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Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII is the sequel to the hugely success Final Fantasy VII. It was created to be played on the PlayStation and had similar graphics capabilities, however it was more realistic in its graphics compared to the cartoon-like characters from Final Fantasy VII. The development of the game started in 1997 and took two years before its release in 1999.
The game tells the story of Squall and his crew as they attempt to stop a sorcerer from the future called Ultimecia from reducing the speed of time. The game features music written by the composer who composed it who composed Final Fantasy VII (Nobuo Uematsu) and was released to a wide reviews of praise.
The game is based on summons that are like the earlier Final Fantasy games which are known as Guardian Forces. As well as being the source of many of the most deadly assaults, Guardian Forces also provide the ability to connect magic to specific skills and stats that allow characters to improve. This is in contrast to the previous systems, which concentrated on the use of armor and accessories to boost a character’s stats.
In contrast to different games of the franchise the characters in FF8 were created to look more real. There aren’t Cait Sith or Vivi-like characters found in FF8.
This section provides a complete walkthrough as well as a strategies to Final Fantasy VIII.
Review
Final Fantasy VIII was a excellent sequel in the wake of Final Fantasy VII which was a huge hit (and an extremely difficult task for others to emulate). It was different enough from the previous game to make it an original and enjoyable game , but without going too far of it’s FF formula to lose a lot of the nostalgia elements players of the series hoped to find.
The most difficult part for the designers to build on in Final Fantasy VIII was creating an immersive story that was just as captivating as the previous game. I’d say the creators and writers did a decent job at this given the difficult task. Every character in FF8 are incredibly relatable since it is among the very first Final Fantasy games that lacks some of the more bizarre and unrealistic characters that are featured in several other titles like Cait Sith Red XIII and even characters such as Vivi of Final Fantasy IX and Kimahri from Final Fantasy X.
The story is set in a modern environment that has a more futuristic design instead of a fantasy look that resembles the olden days. A few players complained about the absence of a real ‘fantasy’ style, which is why the creators in Final Fantasy IX decided to take a complete change back to the traditional design of some games in the past (much at my dismay since FF9 was among the most disappointing titles of the franchise). I thoroughly loved the style and look that the game had.
However, the story did not really have the same zing in regards to Ultimecia, the final villain and the main protagonist of the tale. A large portion of the game is focused on Edea as the antagonist, until the point at which it becomes clear that the main villain will be the Sorceress Adel as well as Ultimecia. Contrary to Final Fantasy VII where the majority of the game’s time is dedicated to constructing the narrative around the antagonist (Sephiroth) as well as the motivations of the actions of his character The game is able to spend only a few minutes delving into the background of Ultimecia. Ultimecia is basically a powerful sorceress from the future that wants to “compress time” in order to end every living thing and merge it with her own , turning her into a god. Final Fantasy IX was plagued by the same issue.
I also wasn’t satisfied with the weak efforts in attempting to connect all of the characters’ stories. It’s explained by the player that Guardian Forces can cause amnesia as one of the consequences of their use. If the writer is forced to use the concept of “amnesia” as a plot tool to make a story more cohesive, it is obvious that they have used shortcuts and omissions to ensure that the story is successful. The problem is that there’s no reason to do it. The story would be just the same in the event that the main characters did not suffer from amnesia, and were not able to remember the fact that they all grew up in an orphanage.
The flashbacks that were part of Laguna were utterly boring. They were absolutely important and they were a good fit to the overall theme that the game was based on (involving time and compression of time) however every time I play the game, I am groaning when I come to some of Laguna sections or chapters.
But, all things considered the above are just a few marks on a enjoyable and solid story with a actors.
Its graphics, for majority, the identical to the graphics of Final Fantasy VII with the exception of the more realistic design of the setting and characters. There are numerous film-like sequences in the game that add an enjoyable accent to the most significant moments that tell the tale (the dance sequence that takes place in Balamb Garden was a highlight). Its world map is as vast and thrilling to explore as that in FF7.
The gameplay however is the reason why Final Fantasy VIII has very no resemblance to the previous games. Final Fantasy VIII employed a “magic junction” and “draw system. Each character was able to choose”Draw” or “Draw” command on their turn. This allowed the player to draw magic from of the opponent. Every time they draw magic, they could receive anywhere between one and nine points of this magic spell until they’d accumulated 99, at which point additional magic could be drawn. After a person had drawn a magic spell, it would then be ‘joined to one of the character’s stats like Strength, HP and Magic. which would increase that stat.
The system of drawing and joining magic came with an intense learning curve. I was not good at comprehending these systems that on my first time around I ended end up having characters who were incredibly ineffective.
It was definitely a different system that provided a significant shift in the way that players played from the previous Final Fantasy games, but there were some issues with the system, for example:
1.) The requirement to continually perform magic tricks until have 99 different types of magic. This was a very boring and monotonous aspect to taking part in the sport.
2.) Using your magic (and dropping your inventory from 99) could actually harm your players ‘ stats (depending on the stat you’d connected the magic with). This led to several players trying to restrict their use of the magic employed and instead focusing on attacking. It’s not a huge issue as it is still an excellent way to play engaging gameplay, but it restricts the types of play an individual player can choose to play. For instance, it would be a challenge to create an entire team with one who is a magician.
3.) Guardian Forces (the summons of Final Fantasy VIII) also needed to be drawn from bosses and enemies. A lot of Guardian Forces could be missed completely – they could also be found at the end of the game once more however, it became an irritating aspect of the game, as in each of the intense boss battles players had to be careful to ensure that they’d attempted to draw from every boss.
The addition of the Triple Triad cards to be the main bonus game was a great option! It is a different aspect of the game in which you can often be missing important cards during the initial playthrough, however there was never any necessity to play any additional Triple Triad to complete the game that you would prefer to.
Triple Triad cards could be redesigned into essential items that assist you with the game. Despite some rules can be extremely irritating (who really knows what are the Plus, Same Wall and Combo rules? ) The game lent its itself well to regular playing session as you progress through the game.
There’s not much extra content in the endgame however Final Fantasy VIII certainly lends its self well to repeated playthroughs. I’ve played through the game in just over five times and am certain that I will revisit it within a matter of minutes. The story elements and gameplay are exclusive to this version and is definitely a fantastic supplement to your Final Fantasy library.
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