Final Fantasy VIII: A Retrospective View of The Game’s Visual Design
Introduction
Final Fantasy VIII was my first video game. It wasn’t the first one I ever played — that honour lies with some old educational games my Primary 5 teacher used to let us enjoy on the school’s old Macintosh PCs if we completed our classwork - but it was the first one I ever owned.
I remember little eight-year-old me being absolutely blown away by this game. Everything about it was mesmerising — the musical score, the graphics, the world, the characters. I was in love. That love of gaming never left me. Two decades later, I was enrolled in university studying Computer Games (Art and Animation) at Glasgow Caledonian University and I had dreams of replicating those feelings of awe in other gamers.
Well, after graduation, I fell out of love with 3D. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’m still burned out from the stress of the final fourth-year deadlines or perhaps it’s true what one of my professors warned us: if you love video games, you’ll hate them by the end of this course.
He was half-right. For a while, after graduating, I didn’t even want to look at a video game, let alone play one. Yet, when I did finally pick up a single-player experience, it was my old favourite, Final Fantasy VIII. The remastered edition on the Playstation 5. I fully expected to see all the flaws in what I’d once considered a masterpiece, and yet, I was still impressed, even after all these years. For full context, I’ve played and completed all of the 3D Final Fantasy titles multiple times. My favourites are FF12, FF15 and of course FF8. I enjoy them all, of course, but these three would be my go-to choices for another playthrough.
So what exactly is it about Final Fantasy VIII that made it stand out to me so much, despite it living in the shadow of its wildly successful sibling, Final Fantasy VII?
The General Themes of Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII presents a deep, compelling narrative about war, love, finding yourself and protecting those dearest to you. It has a series of strange twists and some bizarre revelations later in the game that I won’t spoil but, even at my young eight years old, I was still enchanted by the way the narrative wove the plot threads together. I didn’t understand a lot of it back then but I understood enough to keep me engaged and playing.
I replayed the game years later as an adult and was blown away by the plot. It’s confusing, yes, and it may take another playthrough to fully grasp, but it’s daring and that’s what I adore about it. It knew it was taking risks. It knew it was going to leave a lot of people questioning and confused but it decided to boldly stride forward with its ideas.
Without spoiling anything, you play the game as Squall Leonhart, a seventeen-year-old student at Balamb Garden, a military school where students work their way up to become SeeD members. SeeD is Balamb’s elite military force, sent all over the world to aid in global problems or conflicts.
The game begins with Squall undertaking his SeeD exam by being deployed to the town of Dollet which is under siege by the rival nation, Galbadia. During the siege on Dollet, you learn that Galbadia is there to claim a radio tower. Why are they so interested in this tower? What are they hoping to broadcast to the world?
I won’t say any more than this as this is the point where the game begins to ramp up the intrigue before revealing its antagonist.
It’s a thought-provoking and often bizarre but mysterious story about a loner who finds himself caught up in a battle for the future and the very essence of time itself.
Intricate Character Designs and Tetsuya Nomura’s Art
I was one of those kids who fell in love with anime and manga back when it was hard to come by in the West. I was limited to the shows that aired on obscure television channels, shows that were seen as niche then but are mammoths of the anime world today. Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Beyblade and some other titles that were once popular but have fallen into obscurity in recent years like Monster Rancher.
I was the weird kid who always had a sketchbook glued to their hands. It went with me wherever I would go and if I didn’t have my sketchbook, well, let’s just say it’s not the first time I was scolded for doodling all over my school jotters… But the point is, I loved these new, unique art styles. I’d never seen anything like it before.
I was blown away when I booted up Final Fantasy VIII. The characters looked incredible in the full-motion videos (FMVs) and in the game engine too but it was the menu system that really caught my attention. It was the first time I’d ever seen Tetsuya Nomura’s artwork.
I was in love.
The in-game sprites are clunky and dated by today’s standards but back in 1999, they were groundbreaking. It marked the Final Fantasy series taking a more mature approach visually. That’s not to diminish the graphics of previous entries — we all remember the iconic smog-filled Midgar in Final Fantasy VII or the dark and industrial Magitek Factory of Final Fantasy VI for example. But with fully realistic sprites (as realistic as the technology back then would allow), the game was moving forward in a new direction.
These new sprites allowed for more detail to be transferred over from Nomura’s artwork as seen below with the protagonist, Squall.
A new range of possibilities was opening up for more intricate and detailed character designs as the technology progressed. Square would make full use of this in their future games such as Final Fantasy IX and Kingdom Hearts where the characters would showcase all the details and adornments seen in Nomura’s artwork.
Rich, Vibrant and Memorable Environments
Final Fantasy VIII has some memorable locations. The iconic alien labyrinth of the Lunatic Pandora is the first one that comes to my mind, alongside the beautiful tranquillity of Balamb Garden.
Each of these locations in the game is matched with a wonderfully varied musical score, written by legendary video game composer Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu has woven a rich tapestry of sound to bring these locations to life and it works so perfectly.
