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Squall Leonhart is a young man, who is in training to become of member of SeeD - a mercenary organization, the dream of all the young students in Balamb Garden. Squall is not a particularly friendly guy and has troubles with his fellow students and teachers. Currently, two countries are at war with each other; to complete his training as a mercenary, Squall and three other students are sent on a mission to aid one of those countries against the other. In the process they discover that there are some other characters pulling the strings from behind the scene, and get involved in a mystery that sheds a whole new light on their lives and ideals. "Final Fantasy VIII" is set in a "retro" environment reminiscent of the 1960-ies, with supernatural elements mixed in. It introduces many gameplay changes compared to the previous installments of the series. You don't get money from random enemies, but instead have to earn it during your missions as a SeeD. You can customize your characters by equipping them with magic spells, which you can draw from enemies in battles. You can also cast those spells the same way you would use an item, since you don't have MP in the game. The trademark summoned monsters (called Guardian Forces in this game) play a very important role in the customization process. You can "junction" them to your characters and learn various abilities from them. They can also be summoned in battles. It removed magic point-based spell-casting and was the first series title to consistently use realistically proportioned characters. It includes a mini-game called Chocobo World. In 2019, a Remastered version was released featuring multiple enhancements including additional options to customize your gameplay experience and difficulty, such as: Battle assist options (HP, ATB gauge, and Limit Break boosts); Game speed boost (x3); No random encounters; Obtain all items and abilities; Max G.F. levels, currency (gil), and spells; Obtain all Limit Breaks and cards. |
