Hey everyone and welcome to Part 1 of my playthrough of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered on PlayStation 4. Much like the Final Fantasy IX series of streams I did, this is not my first time playing Final Fantasy VIII, but is more of a nostalgia run brought on by the release of 2019’s Remastered version so that I can get back to grips with it for the first time in around 10 years. In this first stream, I meet our main character Squall, and his rivalry with Seifer is established, as is his position as a SeeD Cadet in the military school of Balamb Garden under the instruction of Quistis Trepe. I check out the school, get into some battles, obtain my first Guardian Forces, and then I take my field exam and get the results. Do I become a SeeD? Watch and find out…
Until next time…buh-bye!
About Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII is a Japanese RPG developed and published by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) originally for the PlayStation in 1999. For the purpose of this stream I am playing the 2019 PlayStation 4 remaster. In this game, players primarily control Squall Leonhart, a loner and young mercenary in training from the military school facility Balamb Garden in a world primarily inspired by 20th century Europe, with fantasy and sci-fi aesthetics. Final Fantasy VIII is played in the third person, with the player controlling the characters through towns, dungeons, and an overworld, interacting with characters and fighting monsters.
The story starts on the day of Squall’s final examination to become a SeeD, when he is teamed up with his school rival Seifer, and newly met Zell in a mission to secure the town of Dollet from the invading nation of Galbadia. This leads to an intrigue of political schemes, assassinations, and sorcery, and the mystery of Laguna, a man Squall that sees in his dreams, in a tale that is ultimately about family, friendship, loyalty and love on a backdrop of war.