FINAL FANTASY VIII | A Retrospective and Story Analysis | The Symbolism of the Lion

[@DeepThought420]

One thing that I never see mentioned is just how long our first day with Squall is. He fights Sifer, fights Ifrit, Completes his Seed mission, Attends the Graduation and then joins Quistis in the Training Area. All that in one day! Squall's a monster! Thank you for the awesome review!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thanks for watching. Yeah that was a hell of a long day lol

[@Gaz66d]

Yeah, I second this. Spoons is the first FFVIII reviewer or theorist that has ever called that out (to my knowledge) Bro had one HECK of a first day. And that’s only the part we saw. Imagine what he was up to BEFORE Seifer tried to give Squall a nose job.

[@nephilexfrost7202]

You've produced some of the best videos I've watched, how is your channel not larger. I was won over with the ffx video.....amazing, absolutely beautiful work

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you I appreciate your kind words

[@joeykornegay4587]

1:47:16 THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who noticed that she’s like casually 9ft tall. She is HORRIFYING and the first time I fought her as a kid, the fight terrified me. Not only was it her height and that I kept losing, something about her absorbing Rinoa and drawing on her life force messed me up. lol

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Adele over her channeling her inner giant. I tried really hard to make a connection to the titans or the nephilim from Genesis. But I couldn't find a strong connection so I decided not to mention that. My brain is still trying to make that connection though.

[@joshuarobinson1689]

I still use "chickenwuss" when i really want to crush someone.

[@chelgoth]

You heartless monster.

[@Food4Dogs]

This will take me several days to finish 😄 - but got an immediate Like for putting (no doubt enormous) hours into producing a 2 hrs 20 mins video on FF VIII. Bravo.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you. There was definitely alot of research that went into this.

[@cmoney163]

I love this game, it will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first Final Fantasy I ever played and I always come back to it every once in a while.

[@aster4jaden]

Final Fantasy VIII was the first Final Fantasy Game I ever played and it will always have a spot in my heart, as someone who is introverted and takes time to come our of my shell I completely understand Squall and love how he slowly opens up. If they ever make a Remake of this Game I really hope they explore Adel and the Sorceress War, Adel is so fascinating to me and everything we do know about her pretty much paints her as a monster. Was she born power hungry, dies she have a tragic background or did her power corrupt her over time? It's not much but Adel didn't have a Sorceress Knight, did she think she never needed one or did he betray her? So much I want to know about her! I just noticed your Subs and i'm surprised you don't have more, you're Retrospectives are pretty thought out and even now i'm still thinking of your FFX Retrospective and about Yevon (you really got me to think about it from a different perspective). On a good note, i've decided to sub since I don't want miss out on what you post next.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thanks you for your kind words I appreciate it. I've always wanted to know more about Adel. What always enthralled me was how massive this woman was in height alone. I kept trying to make a connection to all the giants or titans from mythology but couldn't really find any that convinced me.

[@aster4jaden]

@@GamingWithSpoons It makes me both happy and sad how Ultimecia gets expanded on through other Final Fantasy Games, while Adel remains forgotten.

[@jamie4099]

Im literally starting this game again i love it defo need a new gen overhaul not a remaster or remake just to look modern feel modern thats what this game needs

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I agree

[@willrobert4197]

I second that agreement

[@digidark2556]

This is an amazing review on the game that started RPGs for me! I do love how you got on the case of Squall/Rinoa during the battle of the Gardens. Even I thought that was stupid force the relationship in that time. Even stupider when Squall does care and then everyone else dismisses it. Still enjoyed the video!

[@firehatgoomba]

Wow! You just got yourself a new loyal sub! Excellent video, man!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thanks you so much! Glad i could entertain you for a couple of hours :)

[@ryukzreign]

great video, i just wanted to say I liked the way they left the breadcrumbs in the story for us to clue together, at 1:04:16 you said it could have been more explained, but i really think apart of Square telling a story is for us to piece it together, and not have it so spoon-fed like most media unfolds, it also leaves so much room for replays, and videos like yours :]

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you :) I appreciate you taking the time to comment and watch :)

[@Gaz66d]

Ok, why is my comment getting deleted now?

