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It’s a shame, because they both show a lot of promise early on but the game skips over them in favour of focusing on the political situation and the love story between Squall and Rinoa, neither of which I blame the developers for as they required a lot of scope to explore these organically, I just wish that others hadn’t been sidelined. The main party you’ll be playing as consists of six people but a handful of these – noticeably Quistis and Irvine – feel pushed to the side as the game goes on and don’t get the character development they deserve. Like many Final Fantasy titles, VIII focuses on a large cast, although interestingly here it splits this across two time periods (more on this later). Right from the beginning watching Quistis open her heart to Squall in Balamb, through to him finally opening up to an unconscious Rinoa on the Fisherman’s Horizon bridge or Laguna helping out an abused Moomba in Esthar, Final Fantasy VIII spends time exploring its characters and in these moments truly finds its calling.Īt least, for some of the characters it does. Moments like the landing on Dollet, the battle of the Gardens and the journey into Esthar are visually spectacular but serve a narrative purpose as well, yet don’t let this fool you – the game is just as keen to depict character-focused moments. Part of the reason for this is a variety of set-pieces that really help push the plot along in spectacular fashion. Yet that doesn’t detract from the overall picture – there are few games out there that attempt as much as this one does in a mere 40-50 hour run-time and for all its mis-steps, this is a world and story like no other and one that I absolutely loved existing in (and that isn’t counting all the side-content and world-building that takes place outside the main plot). I absolutely loved what was presented here, but even I would find it hard to argue that the main narrative gets lost in itself at certain points and trips up over a few conveniences and differing ideas that cause some issues.
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From there, a web of different storylines unfold which converge on the rise to power of Edea, a powerful sorceress whose motives remain unclear but whose bloodlust and desire to find a girl called Ellone shape the story going forward, at least until events around the halfway mark splinter off in a completely different direction as the game veers towards its unexpected and enchanting final chapters.Īs you can guess from the description above, Final Fantasy VIII isn’t a straightforward plot and its narrative attempts many different things to varying degrees of success. You play as Squall, a student at Balamb Garden (a military school who trains ‘SEEDs’ – special forces dispatched to fight in combat) who after an encounter with his rival Seifer which gives him a nasty scar across his face, is dispatched to take his final exam in the town of Dollet which is under siege from Galbadian forces.
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The world of Final Fantasy VIII is one of military students, warring nations, futuristic sci-fi creations and sorceresses who wield magical power – a mesmerising combination for the narrative to unfold in. SquareSoft’s massively anticipated follow-up takes a hard turn into the bizarre yet manages to even surpass its predecessor thanks to some inspired set pieces, fantastic characterisation, huge graphical leaps forward and a stunning soundtrack.