Square Enix had a hard time getting a new installment out of its Final Fantasy license after a seventh installment that captivated millions of players around the world, making the PlayStation brand the undisputed leader. That is why Final Fantasy VIII is in turn one of the most misunderstood and undervalued titles on the market, both for being erroneously compared to its predecessor and for its excessively sweet narrative between the main characters. In this sense, Final Fantasy VIII was a step forward in several aspects: visual, narrative and playable, not always convincing the die-hard fans of the license.
Final Fantasy VIII premiered excellent quality CG scenes under a futuristic visual aspect but with more realistic characters, leaving aside that ‘superdeformed’ touch of past iterations. Playably, he went one step further (many think that it was false) introducing level ups and extractions of powers that turned the combats into a kind of somewhat bland mechanics that many people have not liked. But an important aspect was the narrative, a pronounced step in the series where an important degree of romance began to be included and to describe with greater impudence and delicacy the personal structures of each of the heroes of the adventure, from the taciturn Squall to the lovely rinoa.
Through the four discs that make up Final Fantasy VIII, some more interesting and complete than others, a story is written with ink of passion where nothing is what it seems, where an argument full of conspiracies, desires, lusts, various misunderstandings and even time travel, resulting in an ending that has not yet been resolved. So take a look at our Final Fantasy VIII guide to understand one of the most misunderstood installments in the series.
Final Fantasy VIII Guide and Tricks
The narrative, a story from the heart of the place
The world of Final Fantasy VIII is made up of several gardens where the soldiers/mercenaries of the future are released in the form of SeeDs, born to serve the nations and every self-respecting witch. We will adopt the role of one of these apprentice soldiers: the boy Squall, a taciturn, elusive and handsome enough to attract any girl, and who will see himself throughout the adventure with identity problems, fathers and mothers lost and witches for before and after.
Everything falls apart when the witch Edea prevails over any nation and wishes to forge a new era, a witch who is not who she claims to be, and having something much darker and more macabre behind her. There we will enter, with the saber sword in hand, with a great sense of courage and a team of warriors willing to do anything to save her precious kingdom.
Characters, a brushstroke on code
- Squall Leonhart: the protagonist of the adventure who is described under these adjectives: taciturn, elusive, self-centered, withdrawn, unpleasant, proud, witty, problematic, serious and bland, among many others. This is the main character, a supposed orphan who will really discover who he is throughout his turbulent and incomprehensible story.
- Rinoa Heartilly: impulsive, rebellious and carefree opponent girl who will accompany Squall throughout the adventure, and to whom they are supposedly united by something more than friendship. She paid attention to the girl, because she stars in some really fantastic episodes giving sweeping plot twists.
- Selphie Tilmitt: from the Garden of Trabia, another of Squall’s loves and defined as impetuous, carefree and excessively optimistic.
- Zell Dincht: One of Squall’s main companions in Balamb, a roommate if you will and as passionate as he is compulsive, with few brain cells at his disposal.
- Quistis Trepe: A very young teacher who teaches the students of Balamb’s garden, this academic instructor is impassive, honest and moral.
- Irvine Kinneas: from the Jardin de Galbadia, the best shot there is, although he loses his mind over women.
- Seifer Almasy: Squall’s partner, in his before and after, the witch’s lapdog (as Squall says) and a person who cracks as history goes by but like a good porcelain vase tries to repair itself without success throughout history .
There are other very important characters in the story such as Laguna Loire, Artemis, Adel, Julia, Edea or Raine who also deserve mention but may result in excessive spoilers .
Step by step of Final Fantasy VIII
Throughout 4 discs the story of the game is woven with the deepening of each of the characters, flashbacks , temporary changes and doubts about the identity of each of the heroes. With these Final Fantasy VIII tricks you will have more clarity on how to get on with the adventure.
