I've completed the field exam in my Final Fantasy VIII replay, and I'm just before the Timber mission!
Can't believe Quistis calls, 'Over here, Zell!' and Zell backflips down the corridor towards her. What a loser. I love him.
I also can't believe Headmaster Cid goes, 'Don't worry, we're sending qualified mercenaries with you so they can get the job done if you die on your exam.' I know I shouldn't be surprised that the school for training child soldiers is screwed up, but this school is really screwed up. (Xu's 'we could have made more money if they'd stayed and caused more aggro' comment about the departure of the invading forces also drives home what a messed-up place Balamb Garden is.)
I'd forgotten that Seifer asks Squall, 'Huh? You scared, too?' before the field exam! I don't ship them romantically - I've always been more of a Squall/Zell person - but I do find their dynamic fascinating.
We have so much insight into Squall's head most of the time, but we don't get to hear what he's thinking when Xu tells Seifer, 'Seifer, you'll never be a SeeD. Calling yourself a captain is a joke,' and Seifer, shaking, goes silent. I'm really curious about how Squall feels in that scene.
Look at Selphie and Zell parading up and down the corridor after being made SeeDs. These ridiculous kids.
Seifer being the first to start applauding the new SeeDs, after all his disparaging comments and all his frustration over his inability to pass the exam himself, is such an interesting moment for his character.
Squall and Rinoa's first dance together remains one of my favourite cutscenes in any videogame. Look at Squall's complete inability to dance. Beautiful.
Some people feel that Squall is pretending to be a terrible dancer to make Rinoa leave him alone, but I prefer to believe that Squall genuinely can't dance and the more competent footwork we see later on comes after a long, unseen sequence of Rinoa training him with great determination. Squall doesn't like to draw attention to himself, so I don't think he'd intentionally make a fool of himself on the dance floor.
Considering that this game is unvoiced, there's some surprisingly effective use of silence. The dialogue boxes are sometimes timed to make it clear that there are significant pauses in a conversation, even if those pauses can't be 'heard'. It particularly stands out in Squall and Quistis's early interactions. Pauses where Squall analyses the meaning behind what she's actually saying; pauses where he decides how he's supposed to respond to her flirting.
Squall's 'go talk to a wall' line is unkind, but, to be fair to him, Quistis has put him in a very uncomfortable position, as his teacher.
Quistis: Hey, I'm going to open up to you, my student, about all my insecurities.
Squall: Uh.
Quistis: Let's have this conversation at Makeout Point.
Squall: Let's not?
I never really registered it before, but Squall immediately brings up their relationship as teacher and student when Quistis approaches him at the dance:
Quistis: So you'll dance with someone you don't even know, but you can't even stand being around me?
Squall: ...Whatever. You're an instructor, and I'm your student. It's kind of awkward when you don't say anything.
Squall gets criticised for being rude to Quistis in the early game, but I've got a lot of sympathy for him this time around. His teacher is being inappropriately personal with him; I can't blame him for trying to set boundaries.
(That said, he's got no excuse for not talking to perfect boy Zell at the ball.)
Can't believe Quistis calls, 'Over here, Zell!' and Zell backflips down the corridor towards her. What a loser. I love him.
I also can't believe Headmaster Cid goes, 'Don't worry, we're sending qualified mercenaries with you so they can get the job done if you die on your exam.' I know I shouldn't be surprised that the school for training child soldiers is screwed up, but this school is really screwed up. (Xu's 'we could have made more money if they'd stayed and caused more aggro' comment about the departure of the invading forces also drives home what a messed-up place Balamb Garden is.)
I'd forgotten that Seifer asks Squall, 'Huh? You scared, too?' before the field exam! I don't ship them romantically - I've always been more of a Squall/Zell person - but I do find their dynamic fascinating.
We have so much insight into Squall's head most of the time, but we don't get to hear what he's thinking when Xu tells Seifer, 'Seifer, you'll never be a SeeD. Calling yourself a captain is a joke,' and Seifer, shaking, goes silent. I'm really curious about how Squall feels in that scene.
Look at Selphie and Zell parading up and down the corridor after being made SeeDs. These ridiculous kids.
Seifer being the first to start applauding the new SeeDs, after all his disparaging comments and all his frustration over his inability to pass the exam himself, is such an interesting moment for his character.
Squall and Rinoa's first dance together remains one of my favourite cutscenes in any videogame. Look at Squall's complete inability to dance. Beautiful.
Some people feel that Squall is pretending to be a terrible dancer to make Rinoa leave him alone, but I prefer to believe that Squall genuinely can't dance and the more competent footwork we see later on comes after a long, unseen sequence of Rinoa training him with great determination. Squall doesn't like to draw attention to himself, so I don't think he'd intentionally make a fool of himself on the dance floor.
Considering that this game is unvoiced, there's some surprisingly effective use of silence. The dialogue boxes are sometimes timed to make it clear that there are significant pauses in a conversation, even if those pauses can't be 'heard'. It particularly stands out in Squall and Quistis's early interactions. Pauses where Squall analyses the meaning behind what she's actually saying; pauses where he decides how he's supposed to respond to her flirting.
Squall's 'go talk to a wall' line is unkind, but, to be fair to him, Quistis has put him in a very uncomfortable position, as his teacher.
Quistis: Hey, I'm going to open up to you, my student, about all my insecurities.
Squall: Uh.
Quistis: Let's have this conversation at Makeout Point.
Squall: Let's not?
I never really registered it before, but Squall immediately brings up their relationship as teacher and student when Quistis approaches him at the dance:
Quistis: So you'll dance with someone you don't even know, but you can't even stand being around me?
Squall: ...Whatever. You're an instructor, and I'm your student. It's kind of awkward when you don't say anything.
Squall gets criticised for being rude to Quistis in the early game, but I've got a lot of sympathy for him this time around. His teacher is being inappropriately personal with him; I can't blame him for trying to set boundaries.
(That said, he's got no excuse for not talking to perfect boy Zell at the ball.)
