Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

 Switch
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 90 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 90
  3. Negative: 19 out of 90

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  1. Morrisonio
    Sep 14, 2019
    6
    It's a 6+ for me. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic game, but it's not a great remaster. New models are ok, but there's a "problem": some characters that are not "in game" (i mean they're part of the background and haven't got any text line) are... well, part of the background so they are blurred. And in a remaster that focuses on better modelling to skip that polygonal stuff of PS1,It's a 6+ for me. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic game, but it's not a great remaster. New models are ok, but there's a "problem": some characters that are not "in game" (i mean they're part of the background and haven't got any text line) are... well, part of the background so they are blurred. And in a remaster that focuses on better modelling to skip that polygonal stuff of PS1, this is a huge mistake imo. Also it freaks me out the way this game has frame drops. On Switch, a 2017 system that struggles to move a PS1 1999 game. If you play on x3 speed, sound doesn't speed up, so the image and the sound effects or even music doesn't match.

    But it's a great Final Fantasy, although the story has huge script gaps and one of the worst characters developments ever, with Squall. Battle system is ok, GF ara ok, the OST is, in my opinion, top 3 of the saga.

    Have fun!    … Expand
  2. GamesDoneRight
    Sep 10, 2019
    8
    This is a great remaster for one of my favorite Final Fantasies to date. The models are crisp and clean and they fixed the soundtrack from the PC port as that was the port they used to remaster. My only complaint would have to be that some of the backgrounds feel weird with these new models throughout the game.
  3. Alaamak
    Sep 10, 2019
    8
    After playing the game for some time . I realized that square did a really good job with remastering the game . Everything ok just as it was before . Except with the amazing new 3d models for the characters and the poorly remastered backgrounds that makes the game looks kinda weird . Otherwise for some one who wants to experience the good old square RPGs or want to reminisce in finalAfter playing the game for some time . I realized that square did a really good job with remastering the game . Everything ok just as it was before . Except with the amazing new 3d models for the characters and the poorly remastered backgrounds that makes the game looks kinda weird . Otherwise for some one who wants to experience the good old square RPGs or want to reminisce in final fantasy 8 . You won't go wrong with this one… Expand
  4. VTL
    Nov 21, 2019
    3
    Me jode ponerle esto a un juego de 10... pero este "remaster" a 20 € en un juego de 20 años y que salga roto y con bugs (al menos a mi) que directamente te hacen parar el juego porque es impossible continuar.... deberia haberse corregido YA !!! Square arregla esta joya !!
  5. SenZephyr
    Nov 7, 2019
    5
    My all-time favorite game released with upscaled sprites and playable on my portable console screen? Yes, please. This game is as amazing as ever, and while I think it would’ve been a teeny-tiny better if they upgraded the static backgrounds, I still feel that flood of nostalgia each time I power it up. Pros: - Better character sprites.
    - Same amazing soundtrack.
    - Options for speeding up    My all-time favorite game released with upscaled sprites and playable on my portable console screen? Yes, please. This game is as amazing as ever, and while I think it would’ve been a teeny-tiny better if they upgraded the static backgrounds, I still feel that flood of nostalgia each time I power it up. Pros: - Better character sprites.
    - Same amazing soundtrack.
    - Options for speeding up gameplay or turning off encounters for story focused play.
    - Same great story that showcases some great character growth and touching moments. - Feels right at home on the Switch screen, smaller screen helps highlight the beautiful artwork throughout the game. Cons:
    - Great new sprites sometimes look too sharp for existing pre-rendered backgrounds.
    - Squall looks less mature, and more K-pop.
    - I feel like this could be ported to mobile as well and I have my phone on me more often.    … Expand
  6. hero28306
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Tiene un bug que hace que el juego pete en español y sea injugable y en meses que lleva ya son incapaces de subir ningún parche vergonzoso
  7. benter
    Mar 25, 2022
    5
    ПОЧЕМУ ЭКРАН КВАДРАТНЫЙ? ЧТО ЗА БРЕД? В РЕМАСТЕРЕ СЛОЖНО ЭКРАН РАСШИРИТЬ?
  8. JRice
    Nov 17, 2021
    6
    After the amazing SNES games, FFVIII plays incredibly clunky, and features strange mechanics and terrible level design.
    Also, the graphics didnt age well, and the blurry backgrounds dont fit the new character models.

