Final Fantasy VIII

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Video game
Final Fantasy VIII
ファイナルファンタジーVIII (Fainaru Fantajī Eito?)

Developers

Square Co., Ltd.

Square Enix, DotEmu (Steam, Remastered), Access Games (Remastered)
Publishers

Square Co., Ltd.

/ Square EA
/ SCE Europe, Eidos Interactive (PC)
Square Enix (Steam, Remastered)
Release dates

[Expand] February 11, 1999:

Genre

Role-playing game
Game modes

Single player
Ratings

CERO:B (12+)
ESRB: Teen

USK: 12+
ACB: M
ELSPA: 11+
Platforms
PlayStation, PC, PlayStation Network, iOS & Android via Dive In, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
Final Fantasy VIII is the eighth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, developed and
published by Squaresoft. It was released in February 1999 for the PlayStation, and has since been re-
released on Microsoft Windows in 2000, with this version being ported to Steam in 2013. A
remastered version was released September 3rd[2], 2019 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox
One and PC via Steam.[3]
Final Fantasy VIII was directed by Yoshinori Kitase, with Tetsuya Nomura providing the character
design and Nobuo Uematsu composing the musical score. It is the first game in the series to
consistently use realistically proportioned characters, and the first to feature a vocal piece as its
theme music in the form of "Eyes on Me".
Final Fantasy VIII is set on a fantasy world with science fiction elements, and focuses on Squall
Leonhart, a young SeeD mercenary hired out to various missions by Balamb Garden. Squall and his
friends are enlisted to help a group known as the Forest Owls led by Rinoa Heartilly, an endeavor
that escalates into a conflict against the forces led by Sorceress Edea.
The gameplay makes a departure from many series standards. While it still uses the Active Time
Battle system, it deviates from the series' traditional means of boosting a character's power
via leveling (although levels are not completely abandoned as they were in Final Fantasy II). In
addition, it does not have a Magic Point-based system for spell-casting. Instead, magic is
collected, drawn, and created from items, and is used to power up the characters via the junction
system.
Thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than $50 million from sales in
the United States, making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title at the time. Final Fantasy
VIII went on to become one of the best-selling games in the series; the game has shipped 9.6 million
copies worldwide as of August 20, 2019.[4]

Contents
[show]

Gameplay Edit

The gameplay differs from previous titles, the draw and junction systems being the most notable
changes. Instead of leveling up to learn new spells and abilities via weapons or a job class, the player
must draw the spells from enemies and draw points, hotspots scattered throughout the game
containing random numbers of a specific spell, or create them from items. This eliminates the
convention of magic points, but encourages players to hoard and conserve spells both for direct use
and for junctioning them to different stats associated with Guardian Forces, who also hold the
learning of new abilities.
Enemies are random encountered on the field. There are three members to a party, and unlike in
previous entries, Final Fantasy VIII doesn't differentiate between front and back row and any party
member can attack any target. Pressing the trigger button just as Squall is attacking an enemy has
him deal an automatic critical hit.
Guardian Forces Edit
Main article: Guardian Force

Siren, a Guardian Force.

Summoned monsters are known as Guardian Forces, often abbreviated to GFs. They require
junctioning to characters to be used, as well as to use their inherent abilities. GFs take time to be
summoned, and the time taken depends on the character/GF combination. When selected, the ATB
gauge begins to run backwards and the character's name and HP are replaced by the GF's name and
HP.
Similar to the aeons used later in Final Fantasy X, the GFs have HP and can take damage, shielding
party members while being summoned. During the summon charge time, if the GF's HP drops to 0,
they get knocked out and the summon is canceled. They can't be summoned until revived. When the
GF's ATB