[@ryukzreign]

@ I didnt get a chance to see yours

[@Gaz66d]

@@ryukzreign it was automatically deleted and I can’t figure out why. I wasn’t saying anything remotely contentious or offensive. Character customization and storyline customization were the talking points I wanted to bring up.

[@Gaz66d]

@@ryukzreign is it gone?

[@haywoodjablowme6075]

VII, Tactics, and 8... what a time to grow up. Toss in Vagrant Story and Square was bangin back then.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Vagrant story is the only one I haven't finished out of those I need to change that sometime

[@Campernicus]

Awesome video. I have played this game more than any other final fantasy

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you. It's got my highest play count of the series behind 9

[@TenantUnpleasant]

Great video. I love ff8 and still managed to learn a lot. Ps. You're not just a video machine. It's okay to struggle sometimes. Take care of yourself, buddy.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I appreciate that thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@Book_Bird]

Yay, it’s here - looking forward to this!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Sorry it took so long

[@Book_Bird]

@@GamingWithSpoonsI don’t think you need to apologize for giving a gift; better to just celebrate with us!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thanks! This comment made me smile. 😊

[@36inc]

As someone who began with 7 and didnt get to play 8 till after 15 released ,8 to me is a direct improvement. I was doing a superboss run so i went into the weeds to beat them. Final fantasy 8 is the most beautiful game on the ps1.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I think a final Fantasy VIII looks good especially for its time

[@36inc]

@@GamingWithSpoons I meant beautioful as a piece of art not just the cgi XD- games very good at what its core message is- which is time can feel weird- sometimes youll lose grasp on it- forget things be seperated by circumstance; and what gets you through all the confusion is love. Cheesy effective and if youre paying attention- FFX does the same thing- 8 is like a first draft of X cause X has alot of the same stuff going on story and character wise- (the ifirit animations also simular and so are the magic effects.) the big difference is just what class is the evil bad guy- instead of an evil time mage now its evil summoners. i think people just appreciate X more for this because time and meta physics isnt intuitive like religious oppression is- we only know time feel weird if we live long enough to notice our own time compressions- but everyones had some relationship to being treated wrong cause of some powerful mans delusion.

[@Grimdark_Replays]

@@36inc Could also be the massive issues in the story, like a group of orphans growing up together and then being split up but all of them forget, the gf copout doesn’t justify that. Before ever equiping a gf none of the people from the home seed group recognize each other either. I wouldn’t call 8 the worst FF but it def has the weakest story of 6-10 in my and many others opinion.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

It has its charm and enjoyment but it definitely has its weak spots.

[@36inc]

@@Grimdark_Replays Thats not a cop out you just didnt talk to everyone in games designed around talking to everyone and fighting bosses. Besides only the SEED members lost their memory- the guy who drops it on you is the only non seed- and again it has time fuckery- its intentionally dreamy and floaty. so being confused Is an aspect that lends to its overall message- which is obvious; lifes crazy, doesn't always make instant sense, and what keeps ya on the ground is love. Also if youre like 8 and you split from a place you never go back to- you can forget or not recognize people. shit happens to me all the time- some family friend who hasnt been around dallas or whatever since the 00s will just show up at an event hug everyone and go- Wow youve grown so much. and Ill spend the whole evening trying to even guess when I met them. I think a moment like that is in the game even.I get not everyones life has every common moment- but this isnt like insane logic- the criticism of it is simply overemphasized- certified jarjar hysterics not actually awful writing.

[@Ryuoh]

Dig a lil deeper on the Trabia scene.

