Final Fantasy VIII

Though it has its fair share of valid criticism, Final Fantasy VIII was yet another powerful experience of my youth, one that I shall only part with when my mortal form expires. Despite the original PC version containing serious issues, anything of my possession that can run Final Fantasy VIII simply had to have it installed. The recent remaster has made that much better (though it has a few annoyances of its own).

Like Final Fantasy VII, I find VIII’s characters, story, world, and soundtrack to be emotionally nourishing. I’m fully aware that I’m dwelling in some deep nostalgia here, but I don’t care. As a very troubled, insular child from a broken home, Squall and crew offered parasocial relationships to me before I ever knew that word.

I also delight in the puzzle that is this game. What even is this story about? Time travel? Space witches? What the hell is that ending? Final Fantasy VIII’s many twists and turns are of a bizarre caliber that I love thinking about for hours on end, even if I know it will never make complete sense. And that extends to its gameplay: Yeah, the Junction system is messed up, but I love breaking this game in that way. The entire system feels oddly resonant to the narrative. Like VII, this is another “new game every year” title for me.

Read More: Is Squall Really Dead? Final Fantasy Producer Addresses The Series’ Biggest Fan Theories

And I don’t care what Yoshinori Kitase has to say about it, I find the “Rinoa is Ultimecia” theory to connect the loose ends of this cyclical narrative in a delightful yet heartbreaking way. It’s the author, not Squall, who’s dead.