Final Fantasy 8 Remastered has arrived and so far the reviews have been excellent. If you're a long time fan, you can just dive in as the mechanics are pretty much the same as the original release. However if you are new to the game, you can take it slow and feel your way through the game. Fortunately for you, we're here to give you a few helpful tips in order to get you started.
It's All About the Draw
In most games, the magic system makes use of MP. However this game has it differently, and uses Draw. Draw is the ability of characters to siphon magic from their enemies. The magic collected can either be cast immediately or stocked. In general, players can Draw magic from enemies in certain amounts. The thing to remember is that high-level spells can only be drawn in three or fewer units.
Any magic siphoned from an enemy can immediately be cast without bring taken out of the spell inventory. The problem is that when a player chooses to cast when they draw, the magic is going to be weaker.
Stock, meanwhile, means adding the magic to your inventory. Each character in the game has a magic spell inventory that can store a total of 32 spells for up to 100 units each. Magic stocked is saved in the inventory for later use.
Refrain From Using Magic
While it is tempting to use magic, my advice is not to use it. The reason is that spells that are equipped help boost stats. So every time a player uses a spell, the Draw amount is lowered and with it the stat decreases in value. Instead of using magic, focus instead on weapon crafting. You can also focus on summoning monsters or Guardian Forces.
So when do you use magic? The general rule is that if the spell is easy to come by then go ahead and use it.
Learn Limit Breaks
An important concept to remember when playing the game is Limit Breaks. These are abilities that activate when a character is low in health. Since each playable character comes with a unique set of Limit Breaks, it is important to learn to use them in unique ways. If you're new to the game, choose one character first and master it.
The difficult thing is that there is no gauge or meter that tells you to trigger Limit Breaks. Practice is key in this case.
Study Well
By now you probably have realized that this game is indeed different from other games. Here's another area that makes Final Fantasy 8 unique. Getting gold from monster encounters is not that easy. However, you do get payments from school after a certain time interval. The higher your rank, the higher the salary you get. One way to increase your rank is to take a written test. You heard that right, a test. It's a ten-question YES or NO test. When you get 100%, you increase your rank by one. While you can re-take the tests any time, you only receive a boost to your rank the first time you pass each test. Make sure you are ready. Then again you could always go online and ask for some help.
We’ll stop here for now to give you some time to absorb it all. Next time we look at another aspect of the game which are the Guardian Forces.