[@joeykornegay4587]

1:05:06 I never considered this scenario! The events at the end of the 1st disc were already pretty wild, but if Irvine had at that time revealed to the others what he already knew, that they all grew up together and that the very same woman that raised them is the one they were tasked to assassinate, I could only imagine how they’d react. I wonder if Seifer already knew by that point, too?

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Maybe? We only get that small line from Seifer when we confront the Sorceress in Galbadia Garden. It's possible she told him beforehand.

[@DeepThought420]

I want to start this comment with you did a great job on this retrospective! I truly enjoyed it! ❤ 35:56 I always thought the reason for the sudden shift in both Squall and Sifers "feelings" towards Rinoa and Ulticima was because every Sorceress has a Knight. Edea has Cid, Rinoa has Squall, and Ulticima has Sifer. The only Sorceress that we don't see the knight is Adel. But I figured Adels died during the Sorceress War. Just a theory at the end of the day though! Again awesome job and thank you for getting it out despite your troubles! You're a champ!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thanks for the kind words :) I do like that theory too and at the end of the day I really do feel like that's why Final Fantasy VIII is so great there is so much you can pick apart and dissect and interpret different ways.

[@Syntheticham]

Thanks for all the hard work, man! 🎉

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you 😊

[@jacen8425]

Count me among one of the super fans of this game. First Final Fantasy game I played was 7, and I didn't really like it...mainly because it was so different than anything else I ever played. Then, in early 2000, my buddy asked me if I wanted to borrow FF8 after he beat it. I was reluctant, but gave it a chance because I currently had no new games to play. Long story short, I ended up absolutely loving the game, and it opened me up to not just the entire Final Fantasy series, but JRPGs in general. I will freely admit that FF8 isnt the best made FF game, but is still one of my favorite game experiences ever. 25 years later and I still think about this game alot. So many memories. Wish there was a remake.

[@JanuarySnowstorm]

I started this video wondering why I was watching another retrospective on FF8, probably just another plot synopsis, but when you got to the inspirations, theories, and especially that part about Hyne, I really didn't regret it. I think I'm to check out your other vids now.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Glad I could offer something you haven't heard before thanks for watching :)

[@JanuarySnowstorm]

@GamingWithSpoons Cool. Also, I've beaten Ultima Weapon with no cheats, so now you know someone wh has done it. Took me three tries, I think. The trick i used is that The simplest of Zell's limit break combos (up/down and x/o on playstion) always appear after one another when they're used and can be input in a a fraction of a second - even a tenth of a second. So, if you juice his strength up with a powerful junctions magic, you can use those 7 to 15 second to really beat the hell out of your opponent. Ultimecia only lasted more than one turn because she had to go through phase changes. Even with that technique Ultima weapon was not a picnic, and it took a bit of luck.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Damn lol. That's insane.

[@Strider_X]

Great video!

[@ZackeryGee]

There something i always find funny... when you visit Trabia after it has been devastated you can come across a graveyard. In that graveyard is a Zombie drawpoint! Made me laugh as a kid. I doubt it was on purpose but still... funny little easter egg.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Damn lol I never realized that. I'm sure I drew it but I really thought about it.

[@danielmclean3733]

Fantastic!

[@quarreneverett4767]

The space ship wass referenced early on as well :)

[@TheVersian]

Mentions Limit Breaks Forgets to explain Limit Breaks

[@Marinanor]

I'm sorry, Spoons, but FFVII is not the best video game of all time. It's up there. Sure. It's an incredible game, but the best ever made? IDK. I think that's entirely subjective.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

That's why I opened the video with the first line being "how do you follow up what many consider to be the greatest game of all time."the key words "being what many consider". It's among one of my favorites but not my personal top favorite. Nor is it even my favorite Final Fantasy that belongs to Final Fantasy IX. :) appreciate the comments though

[@Marinanor]

@GamingWithSpoons ah I see. I guess I misunderstood

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Nah your good. I mean I did use a little bit of click bait to get people to click on the video so your not entirely wrong. Lol

