Response to FFVIII Critics

by The Weave

Final Fantasy VIII was a unique approach to Square games, indeed to RPGs in general. Separating from the long-used and accepted MP system of play, it has become the first (and, to date, only) RPG to totally discard the MP system in favor of the draw system.

Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII continued in Square's not-so-apparent tradition of completely re-vamping the "Summoning" system of play. It built on both the Materia system of Final Fantasy VII and the Esper system of Final Fantasy III to produce an innovative concept of the GF system. This system had the attributes of the materia system and the unique approach to the GFs' existence that closely resembled the Espers found in Final Fantasy III. The crucial difference was found in the GFs' ability to junction directly to character stats, acting as the portal through which regularly stockpiled magic could directly influence not only the battles they were used in, but the characters that fought in them. This GF system was the next step in the natural evolution of Final Fantasy, because instead of being the endpoint of junctioning, it opened a whole new realm of customizable characters and ways to use spells never thought possible before.

Why, then, has Final Fantasy VIII encountered so much friction within its fans? Why have the very people who have come to love the Final Fantasy series been the loudest protesters against this latest installment in the series that they so love?

There are several reasons cited, all of which can be found in this site's past editorials. The complaints fall into two major categories: The storyline and the gameplay itself.

First, to address the problems most people find within the storyline. Many times, Final Fantasy VIII's story has been called too "simplistic" and "boring". Many of my friends, die hard Final Fantasy fans, have complained to me of simply not being motivated to finish the game. However, most of the critics of FFVIII's storyline simply do not look hard enough. FFVIII's story is, admittedly, simple upon cursory examination. Loner must go stop evil sorceress from future in order to save world. This simplistic topstory is necessary in order to keep the gamers who are being introduced to the Final Fantasy world for the first time in this game involved. Because of the high publicity FFVIII received, many people who had never played a Final Fantasy game before picked up a copy. This also partially explains both the ease of the game and the draw system's necessity as well.

Upon deeper examination, one begins to see nuances present in the game's story that are so subtle one does not consciously pick up on them. The whole subplot of all the characters having grown up together seems a little contrived at first, but that also gives us insight into all of the characters. As Quistis states in the game, "I thought I was in love, but really, I was still just being a big sister."

Laguna's subplot is also an interesting one. Although he appears in the game sparsely, Laguna is possibly one of the characters one identifies most with. Ultimately, when one learns about Raine's fate, the player is emotionally affected. It's not an effect in the whiz-bang sense of Aeris's death, however, this subtle tugging of the heart strings can be just as effective, and can make the player empathize with Laguna throughout the game. Similarly, Squall's episode at Fisherman's Horizon carrying Rinoa contribute to the player's empathizing with someone heretofore thought of as a total jerk. The only attempt Square makes at this subtle tugging of the heart strings in Final Fantasy VII is a little bit when Sephiroth reveals a bit about Cloud's past. But instead of the player empathizing with Cloud, one only thinks, "Boy, Cloud is one screwed up guy..."

The biggest mistake made by critics of FFVIII's storyline, however, is a misinterpretation of the emphasis placed on different subplots. As has been clearly stated by Square and also by Sidhe in a previous editorial, the theme of FFVIII is love. As such, the most important part of FFVIII's story is that of the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. Unlike FFVII, where Cloud and Tifa are just thrown together, and FFIII, which has virtually no "love" subplot at all (with the exception of the Locke/Celes relationship), FFVIII's story actively focuses on Squall and Rinoa. This love story is executed wonderfully, but slowly. Because it takes so long to unfold, many people simply assume that the Sorceress Edea/Ultimecia subplot present on the first two discs is the plot of FFVIII. Because of this misinterpretation, something that was made only to support the main storyline of FFVIII instead becomes the main storyline of FFVIII in most people's eyes. This is where all the criticism stems from. Looking at FFVIII from the correct perspective, one sees a plot and a storyline that can rival even that of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII. Certainly one sees a storyline worthy of the Final Fantasy name.

The other complaint made by critics of FFVIII involve the differences in gameplay. First and foremost on most people's list is the lack of MP used in FFVIII. However, in agreement with Sidhe, it is important to understand that there are other ways of having magic "cost" something. Aside from the rarity in finding certain spells such as Ultima, one also must take into consideration the effect on character stats casting a junctioned spell has. Effective spells are usually highly junctionable, especially to HP. Therefore, each time a player casts a spell, he or she "pays" for it in a drop in character stats. Sometimes, the casting of one spell can lower maximum HP by as much as 50 points. While this may not seem like much, the effect can be cumulative. And while you could use Ethers to recover MP, the only way to recover your lost stats is to go out, kill more monsters, and level up, drawing magic all the while. This also leads people to continue to fight random battles, if not for the gold, then for the experience and the chance to draw a rare spell.

Secondly, to address the "ease" of the game. As I stated before, and as Raincrystal states, it is important to give FF "newbies" a chance to get their feet wet. It is much more valuable to actually complete a game and get closure to the storyline than to face someone unbeatable, and just run around fighting stuff for apparently no reason other than gaining levels. Also, realize that FFVIII follows a long trend of games getting easier and more story oriented. For example, the hardest Final Fantasy was, arguably, the original Final Fantasy on the NES. In that game, leveling up and gaining experience was absolutely essential to getting anywhere in the game. Now take FFVII. This game didn't really require specific experience gaining trips unless you were out to beat Ruby or Emerald Weapon. This gave gamers a choice: they could level up if they wanted to, but if they didn't, that was ok too. FFVIII merely takes this trend a step further by compensating for a player's zeal for leveling up. By having adjustable statistics for each monster, the game could be as easy or as hard as the player wanted it to be.

Instead of being the deformed miscarriage of Final Fantasy critics claim FFVIII to be, it is merely a slightly misunderstood member of the FF line, and is a great game if people let it be. Instead of being so openly critical of it, people ought to simply play the game and enjoy the latest installment to the greatest saga history has ever seen: the Final Fantasy Saga.