From battling Prometheans in Requiem, enhanced for Microsoft's cutting edge gaming system, to a classic from the PS1 era... One again, using Microsoft's cutting edge gaming system(stop it....get some help!) The person who requested it said this entry is "The deepest entry in the series.
Well. We'll be the judge, jury and executioner of that folks!
let's get into it!
(best enjoyed with headphones on!!)
The year is 1999, the Europe-wide single market kicks off as the Euro was introduced in 11 countries, music piracy went mainstream as Napster launched in the USA, we have introduced a certain person who lives under the sea, as the first episode of Spongebob Squarepants was premiered in Nickelodeon.
The PS1 was the go-to gaming system at the time and Final Fantasy was the premier series in the JRPG subgenre.
This game rode on the heels (or should I say....motorcycle) of Final Fantasy VII's stellar success.
This game is set in a planet locked in a war between Dollet Dukedom and Galbadia. The mercenary force SeeD was one of the factions that were involved, recruiting young people, putting them through combat education, and, when and if they graduate, get recruited to SeeD. You play as Squall Lionheart a student in Balamb Gardens, It was up to you go on an epic quest to track down a soldier gone rogue and prevent Dollet's demise!
The accessibility scores are as follows:
Visibility 9.5
There is no colourblind mode but there is little need for one there are no colour-coded elements that will cause issues for a player with visual impairment.
But here's the issue here. Unlike VII you can't customise the colour of the interface.
Audibility 10
As par for the course, the course, there is no spoken dialogue in the game, so all dialogue is text-based. So a hearing-impaired player can understand what's going on as it progresses
Mobility 7
There is no way to change the controls in the game, which can be problematic for a player with a mobility impairment but the controls are very simple as battles are menu-based so despite the shortfall a mobility-impaired player can play this game very easily
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| Control layout for FFVII(captured from the Xbox version) |
Gameplay 8
This game is on-par as FFVII matter of fact it feels the same as FFVII.(a matter of fact even the remaster was from the same developers, Dotemu!)
But there are a few mechanics thrown in like (More on that in a minute!) the GF/Junction system. From at I played, the story is very good and exciting. But the story does not have the same emotional punch that VII has.
The Junction system is without a doubt, the game's biggest sticking point- you can have a Guardian Force to junction with one of your characters which can provide buffs and abilities to its junctioned character.
You can also customise the commands that the character can perform. like using items, casting magic, etc.
Another unique mechanic that's used in this game is its draw system. A character can draw a limited number of casts of spells which can be used in battle, failing that, you can always summon your GF!
The only shortfalls the resolution. As you can see from the gameplay footage, the develops did not add support for widescreen TVs. This can be a little annoying. If this game were to be a "Remaster" you could've at least added widescreen support!
In summary Final Fantasy 8 is the best way to enjoy the classic on a console. The Steam version did a better job. with the widescreen support, nor any upscaling. but this game is still a classic nonetheless!
This game is currently on Game pass for PC and console. If you are looking for your fix of nostalgia, give this game a try!
OVERALL SCORE 86.25%
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