A Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough
Version 0.2
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Editor's Note:
Hello, and welcome to version 0.2 of 'A Final Fantasy VIII' Walkthrough.
Before I begin, I'll like to state that this guide is based on the trial
edition of ff 8 that was packed along with Brave Fencer Musashiden. As such,
some info contained within this faq may not necessarily appear in the final
version. You can e-mail me at cephiroth@yahoo.com.
Revision History:
24/7/98 Wrote a mini-walkthrough for the trial edition of ff 8 (v 0.1)
31/7/98 Corrected some mistranslations thanks to Jon Chang (v 0.2)
BASIC STUFF
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CONTROLS: (On the field)
D-pad: Moves the party around and highlights choices
X: Cancel. Press together with the d-pad to WALK
Circle: Activates switches, opens up conversations and accepts choices
Start: Brings up the menu screen that toggles the rumble feature on/off
(In Battle)
D-pad: Highlights commands
X: Cancel and closes windows
Circle: Confirms selected command
Triangle: Hit to switch to another character who has a full time bar
R1: When timed in conjunction with Squall's Gunblade, this will allow for
double damage
L1: Toggles the target window on/off
R2 and L2: Press together to escape. Does not work on bosses
Select: Hides all windows when held down
Start: Pauses the game and brings up the help window
I'll start by giving a translation of the battle command window:
Attack --> Desperation
Magic
Draw/G.F
Item
The first command lets you attack (duh) and when Squall or Zell takes a set
amount of damage (roughly 100-200 HP), they will have an alternate way of
attacking. This is indicated by a tiny arrow by the side of the 'Attack'
command. To access it, hit right on the d-pad, and following that, their
respective desperation move will appear. Note that the chances for this
occurrence seem to be higher if their HPs are kept within the 100 plus range.
The R1 button is used to activate double damage for Squall's Gunblade. The
best time to do this is when Squall lifts his sword, and you hear the swish
of his blade. Press R1 immediately and Squall should connect for 2x damage.
Apart from this, Squall's desperation move also causes a small window to
appear, which slowly builds up during the attacking sequence. You'll notice
that after the bar passes over a triangle, it turns yellow; hit R1 at this
point for double damage. If all 4 blows are timed right, Squall will unleash
his finishing blow at the end of his 'Sword Combo'. Alternatively, you can
choose to ignore this meter and Squall may sometimes automatically perform
his finishing move. Zell lacks this feature for his 'Meteor Barrage'.
Magic is a simple click-and-use procedure, and the amount of a particular
magic you can cast is limited by the number appearing beside it. Press left
or right on the d-pad to scroll if the character has additional spells.
The 'Draw' command is available only to Squall and Zell. Clicking on it will
produce a sub-window showing the enemy's magic list. Select the magic you
want, and another sub-window appears. The first option is 'Harness' which
allows you to cast the chosen spell on anyone. The 2nd is 'Stock', whereby
Squall or Zell absorbs that particular spell from the enemy for later use.
Both options may sometimes result in failure; you can try as many times as
you wish, though. The absorbed magic, if any, will then be usable in the
character's magic list.
'Guardian Force' lets Rinoa summon Leviathan, a sea serpent that envelopes
the enemy in a huge wave of water. Surprisingly enough, there is no limit
to its usage; just note that whenever this command is used, Rinoa's HP will
be converted to that of Leviathan's, and any attacks on her during this
period will be absorbed by Leviathan. When this number falls to zero, Rinoa
loses the ability to summon for that particular fight.
Items are pretty basic, you have your 'Potion' (recovers 100 HP) and 'Phoenix
Tail' (brings fallen members back to life). Nothing too complicated here.
The game starts off by explaining how Dollet, a small city, has fallen into
the hands of Galvadia in a war. SeeD's (a special military group comprising
of elite Garden graduates) assistance has been sought by Dollet to rid
themselves of the menace...
After the ships crash onto the shore, the loading doors open and Seifer (the
white-caped man) leads Squall's party out. He explains the mission objective,
saying they are to secure the town square when Zell asks about the number of
enemy troops present. Seifer replies too little of them would bore him before
he runs off.