[@mikesmith9972]

Disagree

[@charaznable8072]

Dude it’s an opinion you ever heard of those? LMAO

[@JoeyJoverAgbayani]

nice video my friend, a deep dive of games narrative and games mechanics. and yes FF8 is not a perfect game. but ff8 is by far my best FF games ive played. squall is a relatable character in my opinion. and have a significant character development as i see myself on squall, im introvert and hardly open up even to my family about my problems and opinions.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you. Final Fantasy VIII is always a game I will go back and visit

[@derekwalter4238]

17:57 interesting interpretation 😅

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Squall said a much when he talked to Rinoa on the train. He admitted he knew how to dance because of seed training. It basically was he didn't want to dance or at the very least felt uncomfortable doing it.

[@derekwalter4238]

@GamingWithSpoons really? I've played this game so many times, I don't remember that part

[@mikesmith9972]

I actually had preferred ff8 over 7 for a while. Infact i still flip flop back n forth which i like the most. 8 took everything that made 7 great and took it to the max.

[@Limp_Briskit]

My favourite game. Only downside is the monster level scaling with yours

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Yeah that makes some enemies annoying hard.

[@quarreneverett4767]

Good video

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Thank you

[@Artificialraven]

Squall is dead. It's such a fun theory!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

It really is. It's surprising how well it works too.

[@Spacefrisian]

Well Square followed up a decent Jrpg like FF7 with the greatest Jrpg of all time that actually started as a pitch for FF7, and that is Xenogears.

[@samhobbs9116]

I beat ultima weapon. This game was my jam and I broke it in every way imaginable.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Nice I I know it requires a lot of Holy War Trials lol

[@favamvmixnotmine1548]

Love it, myself! BUT, I despise the drawing to stockpile magic. So annoying. I'm hurrying but "wait, that enemy has curaga! Lets waste time and max curaga out! Btw it auto corrected curaga to curves lol.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Yeah its definitely not fun drawing from enemies.... I died a few times over the years getting greedy.

[@DeepThought420]

Drawing Magic is a huge waste of time. The easiest and fastest way to stockpile your magic is by card mod! Just FYI and to speed up your next playthrough 😊

[@tricd0444]

​@@DeepThought420cards break this game so hard, so fast.

[@betterdrugsthanyours]

100X better grind than 9 or 7. Nothing pissed me off more than Zidane being a thief that can't fucking steal worth shit.

[@Kuikkamies]

Yeah, FF8 can't really beat Super Mario Bros. 3.

[@oodhin-c3t]

VIII AND XIII ARE GOOD GAMES FIGHT MEEEEE

[@blondafro4112]

... by creating the new greatest game of all time which 8 is

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Lol 😂 I love this comment!

[@ZackeryGee]

I love FFVIII. I remember setting my controller on the floor and putting a shoe on the X button to draw 100 spells. Maybe one day we will get a true remake... not FFVII style.. just.. full 3d environment and beautiful graphics.. but that may be a pipe dream. :-) Thanks for the video. Subbed! Looking forward to more content.

[@TheAfterglowProject]

You totally wasted your time. You could have just used triple triad and card mod. If you played the game like I did the only times you would ever have to draw from an enemy is to get their guardian force.

[@ZackeryGee]

@TheAfterglowProject yup! Except I was 13 yo and trying to learn... but you're right. Triple Triad damn near breaks the game if you do it right.

[@zenone9698]

You should analyze Xenoblade series. If you like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. Xenoblade uses plot twists and complex multi game plot.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Xenoblade is definitely on my list of games I want to cover ( I really enjoyed Xenogears and Xenosaga). I think it's going to need to be a series I strive to cover 1 entry a year so they are so long.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I'll be taking a look at Xenogears at the end of this year. I've got a few more books by Arthur C Clarke I need to get through. Maybe I'll cover the first game next year

[@Masterom2000xx]

This game and Chrono Cross are the 2 games I have no idea how people talk about as, "one of the greats." I don't think either of them are that good if you put them in a bubble and not compare them to other games out at the time or other similar games.

