Square Enix announces the long-desired remaster of Final Fantasy VIII, and it's out this year
Thank you, Square Enix, for my life.
During Square Enix's E3 presentation, it was announced that Final Fantasy VIII will finally get a remaster. The surprise new trailer is below, and keen-eyed viewers might notice a few tweaks compared to the classic. It's due out this year for PC via Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Final Fantasy VIII was first released in 1999 to critical acclaim. In 2009, it was digitally re-released worldwide as a PSOne Classic for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, then later received support for the PlayStation Vita in 2012. In 2013, it was re-released on Steam, but mostly as a taped-up version of the original Enix PC release. When Final Fantasy VII, IX, X, and XII all made their way to modern consoles, Final Fantasy VIII was left behind until now.
The eighth mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series centers on Squall Leonhart, a student and mercenary at the military academy known as Balamb Garden. Despite his extremely reserved personality and difficulty in expressing vulnerability, he comes to befriend a cast of vibrant characters--including Rinoa Heartilly, a member of an occupation resistance faction. Together, this crew of vastly different people will come together to stop Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future who desires to compress time and space for her own gains.
Compared to other Final Fantasy games, this one has a stronger focus on romance, as it explores the blossoming relationship between Squall and Rinoa, and how it changes the two and the lives of the people around them. If you're into the idea of a great romance, time travel, a unique battle system and one of the best soundtracks in gaming (seriously, I will die on this hill), it's a great chance to dive into a game that is still often talked about all these years later.
With this announcement, Final Fantasy VIII will finally join its brothers on all modern platforms. And we couldn't be prouder.