Following him, Squall will come to comment on the enemy troops' identities.
Seifer then points out 2 oncoming guards and the party encounters their 1st
battle. Have the members attack normally (you may wish to stock up on 'Cure'
spells at this point) and make full use of the Gunblade's critical hit feature.
As the party goes deeper into the town, Seifer will stop and ask Squall whether
he's having fun ^_^ before another duo of Galvadia troops jump down to
confront the party.
At the town square, Seifer orders the party to eliminate any remaining guards;
proceed to the upper-right alley and do so. Following that, the characters
wait it out as the rest of their troops storm the enemies' headquarters.
Finally, Seifer loses his patience (no thanks to the dog) and decides to check
things out ahead. Zell questions this act as he thinks it's out of the mission
parameter, but is dismissed by Seifer and Squall. The latter especially, seems
quite eager to prove himself.
After the party crosses the bridge, they chance upon the injured Dollet troops.
Seifer spots another injured soldier, who is promptly dragged away by a
serpent monster before Squall can reach him. A battle occurs. Have Rinoa cast
Leviathan, and let the 2 men attack normally. Seifer remarks that things are
starting to get interesting now...
Follow the path to the satellite station, defeating or running away from
enemies along the way (I recommend you escape. They just aren't worth the
fight... except for the floating monsters, as their Bolt 2 will come in handy
later on). Once inside, run around a bit to encounter enemy troops, and make
use of this opportunity to heal your characters as well as stock up on
curative items and spells. Once you're ready, step onto the elevator and
take it to the top (1st option).
The scene switches to Wedge (the blue guy) and Biggs (the guy in red). Biggs
is trying to repair the satellite when Wedge comments on the cause of the
fault, saying a monster is rumoured to have damaged the satellite. The former
pays no attention, much to the chagrin of Wedge, who decides to look around
first.
Before long, Squall arrives, and in the commotion, Biggs starts the satellite
up. He is elated, but not after the party engages him in battle. Have Rinoa
use G.F, and Squall and Zell absorb 'Double' magic from him before attacking.
After a few rounds, Eruviole (?) will make his appearence; save your items
and spells for him. Have Rinoa deploy the same strategy, perhaps hitting him
with the occasional 'Bolt 2' (he doesn't seem to be weak against anything
else). Squall and Zell should cast 'Double' on themselves, followed by any
level 2 spells they have. Then have them attack normally, pausing to heal if
needed. This boss has roughly 1500 to 2000 hit points.
A trooper arrives to relay new information to Platoon B: they are to assemble
at the shore at 1900 hours. Seifer notes the 15 minute deadline given before
he leaves. Zell then curses, seemingly irritated by Seifer's selfishness.
When you regain control, quickly board the lift and descend. The scene then
cuts to Biggs, who activates a last ditch defense mechanism before gloating
and falling over.
Outside, the X-ATM092 makes its untimely appearence, and the party has to
fend it off. Have Rinoa use a third of her level 2 spells, with Squall and
Zell attacking. If you pull it off fast enough, the spider should collapse
before getting a chance to use its 'Raybomb'. Escape using L2 and R2.
Retrace your steps through the city, and during this period, you'll have to
fight the X-ATM092 another 2 times. Use the same strategy, and try to keep
your HPs above 90 as the Raybomb tends to hit for around 80 plus. After the
last alleyway, the game switches to a CG movie, showing Squall's breathtaking
escape from the X-ATM092 as a gunner dispatches it. The credits start to roll
at this point, before a message appears to announce ff 8's Japanese release
date (1st quarter '99).
Congratulations, you've just completed the demo.
No more updates for now... until the final version comes out.
The trio of Jon Chang, Hodaka Tsyuchida and Mark Gilson for letting me use
their translation guide for reference purposes - thanks people! Btw, if you're
looking to find it, it's at www.gamefaqs.com, under Final Fantasy VIII.
You are free to post this guide on your page, just make sure the contents aren't
tinkered with and that you give me credit for it.
Questions, comments, criticism and any corrections are welcome. E-mail me at
cephiroth@yahoo.com.
