Final Fantasy VIII Director Reveals Why They Created That Iconic Ballroom Scene
With Final Fantasy VIII Remastered having been out for a few weeks now, fans have now had plenty of time to sink their teeth into the latest FF remaster to come out of the Square Enix camp. Since its release, the developer has been trickling out the occasional FF8-related drawing or factoid on social media in celebration of the title. One such interesting tidbit has come from game director Yoshinori Kitase himself, wherein he reveals why he and his team decided to put the now iconic ballroom scene into the game so many years ago.
Kitase-san recently took to Twitter to release a brief video clip of him explaining why the ballroom scene was created. Though it was a nice way of introducing Squall and Rinoa to each other while giving the former a little bit of softness to his edginess, according to Kitase-san there wasn’t really any “direct inspiration” for the scene.
Why exactly did the original #FinalFantasy VIII team decide to create a ballroom scene in the game?
Find out from director Yoshinori Kitase here… pic.twitter.com/ws6hjm0WsO
— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) September 30, 2019
So, according to Yoshinori Kitase, the ballroom scene – while pretty wholesome and adorable – was actually just a way for the Square Enix team to introduce motion capture to a Final Fantasy game for the first time. This involved hiring a dance choreographers, and having the actors practice so they could handle the dance routine with motion capture equipment on. Given how bulky the equipment was back then, that was certainly no small feat.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
So, thoughts on the remastered version of the game? Have you beaten it yet? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!
Ryan "Cinna" Carrier3026 Posts
Ryan is the Lead Editor for Don't Feed the Gamers. When he isn't writing, Ryan is likely considering yet another playthrough of Final Fantasy IX. He's also the DFTG cinnamon bun.