Following a group of students from the paramilitary academy known as Balamb Garden, Final Fantasy VIII explores a world of both machinery and magic. Players take control of Squall Leonhart, a young mercenary of Balamb prone to brooding, whose missions lead him to aid Rinoa Heartilly, the leader of a resistance group called the Forest Owls fighting for independence against the oppressive Galbadian government.
Battles utilize the ATB system common to Final Fantasy games at the time, wherein players enter combat and wait for meters to fill in order to execute attacks. The unique mechanics of Final Fantasy VIII include having to acquire magic from enemies using the “Draw” command, which in turn makes certain attacks more powerful and allows players to use spells. The game also gave the characters more realistic proportions and featured a number of cutscenes where the transition from gameplay to cinema was nearly seamless.
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| Episode | Date |
| Rhythm Encounter 125 – Long Time Listener, First Time Caller | January 2, 2024 |
| Rhythm Encounter 110 – Melodious May Music (in June) | June 5, 2023 |
| Rhythm Encounter 86 – RPG Music from the Future | June 20, 2022 |
| Random Encounter 200 – Don’t You, Forget About Me | October 28, 2020 |
| Retro Encounter 111 – Memoria Final Fantasy | November 30, 2017 |
| Rhythm Encounter 40 – Back to School | November 6, 2016 |
| Rhythm Encounter 36 – Bends of Time | May 1, 2016 |
| Rhythm Encounter 30 – Those Who Fight | October 17, 2015 |
| Rhythm Encounter 25 – Music of the Year 2014 – Second Movement | April 2, 2015 |
| Rhythm Encounter 20 – New Beginnings | October 9, 2014 |
| Rhythm Encounter 12 – Red-Letter Date | January 21, 2014 |
| Rhythm Encounter 7 – Don’t Tease the Octopus! | June 28, 2013 |
Game Reviews
| Review | Author | Platform | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy VIII | Cameron Hamm | Sony PlayStation | 94 |
| Final Fantasy VIII | Esque | Sony PlayStation | 95 |
| Final Fantasy VIII | Ken Chu | Sony PlayStation | 89 |
| Final Fantasy VIII | Robert Steinman | Sony PlayStation 3 | 80 |
| Final Fantasy VIII | Ryan Mattich | Sony PlayStation | 92 |
Music Reviews
Media
