Ranking The Final Fantasy Games: #9-7

8. Final Fantasy VIII

In its defense, this game was a very capable addition to the series. It did its best to separate itself from the overwhelming success of Final Fantasy VII. While main character Squall had a similarly negative and standoffish attitude, the game took a drastically different approach than its predecessor. Characters bolstered their abilities through a Junction system, in which the player drew spells from monsters instead of magic points. They could also be applied to statistics, which is where the game can be broken.

The game’s monsters scale in difficulty with your level, almost punishing you for leveling up. Playing the minigame “Triple Triad” (the 2nd best minigame in the series) allows you to win cards, with rare cards able to be drawn as a junction for your stats. Bolstering said stats high enough in the early going may result in one-shotting enemies for the majority of the game.

It’s a shame, as it prevents this title from being placed higher in the list of great Final Fantasy games. The weapon upgrade system focuses on gathering materials rather than spending more and more money in each new town, a great change of pace from the traditional item upgrading system in previous titles. The soundtrack is superb, even inspiring a USA synchronized swimming duet to use its songs in their routine for the Olympics. It’s also one of the better romantic stories in Final Fantasy gaming, for what its worth. But being able to beast through the game at the lowest level of experience defeats a lot of the purpose in its gameplay.