Final Fantasy VIII, initially released on February 11th, 1999 on the original PlayStation console, was well received by critics and was a commercial success. Piggybacking off the fantastic plot and visuals of their predecessor Final Fantasy VII, the title had sold more than 9.6 million copies worldwide by August 2019. As it’s done now with many of their titles, SquareEnix has released Remastered versions for the Switch, PS4, Windows, and Xbox One. There are Android and iOS remastered versions as well. With the success of Final Fantasy VII‘s Remake and Rebirth titles on PS5, if Square-Enix is looking for their next adventure, they needn’t look any further than Final Fantasy VIII.
Final Fantasy VIII’s Garden Cities Can Expand The Original’s Gameplay
Final Fantasy VIII‘s Gardens provide an opportunity to expand on the original cities, as Final Fantasy VII‘s Slums did for their version. The Garden sequences at the beginning introduced the storyline of the SeeD group and their training to fight the Sorceress Edea and, ultimately, Sorceress Ultimecia. You don’t get involved with the other students outside of regular NPC dialogue while in Garden. A remake can create quests to complete within Garden, whether it is training exercises against enemies, collecting resources, or goals to reach that allow you to obtain abilities.
Final Fantasy VIII’s Potential Visual Advances
Final Fantasy VIII‘s story deserves to be seen in today’s technology lens. FFVIII has several cutscene sequences that are iconic for the franchise. Imagine a modern-day version of what the main protagonist Squall Leonheart & Rinoa Heartlily’s dance at Balamb Garden would look like. Flashback scenes harken back to characters Laguna Loire, Kiros Seagill, and Ward Zambac, which serve as a context for the battle currently underway. All battles can benefit from the modern-day Final Fantasy playstyle instead of the active time battle that existed back then. Flying in the Airship Ragnarok would be amazing in today’s graphics. How incredible would the final boss battle against Ultimecia be in the graphical world we live in today?
Final Fantasy VIII’s Story Deserves Some Reimagining
Final Fantasy VIII‘s fantastic story would be unique with some tweaks. One of the things I love about what FFVII Remake is doing is reimagining slight story changes that FFVIII would benefit from. Think about how FFVII attacked Cloud’s memory of what happened in Nibelhelm. SPOILER! In FFVII Rebirth, a fight between Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife occurs when they question each other’s recollection of the events five years prior. In the original version of the game, they tackle each other’s version of events much later in the game. There are so many scenarios in FFVIII that they could reimagine in a potential remake. They could revisit the initial connection between Rinoa & Squall. They could revisit the flashback sequences and when they occur within the game’s present-day storyline. Keeping the story’s core the same with subtle changes would be welcomed by the prior fanbase.
I hope that Square-Enix considers a return to Balamb Garden. It is a great story from beginning to finish. Some areas of the game could have a significant focus, such as the FFVII’s Remake did with their title. The Triple Triad mini-game, life within the Garden, and the cutscenes can all use a robust reboot. Let’s give this game the flowers it deserves.
Also Read: Baldur’s Gate 3: Why Is It So Popular
About The Author
Joseph Laguerre is a fan of several genres of games but mains sports, roleplaying, and first-person shooters. He definitely will try anything once. His favorite game of all time is Final Fantasy VII. It was the first time he fell in love with a video game.
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