[@WeaponsRemorse]

Ah yes my favorite VPN NORG VPN

[@HyperShadow991]

by making an even better one! (FFX)

[@GamingWithSpoons]

FFX was so amazing one of my personal favorite video game stories

[@RashidMBey]

Ads every 5-6 minutes is a choice

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I forgot to place them manually so KZbin automatically place them. I've made the ad placement a bit more bearable

[@Sonicjacob-dp3rq]

Very soild game regardless and I enjoyed FF8

[@nickst2797]

More than 2 hours? Wow...

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I was surprised too this was supposed to be one of the shorter ones lol

[@thissatori]

I was just talking about this with a friend of mine like 12 hours ago when this was released. Wth

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Syncronicity is real lol! Thanks for watching :)

[@KaneA87]

By making Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3

[@kujaisabiatch]

Omega is beatable without game shark

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Lol I'm sure he is it's just hard.

[@MegaMantra]

Overnight? lol

[@alwynjaegar1778]

A thing that always got on my nerves was the icicle from Edea and how the fans reacted to it.... there is healing magic.... she is also a sorceress 😂 Squall is not dead 😂 They just healed him, chucked him in cuffs and went... this guy, electro crucifixtion 😂 Cause why not 🎉🎉

[@Inosix]

You are truly not someone that should be taken seriously if this is on your short lists of best game ever made. Your opinion doesn't matter because clearly you cannot be trusted to provide an adult critique into any subject related to video games. This is a terrible opinion, if that isn't already clear.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Nowhere in my video did I say Final Fantasy VIII was the greatest video game ever made. It was pointing to Final Fantasy VII and the many who at the time thought Final Fantasy VII was the greatest games of all time and how Square was going to follow that up. I enjoyed FF8 but have a lot of problems with it. As for my short list that's something you've just assumed on your own. If you had watched my video past the first couple of minutes you'd have learned. I had many problems with the writing of the story and the vagueness of its plot. You'd also have learned that I had my fair share of annoyances with the combat system.

[@dougopolis2]

Ff7 is B+ at best. I do not get the hype.

[@DjDoomtrain]

Lmao ff8 junction system sucked so hard ass that this game is never getting remade

[@GamingWithSpoons]

It had some major issues for sure, but I'd like to see it expanded on and made better. I think the biggest problem with it was it was too ambitious, too much was left the the player to experiment with, and it wasn't explained very well in game.

[@DjDoomtrain]

@GamingWithSpoons the big problem with it , is that it is,shit. Specially combined with the mob lvls going up as ur lvls does aswell, its the only ff where grinding xp is actually a bad thing. Wich makes no god damn sense

[@DjDoomtrain]

@@GamingWithSpoons should have gone with. There wil never be a worse ff game and it would have been true. Ff6 7 9 And 10 Are all 10x better than ff8 in every way posible

[@HandsomeLongshanks]

Ff7 wasn't the greatest game ever made but thats ok. The Master Chief will be by to collect his crown after he gives the Covenant back their bomb.

[@GamingWithSpoons]

At least you've got a sense of humor in your disagreement lol I like that

[@bobobobobbbbo]

I liked 8, I put twice the time into it than I did FFVII... I thought it was better than FFIX for many years and the last "great" final fantasy (I hated FFX, thought FFXII was overrated and FFXIII bad). But then I also enjoyed 15 (once complete with all the DLC) and 16.

[@WheeledHamster]

The cringiest ass Final Fantasy game ever made. Squall basically became a simp halfway. I hate it.

[@younesakdah1803]

Another "listen to my terrible pronunciations everyone!" Video.

[@mikesmith9972]

Grow up clown 🤡