The game itself has a striking balance of old and new. Locations such as the Gardens (Balamb and Galbadia, etc) and the technologically advanced Esthar city showcase a beautiful side of the game’s science-fiction elements. These places echo the utopian visions of the future showcased in the writings of past sci-fi writers and dreamers. Far from dystopian, these places often offer glimmers of hope about an otherwise uncertain future.
On the other hand, some locations are old and familiar feeling such as Winhill or Shumi Village. Winhill was a stand-out location for me. Even as I write this, the background music for the area started playing in my head. Winhill is a quintessential country village — one of those places you’d visit for a weekend break in the quiet, rolling hills of somewhere like Great Britain.
All of these locations weave together a rich tapestry, forming a world that truly feels alive.
The game utilises a unique mix of pre-rendered backgrounds with real-time character sprites, similar to its predecessor Final Fantasy VII. With the graphical improvements in Final Fantasy VIII, the mixing of these elements creates an oddly nostalgic feel. There was something wonderful about wandering around these rendered planes, seeing what I could interact with and following the pathways to move to the next area.
The backgrounds themselves are beautifully crafted with passion and care. No location is overwhelming and even when an environment is busy, it never feels cluttered or garish. Every location suits the current part of the story. The art team have put so much love into their work and it really shines. Even with the fuzziness of older graphics, you can tell what everything is. There’s no guessing or wondering. It’s clear what each location is and what everything in the scene’s purpose is.
Visual Storytelling and The Use of Full Motion Video
At pivotal moments in the game’s narrative, it will break the flow of gameplay to progress the plot by the use of Full Motion Video (FMV). Back in 1999, Squaresoft (now Square-Enix) were the master of FMVs. They set the benchmark for these cutscenes, using fully rendered environments and characters to flex their 3D technical muscles.
This is especially evident in the interactive FMVs where the game transitions seamlessly from gameplay to a cutscene and you are still in control of Squall for a short time as seen below.
I used to look forward to reaching them as they would always signpost an important checkpoint of the game. From the siege on Dollet or the nightmarish reality of the Lunar Cry to the beautifully choreographed ballroom dance between Squall and Rinoa, some of these moments went down in video game history but sadly, the game is still underrated, in my opinion.
Final Fantasy VIII set a high bar with its use of FMV and facial expressions. Squaresoft pushed the technology as far as they could and it’s often overlooked in the shadow of the behemoth Final Fantasy VII (which was a technological and storytelling marvel in its own right).
An Enduring But Quiet Legacy
Two decades after its release, Final Fantasy VIII is rarely ever mentioned with the same revere as the titles that came before or after it. When fans discuss the games and FFVIII comes up, it’s usually met with ‘Oh, that weird one with the nonsensical plot?’ or ‘The one with the bizarre junction mechanic?’.
I won’t deny that FFVIII has it’s ‘WTF’ moments but the moment the story begins to make sense is the moment you begin to appreciate the boundaries Squaresoft were trying to push. It was Square’s first foray into realistically proportioned characters and even some of the mechanics were innovative, if a little confusing.
The previously mentioned Junction system made use of the game’s magic system. In layman’s terms, you could use your magic to give yourself stat or elemental resistance boosts at the cost of wanting to keep as high a stock of that spell as possible.
You see, in Final Fantasy VIII, magic doesn’t have an MP cost. When you ‘draw’ a spell from either a monster or a ‘draw point’ in the game, you get a random number of that spell, from 1–99. If you have 99 of the same spell, you’ll receive the highest benefit from that spell’s stat-altering properties.
You can also junction the spell into varying stats, like your max HP, your magic damage, strength, etc, which allows a great amount of character customisation. The downside is, each time you cast the spell in your junction slot, it’s effect on your stats will get a little weaker. The trick is to stock up on spells as much as possible between all of your party members.
It’s an interesting system and one that can be effectively utilised to min-max your gameplay. It was one of the first times Square would try something entirely new with their combat but it certainly wouldn’t be the last (the Gambit system in Final Fantasy XII or the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X for example).
Unfortunately, the Junction system divided fans, just as the Gambit system in FFXII would.
Once you learn how to use it effectively, it certainly is an enjoyable system but many players can find it overwhelming.
The general plot of the game also splits players. Some love the game for its unapologetic attempt as a romantic sci-fi/fantasy epic with time and space travel while others criticise it for its plot holes or confusing twists.
I think if you go into this game with an open mind, you might just find a hidden gem. Whether you pick up the original game or try the remastered version released in 2019, you’re in for a treat.
Conclusion
Honestly, Final Fantasy VIII is a bit of a black sheep in the franchise’s early history but the fact that it can still be picked up and enjoyed today is a testament to the strength of its visual design and narrative. It certainly set the bar high for future RPG games that would follow in terms of graphical fidelity and pushing the Playstation One system to its limits. Squaresoft learned from their decisions and scrapped the Junction system for future titles but they were still eager to try new things in their future Final Fantasy titles.
It’s an enduring but quiet legacy, one that fits a game crafted with such passion and care but shows how Square were still finding their footing as the video game world moved to 3D. They were the masters of 3D and visuals, yes, but in terms of gameplay systems and perhaps even the epic narrative, they still had a lot to learn going forward.
And learn they did.
References
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