ahead of its time and limited by the technology of the era. A remake could give it the voice it has always deserved.

Final Fantasy VIII holds a special place in my heart — the junction system is unlike anything else in the series, and once it clicks, you can spend hours theory-crafting builds or just breaking the game wide open. Triple Triad alone is worth the price of admission, an addictive little card game with surprising depth that I kept coming back to between story beats. The soundtrack is phenomenal, easily one of the best in the franchise, and the atmosphere shifts from militaristic tension to something dreamlike and haunting as the story unfolds. Fair warning though: this PC port has rough edges — controller support is frustrating out of the box, and you'll want to look into mods like Tonberry or FFnx to get the music sounding right. If you're willing to put in a little setup time, this version runs well and has a fantastic modding community behind it.

Everyone has their favorite Final Fantasy game and this one is mine. I've played FF games since the first one on NES (yes I'm old). I will admit there's several of the newer titles I've yet to try but I will eventually.
I was a teenager when this game was released for Playstation, and I was hooked from the first time I played it. I remember staying up way past my bed time just to keep playing it. This is one of my all time favorite video game titles that I have ever played back when I was young, And I was lucky enough to play a lot of great games back then. I was fortunate enough to have parents that allowed me to play them as long as I took care of all of my daily responsibilities.
As for the game itself, the story is great and the execution is spot on. Final Fantasy VIII is much more matured compared to all the FF games before it. Learning the strategy of the battles and how to make your characters strong is fun. Of course it can get repetitive, but that is just the nature of this style of RPG games. The graphics are aged of course (1999) but, at the time was noticeably better than FF VII.
It has really been a joy to jump back into this game so many years later. I can start to feel myself getting hooked all over again. I know there's an enhanced version but I wanted to re-experience the game in it's original form first. I've also read that the enhanced version does not have Chocobo World.
One thing that's important to note, is that in order for your gamepad to work, you first need to unplug all other input devices you have (joystick, racing wheel, etc.), otherwise the game will not see your gamepad. You also need to go to Steam game Properties for FF VIII, then Controller and select Disable Steam Input.
I strongly recommend that any Final Fantasy fan that hasn't played this game yet should play it.

I thought this was a normal RPG.
Then the game told me not to level up.
Final Fantasy VIII is a beautiful mess with a combat system that actively punishes you for playing it like a normal person. Instead of grinding, you’re supposed to steal magic, hoard it like a dragon, and be afraid of experience points.
The story is dramatic, confusing, and very serious about feelings, destiny, and whatever time travel is doing today. Squall says very little, but when he does, it’s usually “whatever,” which honestly fits the mood.
If you enjoy experimenting with weird systems and don’t mind reading guides, this game is rewarding. If you just want to hit things and get stronger, FFVIII will fight you every step of the way.
I still don’t fully understand junctions.

Thank you for your service in soloing the final boss, Zell.
You may now choke on a hot dog