The Final Fantasy 7 Remake series is setting a high standard for remakes of PS1 games, with absolutely stunning graphics, much-needed quality-of-life improvements, and even a few somewhat controversial story changes. Now, with Rebirth in our rearview mirrors and part three on the distant horizon, I think it’s time to start considering which game Square Enix should remake next.
With rumors of a Final Fantasy 9 remake swirling amongst certain circles and different pockets of the FF fandom hoping for their favorite to get a fresh lick of paint, I’ve hopped aboard the Final Fantasy 8 remake (doom)train, and I’m here to share my thoughts on why this makes such a good deal of sense. Warning: spoilers for FF8 are sprinkled throughout.
To be honest with you, 8 is a bit of a mess. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t mean bad, but a lot of Final Fantasy game fans will tell you that certain aspects feel rushed, the amnesia plot is contrived, the mechanics of Time Compression are muddy, or that many interesting plot points are hidden far too deep in different nooks and crannies to find in a guideless playthrough.
I believe the reason for this is due to the 90s having much tighter deadlines on game release dates and heavy limitations on what consoles of that time could do; however, I don’t have a concrete answer as to why there’s something a little off about the game. Back in 2019, Kazushige Nojima, Final Fantasy 8’s scenario writer, shared some behind-the-scenes details on the game with Famitsu (via Siliconera), which shed a little more light on the original intentions he had for the game.
Originally, FF8 was going to be a game of two halves. The first portion would follow Laguna in the past as he traveled the world as a soldier before joining Squall in the present as he navigates life as a fresh mercenary student. Nojima told Famitsu, “It ended up being smaller due to various reasons and we had a map made just for it that we didn’t get to use much. I still feel too embarrassed to look at the faces of the original staff…”
This early concept already gives us a great base idea for a two-part remake, without even considering other instances that may have been left on the cutting room floor. In an ideal world, I can see Final Fantasy 8: Part Laguna – I’m sure Square Enix can come up with a better name – coming out first with a story that focuses solely on the titular character, with no mention of Squall.
We’d see him start out as a bumbling fool, accompanied by Kiros and Ward, before he falls for Raine, adopts Ellone, and takes steps to start a family with her. The game’s final chapters would feature him heading off to Esthar as a slightly more mature adult without knowing about his new son, heading the resistance with Kiros and Ward at his side, and finally taking down the evil sorceress Adel. This initial part would feature loads of fresh, unseen content rather than just the snippets we see in the original FF8, and could easily house 100+ hours of gameplay.
From there, we’d receive Final Fantasy 8: Part Squall – once again, don’t come at me for the name – this would feature most of the content from the original with certain areas more fleshed out. These could include side quests related to Selphie’s journal entries, a more fleshed-out Garden Festival, and the chance to make pivotal plot points feel less rushed and convoluted. Outside of that, I would also expect modern quality-of-life improvements, more Triple Triad, and full voice acting, among other things.
One contentious part of many JRPG remakes can often come from battle system changes. However, I – potentially controversially – really like the junction system, so would hope for minimal changes in that respect. However, I can see that with some tweaks and balance changes, this system too could become a true masterpiece. I’m a big fan of turn-based combat, but I understand why games like FF7R have switched to more action-focused combat.
However, this opinion seems to be unpopular even with Final Fantasy 8’s director, Yoshinori Kitase: “I think it was a very difficult system for some people to get into. Depending on player skills, sometimes they just didn’t work out the best way of doing it. So I think I’d want to return to that and really rework the battle system on [Final Fantasy 8] and make it something where that level of difficulty and approachability,” he told IGN in a recent interview.
Kitase obviously knows best, so I’m happy to concede to how he wants to do things. Still, I hope if we ever do get a remake that longtime fans’ opinions are taken into account and we don’t find ourselves playing another generic action game with minimal customization.
Final Fantasy 8 is one of the most underrated FF games, with many having a less-than-glowing opinion of it, but a remake isn’t as much of a pipe dream as you may think. In 2019, Kitase told Famitsu (via Siliconera) his thoughts on a remake: “If the youth that inherits the genes of Final Fantasy can step up and do it, then I’d like to see it made.”
Kitase was asked again about the potential of an FF8 remake in early 2024, to which he responded, “It’s such a massive investment of time and effort that we really have to think very hard about taking on any kind of project like that.”
So, a girl can dream. After the inevitable FF9 remake, the ball is in Square Enix’s court, and I’m excited to see what they do with it. While I don’t think the next entry will arrive on Switch or mobile, I hope that we see it on the rumored Nintendo Switch 2 or PC so I can play it portably on my Steam Deck or grab myself one of the best Steam Deck alternatives.