Final Fantasy VIII: Learning to Love | Retrospective (PS1, 1999) | Gaming Through the Years

Dr. Squaresoft, or "How I Learned to Stop Caring and Love Final Fantasy VIII"

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Redman
Seraph Thorn
Chemical_Buns

Time codes:
0:00 - The State of Square in 1999
1:57 - FFVIII's Unique Systems
4:53 - Why People Struggled
9:11 - The Strategy Guide Design Model
12:42 - And Yet, It Still Works
14:48 - The Battle System
18:16 - FFVIII's Development Woes
20:54 - The Story: Surprisingly Hollow
27:24 - Contrived or Charming?
32:37 - Graphics & Music
37:13 - Why FFVIII Still Works

Endcard Artwork by OcaRockaRina (Twitter)

Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Bushido Blade 2, Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XVI © 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2023 Square

The Legend of Zelda © 1986 Nintendo
Footage from "Neon Genesis Evangelion" © 1995 - 1996 Gainax

Featuring Music by Nobuo Uematsu

Video © 2026 Gaming in the AM (Andrew Mayes)
This video exists for the sake of analysis and review and is thus protected under Fair Use.