In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is scheduled to make its digital debut on September 3 for multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.
You can check out the Official Release Date Reveal Trailer below:
Players take on the role of Squall Leonhart, the main protagonist of the current story. Squall is a cadet at SeeD, the Balamb Garden Military Academy's elite mercenary force. His character is described as impassive, cold, introverted, and cool-headed, but lacking a strong sense of fellowship. He works with Rinoa Heartilly, a cheerful resistance fighter with a lively and kind personality. Together they try to save the world from Galbadia Republic and the power of the evil Sorceress Edea.
The remastered version, according to the official press release, includes the following boosts to enhance the player’s experience:
- Battle Assist
- The ability to always have maxed out HP and ATB, and trigger Limit Breaks at any time.
- No Encounters
- An enemy encounter option that allows players to enjoy the storyline uninterrupted. While enemy encounters are turned off, players can still enjoy the story event battles.
- 3x Speed Boost
- Play through the game with three times the speed.
The Steam version also receives additional functions, including All Items (possess all items except for a few certain items), All Abilities, GF Max Level, Max Gil, Max Magic, All Limit Breaks, and All Cards (possess max number of Triple Triad Cards except for Rare Cards).
Battle enhancements include enjoying more freedom in the battles by linking the GFs (Guardian Forces) that you have acquired and the introduction of the “draw” feature. Characters can siphon Magic from enemies during battle using Draw. You can also decide to stock up Magic to save in your Magic inventory, and if you're lucky, you may even be able to siphon a GF.
Final Fantasy 8 Remastered also features new graphical enhancements, including implementing new Final Fantasy 8 character models in higher definition and enhanced compatibility with Full HD (1920 x 1080) display.
You can visit the official website to pre-order the game. Pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 include a commemorative PlayStation 4 theme, while pre-orders on Steam come bundled with exclusive wallpapers featuring Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly.
