I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but Final Fantasy VIII is my favourite Final Fantasy. I adore its more realistic take on the party members, I eat up the weird story (despite its quirks and plot holes), and I appreciate how much the game experiments with its mechanics and tries to shake up the Final Fantasy formula, possibly more than any entry since II. However, my love for the game wouldn’t be complete without Nobuo Uematsu‘s masterful score, the element that unites everything else and provides a constant backdrop to the politics and passion of the plot.
Not only is Final Fantasy VIII my favourite game in the series, but the Original Soundtrack might be my favourite music in the series. Full disclosure: this review is not the first time I’m hearing this OST—I already know it is top tier. It isn’t without some flaws, and I aim to take a critical look at the soundtrack here whilst also fully relishing talking about how brilliant it is.
The first track is “Liberi Fatali”, one of the most iconic pieces of music in Final Fantasy history. Am I wrong? Absolutely not. Strange fake-Latin aside, this track sets the tone for the game perfectly—over the top drama, a dark tone, a switch from a more magical/mystical feel to something more rooted in reality, history, and the military. This is also one of the first Final Fantasy in-game tracks to include vocals. It just gives me everything I want from an opening piece of music and suits the game cinematic perfectly. There’s a reason why “Liberi Fatali” still receives so much love today, over 25 years since the game released.
The four discs that make up Final Fantasy VIII‘s OST contain a huge amount of range—something for every mood or occasion. “Balamb Garden” is the second track and another pretty iconic one. You hear this one a whole lot in the game, so it’s a good job this chill, almost meditative piece is as great as it is. It glides along effortlessly, giving a sense of both home comfort and an elevator music-like quality—a combination that works well when your home is an institution like military school.
This type of calm, even serene music, is something Final Fantasy VIII’s OST generally does very well. See “Blue Fields”—the world map theme, “Breezy”—Balamb Town’s gorgeous, summery theme, or “Trust Me”—a Disc Three piece that provides a new riff on the main Final Fantasy VIII motif. Whilst all of these tracks are quite minimal in their percussion and layering of sound, there are also some more complex, beautifully arranged tracks. “Fisherman’s Horizon” is a great example of this—it’s a fan favourite track for a reason— and “Find Your Way” is a perfectly mystical dungeon theme reminiscent of “Chaos Shrine” from the FFI soundtrack (particularly the Pixel Remaster version).
As well as these more peaceful tracks, Final Fantasy VIII also houses some absolute belters, including two of the series’ most iconic battle themes in “Don’t Be Afraid” (which I think FFXVI takes a lot of inspiration from in its own battle theme), and the Laguna-exclusive “The Man With The Machine Gun”—a really exciting mix of catchy electronics and a driving beat that makes it one of my favourite tracks on this OST. Alongside these two regular battle themes is the boss battle theme “Force Your Way” which finishes off this trio of series-high battle tracks.
Outside of the battle themes, Final Fantasy VIII includes other tense, energetic, and dramatic pieces that really hit home. “The Landing” features in one of the game’s early set pieces, the invasion of Dollet, and was used in some of the first trailers for the game. It has a fantastic build and distinct sections that move from a heartbeat acting as a baseline, militaristic drumming, and a melody that all works together to create a sense of danger and intensity.
Disc Four is also packed with more of this dramatic, sometimes over-the-top, bombastic sound as the tracks cover the final sections of the game. “Lunatic Pandora” and “The Legendary Beast” are highlights, as is “Maybe I’m A Lion” which straddles an interesting line between comedy and jeopardy.
Whilst this review so far has been very positive, as my overall feelings for Final Fantasy VIII‘s OST are, there are a handful of tracks which I think are less successful. “Fear” really doesn’t sound like it matches its title at all, and I find the piece a little monotonous and lacking the tension I’d want. “Cactus Jack” is too shrill—I understand what it’s going for but I just don’t enjoy listening to this and it doesn’t go anywhere. Similarly “Unrest” plods along with a very low melody that isn’t very interesting. However, these lower points aren’t that bad, and they’re few and far between.
A big theme of Final Fantasy VIII is love, particularly between Squall and Rinoa, and Laguna and Raine. It’s fitting then that the soundtrack contains some fantastic tracks on that subject. “Julia” is an achingly beautiful, piano-led piece that is a Disc One standout. “Love Grows” speaks for itself, really. It’s gentle, emotional, and swooning. Then we have the iconic vocal track “Eyes On Me,” which has everything you’d want from a love song—passion, swelling strings, emotional vocal delivery, and touching lyrics. In terms of love-themed music, you can’t really do better in the Final Fantasy series than VIII.
Oh, and one final mention before I wrap up: there’s a track called “Shuffle or Boogie” that you might’ve heard in the game. Maybe. It’s a very catchy track, but I imagine most people probably only heard it once or twice. Just kidding—I think I must’ve sat through this one hundreds of times while playing the card game. I’ve probably dreamt about it. Good thing it’s decent!
To conclude, the Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack is a stunner. I love it. Each track fits its place in the game well, matching moods, locations, and situations suitably. The battle themes are fantastic and the atmospheric tracks are elegant and intricate. Whilst Final Fantasy music has developed much further since VIII’s release, I feel that this game marks a turning point in the series’ soundtracks as a step up in arrangement complexity. It takes inspiration from those earlier entries and inspires the soundtracks following it. Yes there are some small missteps, but overall the Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack is an absolute treat for the ears.
