Choices matter because they are final. They carry the baggage of the decision that wasn’t made, and the consequences of the choice that was made. Final Fantasy VIII captures the power of choice and the unavoidable deep regret that is sometimes created as a result, and expresses that by weaving it into its narrative and characters.
The motifs of choice and regret reach a narrative crescendo during the final cutscene. In it, the widower Laguna is at Winhill village where his wife Raine was buried, reminiscing about the day he proposed to her. You see, Laguna had promised to Raine that he would return to Winhill after his journey to Esthar to rescue Ellone, their adoptive daughter blessed with the ability to change the past, but he didn’t. During his absence, Raine passed away shortly after giving birth to their son Squall.
That single choice to not return home weighs heavily on Laguna, and the consequences of it ripple throughout the entire game. At the end of Disc 3, Squall is presented with the option to ask Laguna about Raine, to which he responds: “Raine’s story? Some other time, maybe. No… I can’t. It’s too much for me to remember.” It’s a tragic memory that anchors him to his past. Thankfully, Laguna receives proper closure during the final cutscene.
The scene transitions to the night he proposed to Raine under a full moon, before we’re taken back to the present day, where we see Laguna beside Raine’s gravestone. Too overwhelmed by the regret created by his choice, he had been avoiding this confrontation the entire game. However after Squall defeats the evil sorceress Ultimecia whose goal was to rewrite the past to control her future, Laguna comes to understand that the only way to move forward is to make peace with your past decisions because there are no second chances.
The scene demonstrates that time continues to pass in defiance of regret. It has zero dialogue, yet it is able to perfectly convey the anguish of regret; the magnitude of a choice; how that choice can bind someone to the past; and the hope for the future. Despite Final Fantasy VIII entertaining the ability to change the past, it doesn’t shy away from showcasing that every decision, every choice is final and the characters still push forward in spite of regret.
Into The Spine