Final Fantasy 8 could be considered the black sheep of the Final Fantasy family, and while fans of this particular entry might disagree, Final Fantasy 8 certainly has a unique flavor compared to any other entry in the series. It was the only game in the series at the time to have a maximum level above 99 at 100. Final Fantasy 8 also boasts a unique Junction System where the player can equip all kinds of Magic to their stats, boosting each stat variably depending on the quantity of the magic, as well as the affinity to the stat the magic is equipped with. Enemies also level up with the player, making for some unique challenges.
Final Fantasy 8 might be one of the few Final Fantasy entries to have very few mini-games, but the one it does have is such a fan favorite that it has made a comeback in other games. The mini-game is called Triple Triad, a trading card game within the world of Final Fantasy 8. Though it is unnecessary to engage in the mini-game to enjoy Final Fantasy 8 itself, there are a lot of perks and benefits to investing in this trading card game the earlier the player decides to take part. This is because Triple Triad ties in with game mechanics that can turn Squall's party from SeeD squires to SeeD first class.
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Triple Triad debuted as one of the only mini-games in Final Fantasy 8, and became so popular due to its quality of gameplay that some fans would simply play the mini-game itself, ignoring the main game. As a result of its popularity, Triple Triad has been included in Final Fantasy 14 as an official mini-game, as well as a mini-game on the Final Fantasy Portal app for mobile. Triple Triad plays similarly across all games that it is a part of, meaning if fans of Final Fantasy 8's Triple Triad decided to start Final Fantasy 14, they would be in for a treat once they made it to the Golden Saucer.
To play Triple Triad, the player will need to own at least five cards in their inventory. Near the beginning of Final Fantasy 8 in Balamb Garden, Squall is given a small deck of Triple Triad cards, so that if the player decides to take part in the mini-game, they can do so quite early on. Triple Triad is played on a 3×3 grid, with both players having selected or randomly distributed five cards as their hand for the game. The goal is to use the values on the card to turn over an opponent's red cards to blue, and end up with more blue cards on the board until the 3×3 board is completely filled with cards.
The person who goes first is determined at the beginning by a flip of the coin and depending on if the player goes first or not, they may need to change their strategy. Each card has 4 numbers from 1-A with A counting as 10. Each number represents a side of the card, either the top, right, bottom, or left. When a card is played next to cards of an opposing color, their values on the side of the cards that touch are compared and whichever ends up being lower gets flipped. Once the game is over, the victor will usually win one or more cards from their opponent. The number of cards won in Final Fantasy 8 is dependent on the card rules in each city or region.
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Fans of the Final Fantasy franchise who may not have given Final Fantasy 8 a try yet might not know what benefits there are to putting time into Triple Triad. Aside from amassing more and more cards, there is an application to all of this that will benefit Squall and his party.
At the beginning of the game, Squall is given two Guardian Forces also known as GFs, Shiva and Quetzalcoatl, both branding skills of their own. When Squall defeats enemies in battle, GFs gain AP allowing them to learn abilities. Some of these abilities improve the GF's stats, while others will allow for more junction options for the player. Another option for GFs is the ability to learn skills that allow the player to do all kinds of things outside of battle.
Quetzalcoatl has the Card ability which will turn enemies into cards for use in Triple Triad if the enemy has low enough health, almost like catching a Pokemon. Once Quetzalcoatl learns Card, they can then learn Card Mod which blows open the door of possibilities for the player. Every single card in Final Fantasy 8 can be turned into an item or multiple items through this Card Mod ability. This can range from weapon-improving items and monster parts to battle items and ammunition, and everything in between. Other GFs can learn skills that turn these items into other items or magic, making for an endless supply of power for card collecting fanatics.
The cards in Triple Triad each fall under a level category from 1 to 10, with levels 7 and 8 cards representing bosses and levels 9 and 10 representing GFs and party characters. As such, higher-level cards will typically convert into high-value items and magic, meaning the player will want to challenge tougher opponents.
One issue is that there is a multitude of different rulesets in each region in Final Fantasy 8 that make card collecting more difficult. Rules such as Elemental, Plus, Same, etc change how battles work by introducing random variables that could see the player losing some of their precious cards. Other rules will affect how many cards the victor will get, such as the One, All, Diff, which can be beneficial or detrimental to the player.
If the player plays Triple Triad in a particular region, they will carry those rules with them when they travel to another region. If the player plays Triple Triad with someone while carrying rules from a different region, one of three things will occur. Either a rule will get added to that region, a rule will be abolished from that region, or nothing will happen.
If the player decides to do their due diligence, they can successfully abolish all of the tedious rules from all regions, making it easier to win back cards that the player has turned into items such as the rare GF or character cards. However the player decides to play Triple Triad in Final Fantasy 8, they can be sure that unlimited power awaits them towards the end of their card collecting journey.
Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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