'Final Fantasy VIII Remastered' Finally Available on Android and iOS for $16.99 for a Limited Time

Lee Mercado, Tech Times 25 March 2021, 07:03 am

Final Fantasy VIII–Remastered Official Poster — (Photo : Square Enix Official Website)

The eighth installment of the "Final Fantasy" series finally arrived on Android and iOS, completing Square Enix's earlier series of the role-playing game available on mobile.

"Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered" follows the story of Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartilly, and the young mercenaries of SeeD and their quest to save the world from the sorceress Ultimecia.

Players can download the game for the Release Week Special Promotion price of $16.99 until April 4, before it rises to its original price of $20.99.

Also Read: Final Fantasy VIII Remake In The Cards? Finish The 'Final Fantasy VII' Remake First, Square Enix!

'Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered' Gameplay, Limitations

As the remastered version of the PC version, certain features of "Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered" have been modified to suit the mobile gaming experience.

According to the FAQ notes from Square Enix's knowledge base, "Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered" would have the 3x speed ability, allowing players to increase battle and movement speeds, making the grind to stock magic in battle much faster.

The Battle Assist feature gives players the option to maximize their characters' health, Active Time Battle (ATB), and limit break gauges.

Players may also turn off random battle encounters at any point in the game.

The Official Launch Trailer also teases major improvements on the game's overall visuals.

In this edition, however, the "Chocobo World" is not playable, and the FAQ notes did not mention if it would be added at a later date.

'Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered' Expectations

The "Final Fantasy" series has been hailed as the benchmark of the RPG genre; with its enchanting storyline to its addicting gameplay, the remastered version's release cements its status at the top.

According to The Gamer's report in September 2020, the original "Final Fantasy VIII" alone sold more than 9.6 million copies since its release in 1999.

The highest-grossing installment, "Final Fantasy VII" sold more than 16.75 million copies.

Since "Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered" is closer to the PC version than the original, one may expect that the overall experience must be similar to playing the latter.

RPGamer's review of "Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered's" PC version published in October 2019 concludes that this version has more good than bad, adding that the remastered version made the game much more enjoyable.

However, the review noted that the controls in the PC version are the "worst offender," giving players an "endless source of frustration."

While the FAQs posted by Square Enix did not mention if this flaw was fixed for the mobile version, players can hope that the difference in the interface may have fixed this issue.

The musical score of "Final Fantasy VIII-Remastered," in the PC version remains the same as the original Playstation release, which may also be the case for the mobile version.

Since the FAQs only disabled the "Chocobo World" on the mobile release, players may expect to see the card-based mini-game Triple Triad, which the review hailed as one of the best in the series.