See, Final Fantasy VIII doesn’t feature equippable accessories and items as a standard JRPG would instead, you essentially ‘wear’ magic spells to bolster stats. Magic is a basically a consumable item here, and it’s critical to character growth and development. With this, you can spend a character’s turn in battle to siphon magic away from enemies, either casting it in that same turn or storing it in your inventory for later use. The strangeness of the story extends to the gameplay systems, too, which drop series’ convention by eliminating the MP bar and introducing the ‘Draw’ mechanic. Final Fantasy VIII features a plot that’s very much an example of ‘so bad it’s good’, offering up a thoroughly gripping (if mostly incoherent) tale that’s truly unforgettable. And yet, it’s a story that you can’t help but love. Final Fantasy games have always had some rather meandering plots, but even by series’ standards, Final Fantasy VIII plays out like a bizarre fever dream that just keeps upping the ante as it slowly descends further into madness. Hordes of monsters living on the moon that inexplicably fall to the world? Check. Long lost, time-manipulating sisters being chased by witches? Check.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered certainly isn’t the best release in this treasured series, but it also proves to be one of the most memorable and innovative instalments.

Indeed, now that Final Fantasy VIII Remastered has finally arrived on modern consoles, it’s rather fascinating to see how time has treated this one. The only answer to the impossible question of “what’s next?” was to take things in such a preposterous direction that fans would just be left baffled by the final product, unsure of whether they loved or hated it.

Bearing this enormous pressure in mind, it’s no wonder that Final Fantasy VIII turned out as… well, weird as it did. Gamers are a notoriously fickle bunch to please, and anything less than an equally groundbreaking game as Final Fantasy VII would be met with waves of disappointment and complaining. The studio had just put out a genre-defining game that many still say they haven’t topped and had catapulted itself to a position that invited unrealistically high expectations. Imagine being in the unenviable position in which Square Enix found itself following the release of Final Fantasy VII in 1997.

Final fantasy viii review