The Complete Story of Final Fantasy VIII

Welcome to the complete story of Final Fantasy VIII, a game that many consider to be the black sheep of the Final Fantasy series while others consider it among the best it has to offer. As a game, Final Fantasy VIII has come under attack for its innovative junction system that proved too complicated for some to master, or even give a chance, while others found a system that is infinitely fun to play around with and greatly increases the game’s replayability.

The story itself features an intricate plot filled with personal drama and romance, set in a fantasy world wherein military force is considered necessary enough to justify the establishment of private educational facilities that train children and teenagers to become mercenaries for hire, but at least it lets us live out our fantasies of being students in a high school anime. Yay!

But anyway, I’m Pétur from Birds of play, and in this video I hope you’ll join me as we celebrate one of the more underappreciated entries in the Final Fantasy series. It’s time to go back to school. We have a lot of material to cover but I hope you’ll be with us every step of the way.

CG Intro created by our very own Redbird Pétur Breki Bjarnason in Unreal Engine 4.

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[MichaelJones-rzsw]

To this day Cid in VIII to me looks like Robin Williams.

[bumpotato]

Even to this day, you can see how ambitious this game was. The visuals, soundtrack though story's a little crazy, you can't help but be blown away by the atmosphere it creates

[joshuar.]

My first final fantasy I ever played....a classic.

[AndSpaceY]

One of the most underrated games. One of the best soundtracks and openings. Forever one of the greatest. I hope they remake this game one day.

[mochabearry]

Already know I’ll love this video. I know this is a super unpopular opinion but FFVIII is my favorite entry in the entire series. 💜 I have it on the PS4/5, on the PC, the original discs for the PS and recently got it on the Switch and am so happy that I can take it everywhere with me now. Triple Triad definitely bumped it up for me in rankings. VIII, XII, X, and VII are my top ones, in that order.

[dakotawinston]

Honestly, the story in this game is pretty bonkers and I absolutely love it

[reekhavoc]

i miss the days of getting off the school bus, walking in the house, throwing my backpack on the couch, and looking to my right side & seeing the ps1 and the double disc of ff8..mann

[Shady_NZ]

Having the music change to suit the location of the story being told was a great touch. This was awesome to watch!

[kalebmccauley]

I can’t imagine someone not liking this game. It’s a masterpiece.

[Aerensianic]

I think the game came out at like the perfect time in my life. I was like 8th grade (just before high school) and the more introverted Squall and the developing romance really got me lol. I will always hold 7 and 8 as my two personal favorites.

[christopherb.patterson]

Great summary but it missed one of the most important links in the game - that Squall is Laguna/Raine’s son, and Rinoa is the daughter of Julia, who Laguna fell in love with as a soldier. Their romance also reaches across time and space and is stronger for it.

[rayusingame]

The Balamb Garden theme makes me super nostalgic, this is my first PS1 Final Fantasy so this is my fave FF ever.

[srirulean]

This is INCREDIBLE. Thank you for this retelling of the story in the most digestible, accessible, and interesting way. I listened to this at work, and it helped my work night fly by. You've got a voice made for this, and your passion for this game shows. I appreciate this game even more so than I ever would've thought thanks to you. I just completed this game for the first time back in February after never getting past disc 2 maybe back in 2000. The way you were able to succinctly and simply summarize some of the plot points helped me gain new perspective on the moments and in turn makes me less incredulous than I was of certain aspects to begin with. Again, thanks for this. I'd instantly jump at another one of these if you summarized other Final Fantasy titles or similar games. Subscribed;

[hakunamatata]

This game is beautiful. I love Rinoa and Squall. Their story is so sweet.

[LDforlife]

the way you tell the story is so great. i feel like im reading a book when im listening to you, great job sir!

[JamesAColemanFan]

I watched my friends older brother play this as a kid and thought it was amazing. Then I played it and couldn't find my arse from my elbow with the junction system :) thanks for this video gents

[cheesekwis]

I was a kid when i played the game. Hardly understood the story and couldn’t get pass disc 2 😢 forgot where i got stuck in the storyline. Still its a nostalgia of my first final fantasy experience 😌

[joshuar.]

My first ever jrpg.... man the memories.

[MichaelFlare]

I have beat this game at least 4 times when I was 9 years old. Recently I’ve been playing FF7Remake and decided to actually read the entire plot to fully understand and appreciate the game. Since FF8 was my most favorite FF (and I’ve played 8 FFs), I decided to watch this video to fully understand and appreciate it too. I tell you right now, OMG! No matter how many times I beat this game, I realize after watching this whole video that I was way too young to really understand the story. Love this video, thank you.