----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough Version 0.2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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) Table of Contents: 1. Basic Stuff 2. Tutorial 3. Mini-Walkthrough 4. Credits BASIC STUFF ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 TUTORIAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Well, that's all for the tutorial. MINI-WALKTHROUGH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. CREDITS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.