Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 8's engaging story and romance make it a prime candidate for a remake like Final Fantasy 7.
  • A potential remake of Final Fantasy 8 would finally give its iconic characters voices, enhancing the gaming experience.
  • The massive map of Final Fantasy 8 sets it up to compete with modern games, offering players vast exploration opportunities.

Squaresoft's Final Fantasy 8 is widely considered one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made — and that is saying something, as it followed what is nigh-universally accepted as the absolute best installment in the franchise, Final Fantasy 7. Having garnered critical acclaim upon release, Final Fantasy 8 remains one that longtime fans often revisit to remind themselves of the glory days of Final Fantasy, and was even deemed popular enough to receive a remaster in 2019.

As Final Fantasy 7 has now not only been remastered but entirely remade, it's worth considering which other Final Fantasy games deserve the remake treatment, and Final Fantasy 8 is undoubtedly one of them. Just as it has with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, it would take many years of intensive work to do a complete remake of Final Fantasy 8, but it would likely be welcomed by veteran fans and newcomers alike, along with potentially bringing a host of new features to the game that weren't present in the original.

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Why Final Fantasy 8 Deserves the Remake Treatment

Final Fantasy 8's Story Is a Story Worth Being Told Through a Remake

Final Fantasy 8 is considered by many to have one of the best stories of the Final Fantasy series. This is primarily due to the heartwarming romance between its protagonist Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly, as well as the many twists and turns that occur as its plot unfolds. In light of that, a Final Fantasy 8 remake would tell the story in a way the original couldn't, just as the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is proving to accomplish.

A Final Fantasy 8 Remake Would Give the Characters Voices

As Final Fantasy 8 was released around the time voice acting in video games was achieving prominence, some fans had hoped it might feature voice-overs for the characters. Unfortunately, just like every installment prior, its characters lacked voices. In fact, voice-overs weren't implemented into a Final Fantasy game until the release of Final Fantasy 10, making it one of the series' most iconic entries. Final Fantasy 8 originally wound up receiving a bit of criticism for its lack of voice-overs, so giving it the remake treatment would remedy that and bring its characters to life in an unprecedented way.

Final Fantasy 8's Massive Map Would Make Its Remake Fit Right in With the Competition

Final Fantasy 8 doesn't have the largest map in the Final Fantasy franchise, but it has one of the largest of its era. After Final Fantasy 8, arguably no map size compared to it until the release of Final Fantasy 12 (not counting Final Fantasy 11, which was an MMO). As the modern gaming industry continues to claim "bigger can be better" with titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a Final Fantasy 8 remake would allow it to fit right in with the competition and provide players with a sprawling world to explore on foot, by airship, or via car.

A Final Fantasy 8 Remake Could Reinvent the Original's Iconic Soundtrack

Every veteran Final Fantasy fan knows the name Nobuo Uematsu, as he is responsible for composing the soundtracks for most of the series' games, and that includes Final Fantasy 8. While each soundtrack has its merits — especially Final Fantasy 7's — Final Fantasy 8's soundtrack is iconic and widely considered one of the franchise's best. As such, a Final Fantasy 8 remake would be worth it, simply because of how it would take the game's soundtrack to new heights.

There are even more reasons Final Fantasy 8 deserves the remake treatment like its predecessor Final Fantasy 7, but the most obvious reasons lie in what a remake would do for its memorable characters, compelling story, massive explorable map, and iconic soundtrack. Despite the years and exhaustive work it would take to accomplish, a Final Fantasy 8 remake would undoubtedly be worth it.