Summary
Final Fantasy 8’s director would like to change just one thing about the Sony PlayStation 1 classic should it ever receive the remake treatment. This revelation comes as the game nears its 25th anniversary on February 11.
Despite releasing to critical acclaim back in 1999,Final Fantasy 8never really left as big a mark as the other games in the beloved RPG series. While the eighth installment’s story, characters, and then-impressive cinematic visuals often receive high praise, many also find the actual gameplay incredibly wanting.Final Fantasy 8’s Junction combat system, in particular, was criticized for being too complicated and difficult - an opinion that even the game’s developers share.
In aninterviewwith IGN, renowned Japanese video game producer Yoshinori Kitase, who wasFinal Fantasy 8’s director, said that he believes the title’s Junction system would need to be reworked for a hypothetical remake.Final Fantasy 8’s unique Junction systemoffered a deep level of customization and strategy, but this intricacy proved to be a double-edged sword. “I think it was a very difficult system for some people to get into. Depending on player skills, sometimes they just didn’t work out the best way of doing it,” Kitase said.
I think it was a very difficult system for some people to get into. Depending on player skills, sometimes they just didn’t work out the best way of doing it.
Despite having such an unpopular and complicated combat system,Final Fantasy 8is actually considered to be one of theeasiestFinal Fantasygames to beat. Junction was apparently very susceptible to being abused, and many players were able to figure out how to turn their characters into overpowered monsters that could defeat enemies without breaking a sweat.
Will Final Fantasy 8 Get a Remake?
To replaceFinal Fantasy8’s Junction, Kitase would like to implement a system where the level of difficulty would be a lot more balanced for fans, the developer told IGN. This overhauled combat system would be the thing that attracts most of Kitase’s attention in a remake ofFinal Fantasy’s eighth mainline entry. AsFinal Fantasy 8already does a lot of things betterthan other games in the franchise, a simpler and friendlier combat system could elevate a potential remake to heights the original never reached.
However, development on aFinal Fantasy 8remake seems unlikely right now, as Kitase claimed recreating that amount of content in the modern day would require massive investments of time and effort. Kitase worked on a remaster ofFinal Fantasy 8, and he is currently involved in the remake trilogy ofFinal Fantasy 7, which was first announced in 2015. The first game in that project,Final Fantasy 7 Remake, was released in 2020, while its sequel,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is scheduled to launch on February 29, giving each game an average development cycle of about four years. The upcomingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthis expected to be massivein terms of size and scale.
Final Fantasy 8
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It is a time of war.The Republic of Galbadia, under the influence of the sorceress Edea, mobilizes its great armies against the other nations of the world.Squall and other members of SeeD, an elite mercenary force, join hands with Rinoa, a resistance fighter, to fight against Galbadia’s tyrannical rule and to prevent Edea from fulfilling her ultimate goal.