    This is, with wide range, my least favourite FF of all SNES and PS1 titles...
  9. Sandman83
    Oct 13, 2020
    10
    One of the best RPG:s ever made. The Switch version is probably also the best way to play this game since it was originally released.
  10. TheMegaGodz
    Oct 21, 2019
    7
    Not a terrible game, but nothing amazing either. Amazing characters thrown in to a lackluster story with complicated gameplay mechanics.
  11. vodkaffee
    Dec 13, 2019
    1
    oh. wow square deleted my 2/10 rating. why? idk. but now is a 1/10.
    this game is a FRAUD. it is NOT a remaster. it looks awful. thats why the trailers do not show gameplay except for zoom ins of the new models which look horrible against the background that are CLEARLY not remastered.
    Edit: You can still buy the original verison on steam by 5 usd less and it has the chocobo walker and    oh. wow square deleted my 2/10 rating. why? idk. but now is a 1/10.
    this game is a FRAUD. it is NOT a remaster. it looks awful. thats why the trailers do not show gameplay except for zoom ins of the new models which look horrible against the background that are CLEARLY not remastered.

    Edit: You can still buy the original verison on steam by 5 usd less and it has the chocobo walker and original models and scenarios, is literrally the same game but better, just map the controls..    … Expand
  12. tesodaking
    Nov 4, 2019
    10
    Sono poco oggettivo con questo titolo. È stato il mio primo final fantasy ed e attualmente il mio preferito, anche più del 7. Peccato che le traduzioni per questa versione switch siano a tratti terribili
  13. Starfree
    Jun 2, 2021
    5
    FF8 can be described in one word. Confusing. The story is all over the place before it introduces Space Travel and Time Travel. The GF system is a cluttered mess, the combat scaling system makes grinding a negative, and the card game holy frick I don’t think anyone can understand it. The cut scenes are cool and for the first few hours the combat system is just like any other FF game. TheFF8 can be described in one word. Confusing. The story is all over the place before it introduces Space Travel and Time Travel. The GF system is a cluttered mess, the combat scaling system makes grinding a negative, and the card game holy frick I don’t think anyone can understand it. The cut scenes are cool and for the first few hours the combat system is just like any other FF game. The characters are good. This is as bad as a good game can get. And of the main line FF games of Switch this is the worst one.… Expand
  14. Omnislasher420
    Apr 28, 2020
    8
    Gunblades, military schools, teen drama, witches, what’s not to like? The story starts off amazing but was lackluster on act 3, the junction system isn’t for everyone but it works. If you like FF games and turn based gameplay this is for you. With enhanced character models it makes it even more enjoyable. Definitely worth your money too.
  15. bingbang
    Jun 22, 2020
    6
    I was so eager to revisit this world since it had such a presence in my life 20 years ago, but man... that junction system is painful, even with the addition of switching random encounters off and speeding battles up. I just never wanted to enter a battle.
  16. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    4
    A unique system, with poor explanation.

    The Good: - Story and characters good - amazing music - amazing graphics for its time -------------------- The Bad: - This game has a unique battle system. You can draw magic from enemies and use it. Magic is limited, and you can assign magic to your player. There's one tutorial at the very beginning that explains this. You can't    A unique system, with poor explanation.

    The Good:

    - Story and characters good

    - amazing music

    - amazing graphics for its time

    --------------------

    The Bad:

    - This game has a unique battle system. You can draw magic from enemies and use it. Magic is limited, and you can assign magic to your player. There's one tutorial at the very beginning that explains this. You can't revisit this tutorial. Naturally, I didn't remember exactly how it went, so there I was confused as ****. I eventually picked up on it, but the real problem was having to draw magic from monsters. If you need a certain spell, you need to farm it off monsters. This was tedious. There's also no indication of what magic can be drawn where.

