‘Final Fantasy VIII Remastered’ Release Date, Gameplay Footage Revealed

Square Enix has finally announced the release date for “Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.”

Game company Square Enix has finally announced, via a trailer, that “Final Fantasy VIII Remastered” will be released next month on Sept. 3. The trailer didn’t just reveal the game’s release date, though, but also gave a glimpse as to how the remaster looks like in today’s gaming systems.

“Final Fantasy VIII” is the last “Final Fantasy” title from the original PlayStation to be updated for modern gaming consoles. The remaster does away with a lot of blur and dramatically improves how the game looks like. The game’s music also sounds fresh, like it was recorded yesterday.

Those who want to get a copy of the game can already preorder it from Square Enix (for PC), the PlayStation Store, and the Microsoft Store. It is priced at $19.99 which, of course, is way cheaper compared to the “Final Fantasy VII Remake” Standard Edition which currently sells for $49.95 via Amazon.

Gameplay footage

4Gamer.net recently published an 8-minute video featuring gameplay footage (see below). It reveals how the game’s updated graphics look like, how the battle assist and game speed boost features work, and how Square addressed the “best looking guy” meme by updating Squall’s looks.

Here’s a breakdown on how the game’s new features work:

• “Battle Assistance” allows players to enjoy an always-full HP bar and ATB bar, and the ability to use Limit Breaks repeatedly. This feature is perfect for those who just want to finish the game without the need to grind. It can make or break the game, depending on the player’s preference.
• “Game Speed Boost” speeds the game up three times and makes characters look like they’re on fast-forward. By turning this on, players won’t have to wait a long time for animations to finish. Fights won’t eat up a lot of time as well.
• “No Encounter” will remove all enemy encounters and make it easy for everyone to finish the game quickly. Those who won’t use the “Battle Assistance” feature shouldn’t use this since stronger enemies will require players to level up, and leveling up requires defeating enemies encountered along the way.