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25 Years On, Final Fantasy VIII’s Original Opening Remains Incredible

Destruction of Zanarkand Final Fantasy XBombing Mission in Final dream VIIthe Magiteks are jumping on the snow towards Narshe, Final Fantasy XVI‘s Game of Thrones– ian execution. The popular game series is known for some truly wild pieces to add up to dozens upon hours of adventure. But one still hits, even if it takes a while to find it: Final dream VIIIcoming down from Dollet.

FFVIII– launched on the original PlayStation in the US 25 years ago today – doesn’t open with the bomb one might expect The last dream these days. Sure, the opening scene culminates in the twin soldiers Squall and Seifer fighting in sword training, but the original the opening of the game is very different from its predecessor FFVIIan appalling act of ecoterrorism. No, rather, FFVIII opens quietly as Squall, now nursing a scar on his face, adjusts to life in his magical, elite floating university, Balamb Garden. That’s an amazing difference The ultimate dream it’s become known as: high school exam prep feelings, but the exams involve throwing a sword around with a pistol grip or jumping into the caves of a nearby volcano to learn how to successfully tame and summon a big, hairy god.

But even in that mixture of the real and the fantastic, of course in silence. There is no real driving force FFVIIIOpening without Squall and his classmates preparing for their finals as SeeD students, the final test is absurd, as you quickly learn that SeeD is not a normal school organization but an international mercenary organization, and Balamb is its base of operations. . About the customs of The ultimate dream-fighting, magic, summoning giant beings of immeasurable power-are distanced and cast through the lens not of Warriors of Light or rebels and rebels, but high school drama. That is, until the reality of what Squall and Balamb’s other students prepare to kick out an hour or two into the game: their final test is to break the siege of the nearby independent Duchy, Dollet, which is facing a massive attack. the strength of the Galbadian army.

Everything begins to light up in a pre-rendered fictional scene that begins to play as Squall, his mentor and teacher Quistis, Zell newcomer Cocky, and, of course, his rival Seifer begin to pile into a boat that will take them to the beaches of Dollet. Set in what remains one of Nobuo Uematsu’s best works in the business, “The Landing,” Squall pokes his head out of the boat as it races across the ocean, covering a trick shot in Dollet’s photo… the photo finds an exact replica of Dollet in real life, only now engulfed in flames. and explosion. Dollet’s own soldiers, military-looking people covered in bandoliers and stun guns, are separated so that the SeedD boats come crashing down on the sea, as students in school uniforms begin to climb the shore and go to their final, and possibly, test. their death.

Suddenly, the extrapolation explained Final dream VIIIOpening ‘s is the opposite. You no longer sit in classrooms and roam the school corridors discussing the concept of combat training or military strategy, you are thrown into the middle of a battle where killing an enemy is worth points on your final exam. Everything the player does as Squall and his crew head up to the surface to try to secure the transmission of Dollet’s comments—the tactical source of Galbadia’s original attack—is found in the background of the game as part of that final test. Are you killing enough soldiers? Are you following the right orders, are you staying on schedule? Do you retreat from Dollet later, as you’re chased through a tower by a hulking, spider-tank, unlike anything you’ve experienced in a game up to that point? What Squall and his friends have been training for becomes a reality in the fires of Dollet, and with it, in a way. The ultimate dreamMore fiction begins to evaporate before their eyes.

Regardless of your score on the test, Squall and (most) of his friends leave Dollet as full members of SeeD (scores determine your initial salary, another little snarky comment). But the players leave you with a vivid understanding of what Final dream VIII I wanted to say about the franchise, and beyond its modern sci-fantasy beauty, it takes a further step away from the traditions of the series than its predecessor did. More Last Dreams before this put young people into the meat grinder, but few were able to grasp the emptiness of the post-war industrial base briefly Final dream VIII he did in that killer opening twist.

Looking for more io9 news? Check out when you can expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe in film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.


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