Since I'm doing a series of #FinalFantasy VIII posts, I decided my entry to #archdruidcontest "Emotional Game Moments" also be about this game.
Games are one of is the best media to make us feel all the emotions, they put us in the shoes of characters and live a mile in their place. They make us understand ourselves better. A good game can change our outlook on life completely.
If it's about gaming emotional moments I have so much of them. I remember my eyes along with my cousins' get wide when Serge suddenly stabs Kid on CHRONO CROSS. The times I stopped to stare for a while at many points in CHRONO TRIGGER. I nearly cried at the last chapter of Narcissu. But currently I'm writings a post series about FFVIII so how could I waste this opportunity?
Final Fantasy VIII (as I reviewed) is not the best game ever. But when it comes to emotions, you'll feel so much of them you'll get burned out! One example happens mid game: When the Garden got into a sudden war!
WARNING: HEAVY SPOILERS
For a whole section of the game! read at your own risk.
It's hard to write a spoiler-less article about emotional gaming!
The Fated Leader
I want you to imagine the scene here. You are Squall. You're already confused about your place in life. You have just learned the identity or your enemy, a person you knew well. Your childhood was so bad, you convinced yourself that following orders as a mercenary will keep you from confusion. Emotionally safe.
Then you're suddenly got appointment leader of a whole army against your will. You're more confused than ever about everything and now your home safety relies on your decision.
Setting Priorities Right!!
After being appointed as a leader you're asked to address your people. You had to choose orders from the most important to the least important. The options included "Prepare for attack/defense," "Take care of juniors," No Orders/End, and Hotdogs! Wait... What?
The first time I saw this in my late teens, I along with my brother choose this out of hilarity! After the choice Squall starts telling each SeeD what to do, in a very unemotional way:
"Cafeteria team, collect all the hot dogs and store everything in the secret shelter. We don't want our enemy to have our food."
We laughed so hard at that scene.
But As I wrote this article I couldn't laugh (well, I smiled a bit.) The Hotdog option being there and his logical approach at saying that is a great telling on how messed up Squall's mind was at that point. He was too broken to think straight but too proud to admit it. He was scared to lead but he knew he's ordered to do so and being a mercenary is means following orders. But how can he give orders and not regret them later?
Him thinking of Hotdogs might be because he thought of Zell. Hotdogs is Zell's favorite food but he couldn't buy any at the cafeteria since it's always sold out. Maybe Squall didn't want the enemy to enjoy Hotdogs before his friend did.
Perparing for The Fight
From then they prepare to battle and set a plan.
Preparing a defense team for the area most accessible to the enemy!
Preparing for battle.
Squall trusts his friends to lead the defense. But while he's gone his (not?)love-interest falls to hang into a cliff. Zell tries to help her but fails.
Riona is Faaaaaaaalling!
The fight starts
Let's go back being in Squall's mind again:
You're already under so much stress.
Then you're told the girl you love,the one you care about most got stuck. Holding her life on a literal cliffhanger. Your heart is broken into pieces but you press on it harder and try to ignore her because she's not the only needing help there. Your whole home and the people in it are.
To make it worse, you're told the enemy reached a classroom for children. How hard for Squall was to go there instead of helping his friend? But it's a war and that's what a professional will do.
In these scenes, the cracks in Squall personalities begin to snap. He's doing against what his heart is telling him. His friends tell him how wrong is that bit he's too confused and scared to listen.
Squall's infirmary doctor reminds him. Whatever he thinks or feels he's still the leader of the army. He has to address his people. His speech right there can move someone to tears.
Here's a video of the speech:
Voiced by the yet unreleased FFVIII-Voiced Mod.
Everybody. This is Squall.
How's everybody doing? You're probably too tired to even stand up after all this fighting. But I need everyone to listen to me. We can still win. But I need your help.
This is going to be our final battle. We're going to attack them before they come in again. To do that we're going straight into their Garden. So I want everyone to prepare for major collision.
Irvine, Quistis, Zell and Selphie will lead the attack into their Garden. As for everyone else, just support them as best as you can.
SeeD was formed to fight the sorceress and this Garden created to train SeeDs. So this battle is our destiny.
It's been a grueling battle and I'm sure you're all exhausted. But I don't want anyone to remember this day as "the day we could've won." Today, we're going to win!
I'm proud of all of you and proud to be your leader. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you got. Let's show them how a real Garden fights.
-- Squall Leonhart
Even while playing that part of the game three times, watching the voiced clip more than five times already. This speech never failed to move my heart. Among all the confusion, worry and suffering. Squall managed to give life to the losing side of the battle. I imagine him telling himself that they will not only win. But get Riona back as well.
Epic Battle
So after giving the best motivation, a leader can do. Squall went to find Riona, helping a lost child in the way he got stuck on one on one battle versus one of the flying enemy soldier. I even lost because of the excitement, because the battle happened above pre-rendered FMV that shows the cruelty of the battle between the two gardens.
Air fight, the moving background really enjoyable,
I'd play the game just for this sce-- Hmmm... Just maybe.
Even in the age of the 4KHD games, you can hardly find an epic scene like that. (No they are, but at the moment it didn't feel like that.) I admit the controls are to blame for my second loss but in the end, Squall managed to take the flying machine from the enemy soldier (I felt sorry for him. He was just doing his job,) and used it to fly and save Riona.
Squall saves Riona
She told him she believed he'd come to save her, she implied that she loved him but he didn't care about that. He just wanted her safe and to save his home...
After that, they moved inside the enemy's base, joining their friends to fight.
But that, isn't a story for today.
As a participant in #archdruidcontest, there weren't much of my emotions in the post. But if this contest about emotions at all. Squall Leonhart is the most interesting character I know emotionally-wise. He just tries to "be" and "act" logical and that only adds to his own emotional complexity!
If you liked this post you might like my Review of the game. or my other Character study of Squall. I also have a contest running currently about improving my game store, you might win Steem or #steembasicincome prizes!
