Final Fantasy VIII was (until XIII rolled around) the most divisive entry in a series famous for changing things up, with oceans of ink spilt by the game's rabid detractors and stalwart defenders. Aside from stoic protagonist, Squall, and the way enemies levelled up alongside the party, players' most significant issue with the game was how it handled progression: the complex and quite vague Junction system.
Final Fantasy VIII is marking its 25th anniversary this year, making us want to crumble into dust. Director Yoshinori Kitase spoke to IGN recently and said that the contentious, repetitive (if you don't know what you're doing) task of Drawing magic and everything around it would be out the window in a hypothetical remake:
"The thing about that system was the enemies levelled up in line with the player's level. You had to use the Junction system and how you customise that to overcome the challenge. And I think it was a complicated system for some people. Depending on the player's skills, sometimes they didn't work out how to do" it. "Don't get your hopes up for a Final Fantasy VII Remake-style revisit anytime soon.
Kitase recently said that remaking Final Fantasy VI properly would take 20 years. He revisits this sentiment, which he doesn't see as feasible: "I've worked out that trying to recreate that volume of content... is not something you can take up lightly. It's such a massive investment of time and effort that we must think hard about taking on any project like that."