Many considerFinal Fantasy 8to be a strong entry in the series due to its unique battle system and world-defying story.The main protagonist, Squall Leonhart, was negatively received at first, though, in time, fans have come to appreciate his character as well as his backstory.
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The game already made great strides with its magic junctioning system and Guardian Forces. However, upon closer inspection, the game also includes numerous references to the number eight itself. From the completely blatant references to those hidden deep within the game, these are just some of the references are clever tie-ins toFinal Fantasy 8being the eighth entry in the series.
8Mobile Type 8
Faced at the Lunatic Pandora, Mobile Type 8 is one of the last bosses the player must defeat before reaching Sorceress Adel. Prior to this battle, this boss will eject the player if they try to enter the Lunatic Pandora with Zell’s party.
Mobile Type 8 itself is a reference to the number eight due to the boss having the actual number in its name. Even without this obvious feature though, Mobile Type 8 still stands out as one of the tougher bosses in the game, boasting powerful attacks such as Megiddo Flame and Corona.
7The Propagators
AfterSquall rescues Rinoa from dying in space, the pair then stumble upon the Ragnarok, in which they decide to take refuge. However, Squall and Rinoa soon find out that they are not alone, as the entire airship is infested with deadly creatures called Propagators.
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A total of eight Propagators are fought on the Ragnarok, making them a less obvious connection to the number eight. The Propagators must also be killed by order of their colors. After killing one Propagator, the player must then kill another one of the same color, or else they will start to revive each other.
6Ultimecia’s Minions
After defeating Adel as well as a slew of other sorceresses after her, Squall and his friends finally arrive in the future andreach Ultimecia’s Castlein order to confront Ultimecia herself. However, upon entering the castle, all of the party’s abilities are sealed away by Ultimecia’s eight underlings that dwell within the castle.
Much like the Propagators, the number of Ultimecia’s minions is a reference toFinal Fantasy VIIIbeing the eighth entry in the series. By extension, there are also eight abilities to reclaim as a result of battling Ultimecia’s minions.
5Irvine’s Ammo
As the last playable character to join the party, Irvine Kinneas made his mark early on in the game with his smooth personality and expertise with a rifle. Sure enough, his high speed andimmensely powerful riflesmake him an invaluable asset in battle.
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However, Irvine’s biggest characteristic (as well as the source of another reference to the number eight) is his Shot Limit Break. He has a total of eight types of ammo to fire at enemies. With his ammo, not only is Irvine able to deal massive damage to enemies, but certain types of ammo can also allow him to penetrate an enemy’s defense.
4The Devour Ability
In addition toits unique junction system,Final Fantasy 8introduced a slew of new abilities, one of which is the Devour ability. As the name suggests, this allows characters to eat certain monsters in order to restore their health, raise their stats, or get hit with numerous status effects.
Although the Devour ability can be beneficial, its success rate is actually quite rare. If the character successfully eats a certain monster, the monster will be killed instantly while the character’s health will be restored. Otherwise, the enemy will receive exactly eight points of damage.
3Escape From The D-District Prison
After the assassination of Sorceress Edea ends in failure, Squall, Quistis, Zell, and Selphie are thrown into the D-District Prison and have their weapons taken from them. Squall is theninterrogated by Seifer, who wants to know what SeeD is on Edea’s behalf.
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to reclaim their confiscated weapons, Quistis and Selphie distract their guard while Zell searches for the weapons in the prison. The mission turns out to be a success, with Zell quickly finding the weapons on the eighth floor and defeating the guards that are examining them.
2Edea’s Assassination
Prior to getting thrown into the D-District Prison, the party (except for Rinoa) is tasked with assassinating Sorceress Edea in order to prevent her from overthrowing the president. Quistis, Zell, and Selphie are responsible for trapping Edea in a gateway, while Squall and Irvine are responsible for sniping her.
However, the party runs into some trouble during their mission. Quistis' group is locked in Caraway’s mansion while Irvine and Squall must rescue Rinoa from a pair of Iguions. Ultimately, despite their setbacks, the party pulls through and Irvine is able to snipe Edea at exactly eight o’clock.
1Squall and Rinoa’s Limit Breaks
Much like Irvine, Squall’s Renzokuken is capable of dealing massive amounts of damage to enemies. While Squall only hasfour possible finishing moves, the maximum amount of hits during the initial sword barrage is eight, which is yet another reference to the game’s status as the eighth installment in the series.
Another reference can be seen in Rinoa’s Combine limit break, which is also capable of dealing great damage. With two available from the start, the Combine ability features a total of eight possible abilities for Rinoa’s pet dog, Angelo. In particular, the Wishing Star attack strikes enemies eight times, inflicting an immense amount of damage in the process.
Final Fantasy 8is available on PC, PS1, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
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