FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered

FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered is the revised version of the Japanese role-playing game from 1999. You accompany the young SeeD mercenary Squall Leonhart and the resistance fighter Rinoa Heartilly through a war in which the military power Galbadia and the sorceress Edea play a central role.

The new edition preserves the combat system, game world and story of the original. Revised character models and optional play aids make it easier to get into, without fundamentally reworking the role-playing game.

FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered was released on Sep 3, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Standalone versions for iOS and Android followed on Mar 25, 2021.

It is the same role-playing story on different devices. The original PlayStation version was already released in 1999.

The remaster is natively available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. On Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox One version can be played through backward compatibility. This is not a separate Xbox Series release. The same applies to the PS4 version on compatible PS5 systems.

The Nintendo Switch version supports TV, tabletop and handheld modes. The Steam version offers single player, achievements and Steam Cloud.

In battles, action bars fill before characters carry out commands. Attacks, spells, Guardian Forces and special Limit techniques work together. Between battles, you explore towns, landscapes and dungeons, talk to characters and follow the story.

A large part of the strategy happens before a battle even starts: Which Guardian Force does a character equip, which spells are linked to their stats, and how far do you want to specialize a character for certain tasks?

For the PC version, Square Enix lists a minimum of 2 GB RAM, an Intel Core i3 at 2.2 GHz or a comparable AMD processor, a GeForce GT 730 or Radeon R7 240, and 5 GB storage. DirectX 11 and OpenGL 3.3 or newer are required.

The recommended hardware is 4 GB RAM, a Core i5 at 2.8 GHz or an AMD A8 at 3.1 GHz, plus a GTX 960 or Radeon RX 470 on the Steam store. The older Windows versions originally listed there should be distinguished from the current system requirements of the Steam client.

Squall Leonhart trains as a SeeD mercenary and is entrusted with a mission that leads him into the resistance against Galbadia. Rinoa Heartilly fights alongside a resistance group. Together with other companions, they become caught up in a conflict over political power and the sorceress Edea.

Personal relationships, memories and the pasts of various characters are just as important as the major military clashes.

Guardian Forces are summonable beings and also the foundation of character development. You assign them to your party members, which unlocks commands and options for linking spells to values such as attack power or HP.

This Junction system replaces many classic equipment and progression systems. Which spells you choose and how you distribute them shapes how a character fights and what strengths they develop.

With Draw you can obtain magic from enemies in battle. The collected spells serve not only as attacks or support, but also as a resource for the Junction system.

Anyone who uses especially strong spells to boost their own stats must weigh their use in battle against their value as enhancements.

Triple Triad is a card game within FINAL FANTASY VIII. You take on other characters with a collection of monster and character cards and try to outdo their cards with matching number values.

The card game is a separate pastime alongside the campaign, combining collecting, regional rules and tactical moves.

The remaster offers triple game speed, a toggle against random encounters, as well as battle aids for HP, the ATB gauge and Limit Breaks. Mandatory story battles remain even when random encounters are switched off.

The PC version has additional aids for items, abilities, Guardian Forces, Gil, magic, Limit Breaks and maps. These options are not equivalent to regular game progress.

The character models have been reworked compared to the 1999 PlayStation release. Story, locations and the basic game system remain recognizable. The typical menus and the switch between exploration, dialogue and battles still shape the feel of the game.

The Remastered version is not a complete reinterpretation of the original. Its main modernization consists of improved character models and optional convenience features.

FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered is a single-player RPG. The PC version supports Steam Cloud and Steam achievements. On Nintendo Switch, handheld, tabletop and TV modes as well as save data cloud are available.

An online multiplayer mode is not part of the game.

The PC version includes German on-screen text and also supports English, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. Nintendo lists the same six languages for the Switch version.

A full German voice-over is not listed for the Steam version.

The music accompanies the story and battles as in the original FINAL FANTASY VIII. On Steam, FINAL FANTASY VIII Original Soundtrack and Piano Collections FINAL FANTASY VIII are also offered.

These music releases are not additional campaigns or playable expansions.