World of Final Fantasy VIII

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Most of Square Co.'s 1999 bestselling console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII is set on a large, unnamed fictional planet with one moon. The planet comprises five landmasses; the largest (Esthar) covers most of the eastern portion of the map. The second largest continent (Galbadia) lies to the west, and contains many of the game's locations. The northernmost landmass is Trabia, an arctic region. Positioned roughly in the middle of the world map lies the smallest continent (Balamb), the island on which the game begins. The remaining landmass (Centra) is smaller and mostly desolate, riddled with rough, rocky terrain caused by the impact of a "Lunar Cry", an event where monsters from the moon fall to the planet.^[1][2] The southernmost landmass is long and thin, and also includes an archipelago of broken sections of land that have drifted apart. Islands and marine structures flesh out the rest of the game world, and several off-world locations round out the game's playable areas.^[3]

Final Fantasy VIII was released to high sales and mostly positive reception; thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than US$50 million in sales,^[4][5] making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title. The game was voted the 22nd-best of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu.^[6] Final Fantasy VIII is also the second game in the series after Final Fantasy VII to use pre-rendered backgrounds.^[7] These backgrounds, as well as the remainder of the graphics and setting, were well-received by gaming magazines and websites.

Contents 1 Concept and creation 2 Creatures and races 3 History 4 Reception and criticism 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Concept and creation

As part of a desire by director Yoshinori Kitase to give the game a foreign atmosphere, various designs were given to its locations using the style of internationally familiar places, while also maintaining a fantasy atmosphere. Inspiration ranged from ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture, to the city of Paris, France, to an idealized futuristic European society. Flags were also given to some factions, their designs based on the group's history and culture.^[8]

In an interview with Famitsu, art director Yusuke Naora described that the game was generally designed to be a "bright, fresh Final Fantasy".^[9] The designers felt a need to invert the atmosphere of previous games in the series, which had feelings of "light emerging from darkness".^[9] This decision was easy for the developers to make, because most of them had worked on Final Fantasy VII and felt that a new direction was acceptable.^[10] The world designs were also developed with the knowledge that most of the staff were now used to computer graphics, which was not the case with Final Fantasy VII.^[9] The developers also noted that with Final Fantasy VIII, they attempted to "mix future, real life and fantasy".^[9] Thus, the game includes rental cars, restrooms, and other real-life elements, while still containing the traditional fantasy aspects of the series.

Although the designers geared for foreign elements, the inclusion of the card game Triple Triad as a major aspect of the world of Final Fantasy came about in a different way. In an interview with the Official UK Playstation Magazine, Kitase stated that Triple Triad was added to the game because cards were a popular hobby in Japan.^[10]

"Guardian Forces", creatures who are brought into battle to attack enemies or support the party, are the version of summons appearing in Final Fantasy VIII. The designer of Guardian Forces, Tetsuya Nomura, felt they should be unique beings, without clothes or other human-like concepts. This was problematic, as Nomura did not want them to "become the actual monsters", so he took great care in their design.^[8] Ramuh — an old wizard from earlier Final Fantasy games — was replaced; other human-like designs were reimagined nude and with creature-like elements. Nomura, also the director of the Guardian Force animation sequences, wanted to create a greater impact than the summons of Final Fantasy VII. Leviathan was created as a test and included in a game demo. Garnering a positive reaction from players, Nomura decided to create the remaining sequences in a similar fashion.^[8]

[edit] Creatures and races

See also: Monsters of Final Fantasy

The world of Final Fantasy VIII is predominantly occupied by humans. Another prominent race is the "Shumi", a small tribe of creatures with yellow skin and large arms. The tribe lives in an underground village on the Trabian continent.^[11] The Shumi frown upon showing off their large hands; NORG, the owner of Balamb Garden, was exiled from the tribe for his ostentation. All Shumi undergo a biological metamorphosis at some point in their lives; a qualified Shumi will become an Elder while another may become a mute "Moomba". Moombas are covered in red fur, which the Shumi attribute to "the passionate ingenuity in their hearts".^[12][13] Moombas are often used by Galbadia as workers, such as in D-District prison. Additionally, Moombas have appeared in other Final Fantasy installments, including Chocobo World and Chocobo Racing.

Chocobos — large galliform birds common throughout the Final Fantasy series — are featured in the game. In this installment, Chocobos are generally undomesticated and can be found in various forests throughout the world. Each forest has a minigame where the player must corral baby Chocobos to locate the mother. If the player catches a bird, a baby Chocobo (a Chicobo) named Boko will follow the player around.^[14] Boko has his own game called Chocobo World that can be downloaded from the PlayStation disc onto a PocketStation game unit.^[15][14] Series composer Nobuo Uematsu created two Chocobo themes for Final Fantasy VIII: "Mods de Chocobo" and "Odeka de Chocobo".^[16]

Final Fantasy VIII also features an array of common real world creatures, such as cats and dogs.^[17] The game also includes numerous monsters, many of which have appeared earlier in the series. Popular recurring monsters include Adamantoise, Behemoth, Bomb, Cactuar, Chimera, Cockatrice, Iron Giant, Malboro, and Tonberry.^[18]

[edit] History

The fictional history of the world of Final Fantasy VIII dates to its creation. Most of the backstory is revealed in the Final Fantasy VIII database, as well as flashbacks starring Laguna, one of the older protagonists. Folklore and magical beings also play a role in the game's setting. The world is occupied by four countries: Balamb, a small island; the Dollet Dukedom, a harbor-side remnant of the Dollet Empire; Galbadia, a military dictatorship; and Esthar, a scientifically advanced nation. A military organization named SeeD also plays a major role, with bases in Balamb, Galbadia and Trabia.