    - I missed a lot of GFs because the game gave no indication that you're supposed to draw them from certain enemies. LACK of information.

    - ATB does not work well with the drawing function, because sometimes you want to see if there's anything worthwhile to draw. But that takes up time, meaning the opponent can attack you sooner. This discourages drawing, especially with bosses, whom you want to select your commands quickly to deal damage more quickly.

    - The menus can block the target selection for your attack and spells. This was a visual annoyance.

    - Finding the location of your next objective can be really ambiguous at times (e.g. Esthar ship). I found myself running across the world map just looking for where to go at times. No clues or anything after you missed the last dialogue box of the conversation with the person telling you where to go next.

    - Not being able to go over cliffs with Balamb garden was extremely annoying. I understand it's part of the progression design, but it was none the less annoying to just circle islands just to find that dinky shore line where I can hover over. Also you couldn't fast travel with it. Getting the Ragnarok was a blessing, but that is late into the game.

    - reorganizing the magic in the menu was extremely unintuitive. You have two separate windows to place the magic, when it would have been much simpler to use one window. It was unnecessarily difficult.

    - Having to switch Junctions every time was tedious. The game could have just transfered the junction over automatically every time your party changed.

    - GF cutscenes could not be skipped. They are lengthy and break the pace of the game. GFs are powerful and I used them often, making the battles very slow and annoying.

    - It can be difficult to tell where you can go in some of the pre-rendered backgrounds. I found myself walking into walls often just to see if it was another entrance.

    ---------------------

    Note:

    - To be fair, this game came out 20 years ago, so perhaps the negative points I've stated weren't glaring issues at all back then, since standards weren't nearly as high as they are today. This review is from the perspective of someone who is experiencing it in the present.    … Expand
  17. dalyw
    Sep 28, 2021
    4
    A poor game with an overly complex and grindy battle mechanic. I so desperately wanted to enjoy this as I love the FF series but the battle system combined with the GF's and annoying characters made it unbearable. I quit after 10 hours as I just wasn't enjoying it.
  18. albericegames
    Feb 20, 2022
    10
    Jogo praticamente beira a perfeição!
    Merece levar nota 10 em todas plataformas
    Nesse game você tem vontade de saber da vida de todos personagem, sendo mundo aberto a partir de um tempo podendo explorar onde você quiser.
  19. Ventuski
    Apr 6, 2022
    9
    The best way to enjoy FFVIII nowdays. The speed up makes it smooth to play. Totally worth if you haven't played the original version. If you already did, then it's a nice nostalgic trip to one of the best JRPGs ever made.
  20. Rhex98
    Jan 7, 2023
    4
    El gameplay es malísimo, muy mala idea que los enemigos suban de nivel contigo, deja de tener sentido el farmear nivel, además de subir estadísticas robando magia a los enemigos, quisieron experimentar y les salió mal en mi opinión. No pude seguir después del disco 2.
  21. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this eighth game in the series.

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best Switch Game of 2019
81
#81 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. God is a Geek
    Oct 17, 2019
    70
    Final Fantasy VIII Remastered doesn't live up to its name and only really succeeds in making Final Fantasy VIII playable on current systems.
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  2. Cubed3
    Sep 27, 2019
    50
    Is Final Fantasy VIII Remastered the best way to play it? It really depends on a few things. Being able to bypass most of its questionable design choices certainly makes it more enjoyable than it was, then again that only highlights just how flawed it was in the first place. So, why bother at all? You may as well play it as it was intended, warts and all. This also applies to the revamped visuals; obviously improved in some areas, but the updated HD character models don't go well with the low-res pre-rendered backgrounds.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Sep 16, 2019
    80
    Final Fantasy VIII is a unique experience in the pantheon of Final Fantasy games. It manages to stand out among others in the series with its own voice and personality, in part, due to its strange narrative and specialized Junction system. It’s thrilling to see this game realized again with a quality remaster on the Nintendo Switch. Ultimately, the visual upgrades and additional options make this version the best way to play the game. FFVIII fans won’t be disappointed.
    Read full review
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