A creation myth in Final Fantasy VIII attributes mankind's creation to a being called Hyne. At creation, certain women were given a fragment of Hyne's power, making each woman a "sorceress".^[19] The power of the sorceress is transferred through a process called "embodiment", but only to those with the capacity to hold them.^[20] A researcher from Esthar, Dr. Odine, studied the sorceress power and developed "para-magic", a method enabling regular humans to imitate sorceress magic. Para-magic is used by characters throughout Final Fantasy VIII in conjunction with Guardian Forces.

The moon of Final Fantasy VIII is inhabited by monsters which periodically descend to the planet when their number becomes too great in a phenomenon known as the "Lunar Cry".^[2] 80 years before the events of Final Fantasy VIII, the Lunar Cry destroyed the continent of Centra. The people of the Centra civilization, which existed 4000 years before the events of the game, gradually migrated to other continents, founding Esthar and the Dollet Empire.^[1] Galbadia, Balamb, Timber, and other countries were founded later. The mild climate and temperament of Esthar's citizens led to their scientific advancement.^[21] The Crystal Pillar, an artifact from the moon, produces an energy field between the planet and the moon, which triggers the Lunar Cry at "Tear's Point", an area near Esthar.^[22] Upon this discovery, the scientists of Esthar created the "Lunatic Pandora", a vehicular enclosure for the crystal, built to artificially start the Lunar Cry.^[23]

The playable characters of Final Fantasy VIII have a series of flashbacks through the perspective of Laguna Loire, revealing some of the game's backstory. The first of these was Galbadia's invasion and subjugation of Timber that created the longstanding resistance groups with whom the playable characters become affiliated. In addition, they discover Laguna's role in the "Sorceress War", which Laguna ended by sealing Esthar's leader, Sorceress Adel, in a prison in space.^[24]

Several years before the events of Final Fantasy VIII, Edea Kramer created SeeD,^[25] a mercenary organization whose ultimate goal is to defeat the sorceress of each era. Members of SeeD are trained at facilities called "Gardens", which were erected in Galbadia, Trabia, and Balamb. Edea's husband, Cid, helped Edea create SeeD by appealing to NORG for financial backing. In exchange for his investment, NORG was named Garden Master. During the game, the financial struggles between SeeD and NORG culminate in a civil war.^[26] In addition, Edea enlisted a special group of SeeD, the White SeeD, to serve her personally. However, before the game, Edea is possessed by Ultimecia, and ends up fighting the very organization she created.^[27]

At the start of the game, Galbadia has fully assumed control of Timber, and is preparing to invade the small nation of Dollet to the northeast.^[28] A possessed Edea aligns herself with Galbadia, and Ultimecia is preparing to use the nation as a puppet to achieve her goals. Timber continues to harbor several resistance groups to Galbadia's occupation, such as the Forest Owls,^[29] whose membership includes Rinoa Heartilly. Several SeeD cadets, including Squall Leonhart, are on the verge of becoming SeeD members at Balamb Garden.^[30] Esthar maintains isolationism and Adel remains in her orbital tomb under Esthar's watch from a nearby space station.

[edit] Reception and criticism

The pre-rendered backgrounds — the locations the characters interact with — were generally considered an improvement over Final Fantasy VII, the first in the series to use them. The Gaming Age review felt that "Square has beefed up the engine and created a plethora of beautiful prerendered backgrounds - even prettier than FFVII's if you can imagine".^[31] Multimedia news website IGN stated that the game's pre-rendered backgrounds mix "fantasy elements with a high-tech, sci-fi look, a world at once unique and instantly recognizable, familiar but full of surprises".^[7] On the whole, IGN gave the graphics a 10 out of 10 and the presentation a 9 out of 10, stating "absolutely nobody does graphics better than Square, and it's never done a better job than [Final Fantasy VIII]".^[7]

Other gaming critics have cited similar praise for the world of Final Fantasy VIII, although several have noted that the PlayStation's graphical limitations hindered the game in some areas. Game Revolution was satisfied with the graphics, although they felt that "much like FF7, the graphics push the envelope of the PlayStation hardware, but at the same time illustrate the limitations of the system", going on to state that "sometimes, the backgrounds of the battles have a pixelated look".^[32] GameSpot awarded Final Fantasy VIII a perfect score in the graphics section, stating "while the limitations of the PlayStation hardware rear their ugly head from time to time, the sheer artistry and detail of the movement, the models, and the textures are beyond reproach".^[33] GameSpot was also particularly impressed with the backgrounds, noting that "the detail in the backgrounds is frighteningly meticulous, and almost all backgrounds contain some animated elements".^[33]

Like IGN, GameCritics enjoyed the style of the world, stating "Square's move towards a more organic feel throughout the areas is a welcome change as opposed to the Blade Runner-style of [Final Fantasy VII]. The organic look and feel of the Gardens...relaxes the predictable sci-fi angle that was the foundation of the [Final Fantasy] series and the results are marvelous".^[34] On the other hand, the Netjak review, while approving of the graphics on the whole, stated "almost every area, with the exceptions of New Deling, Esther [sic] and the space station, looks like it was done with a color point scheme".^[35]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Locations in Spira

[edit] External links

• Final Fantasy VIII locations database at the Final Fantasy Wikia

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