The Final Fantasy series has been a staple for JRPG fans for decades, and much of that has to do with how much there is to do within the game. It would be hard to call a Final Fantasy game a true JRPG without an entire list of side quests to do. Final Fantasy 8 is no exception. From the oh-so addicting Triple Triad to tracking down all of the Guardian Force Summons, there's a little something for everyone to enjoy as Squall and company traverse the world.
While there aren't a ton of side quests in Final Fantasy 8, the ones present are well designed and add something to the world-building and story, and even the side quests that are a little out there add some humor and fun to the game.
10 Shumi Village
Shumi Village is available to explore on the second disc once Balamb Garden becomes mobile. This small quaint village is home to some powerful items if you complete the side quest. You’re tasked with collecting some elemental stones for a local Sculptor to complete a statue.
Once they’re all collected, you learn he doesn't actually need them, but he was hoping you'd enjoy exploring the town as you looked. For your trouble, you're given a Phoneix Pinon. If you use this item, there will be a one in four chance of your party being revived by the Phoneix summon. Return later and there will be some more things to do to help complete the statue. Finish and Squall is rewarded with a Status Guard which lets you teach a Guardian Force ST-Def x4 -J, a very valuable ability.
9 Finding The Chocobo Forests
Chocobos are one of the mascots of the Final Fantasy universe, and they of course make an appearance in Final Fantasy 8. Though they aren't featured as prominently as they are in other games like Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 10, they are available if you seek them out.
Throughout the world are a number of Chocobo Forests to find and explore. Within each is a set of sound-based puzzles to solve with varying item-based rewards. If you complete all six forests you'll receive a Chicobo Card to use in the Triple Triad card game.
8 Summoning The Brothers
The summoning system in Final Fantasy 8 refers to them as Guardian Forces, and there are several optional Guardian Forces to find in the game. One of the earliest you can acquire is The Brothers, and they are a duo named Minotaur and Sacred.
Near the end of the first disc, you'll be roaming The Tomb of the Unknown King for an ID card. If you choose to explore the maze-like underground further, you can find The Brothers at the end as an optional boss. If defeated, they'll join Squall and party as a summon.
7 PuPu The Alien
The side quest with PuPu the Alien is a bit of nonsensical fun. There is never really any explanation for who this little blue alien is, but you'll encounter his UFO four times in battle in various landscapes throughout the world: near Winhill, Mandy Beach, Heath Peninsula, and Grandidi Forest.
If you use Diablo's No Encounter ability, it makes the process faster. Once that's done you'll find PuPu and their UFO in the crater where Balamb used to be. If you feed him five Elixirs, the battle will end and you'll receive the PuPu card.
6 Mr. Monkey And Obel Lake
The Obel Lake quest almost seems like something out of an episode of Twin Peaks. It involves a shadowy figure in a lake who talks to you after humming by the water and sends you on a weird journey to find their friend Mr. Monkey.
Once Mr. Monkey is found, the shadowy lake figure sends you out on a quest around the world with a number of riddles, and eventually, you'll find yourself searching the world map and examining a number of rocks for clues leading to some valuable treasure.
5 The Card Club
The Card Club is a group that consists of several Balamb Garden members. Each one has a title based on a playing card like Knight, Joker, or Diamond. If you run the gamut and defeat all the members, they'll join Squall on the Ragnarok near the end of the game and you can challenge them all you want.
The best part about completing this side quest is that they use a number of rare cards. This includes cards you may lose due to refining them into rare items using the Card Mod ability, one of the best GF abilities in the game.
4 Exploring The Centra Ruins
The Centra Ruins were once part of the ancient Centra civilization. Inside are a number of statues, winding staircases, and Tonberries. In order to acquire the Tonberry King GF, you'll need to defeat a lot of Tonberries.
Once you've beaten 18 to 24 of these deadly enemies, he'll appear in a battle and upon defeat, he'll join the party as a Guardian Force. Besides Tonberry King, Odin can be found and defeated. Unlike other GFs he is not one you can equip. Instead, he'll randomly show up in battles to finish off enemies.
3 Building Everyone's Ultimate Weapon
Ultimate weapons are a staple of the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy 8 is no exception, and all the ultimate weapons involve finding a specific set of items to create them. There are items called Weapons Monthly Magazine with multiple issues that break down what you need to build each of the game's weapons - including each character's best one.
Each party member's ultimate weapon can even be made in the first disc of the game, a task the seems impossible unless you know where to look. if you have all the items needed in your inventory. It can be tricky acquiring all of them, but it's worth it. Talk about being overpowered early in the game.
2 Discovering The Deep Sea Research Center
Bahamut is one of the most recognizable summons from the Final Fantasy series, and he finds his place in Final Fantasy 8's Deep Sea Research Center. The Center is not even on the world map, but once you acquire the Ragnarok it's easily accessible by flying to the southwest corner of the map.
You'll be able to fight Bahamut and if you defeat him, he'll be equipable as a Guardian Force. Further in the Deep Sea Research Center, you'll find a worthy opponent in Ultima Weapon, who has the Guardian Force Eden available to draw, and as any beginner knows, you'll want to acquire all the Guardian Forces in the game.
1 The Ultimate Card Game: Triple Triad
If you're into any form of collecting and find games where you battle cards to be fun, Triple Triad is the game for you. It's simple enough with a 3x3 grid of cards where each card has four values, with the higher the number indicating a stronger card.
There are a variety of different regional rules depending on where you're playing and dozens of cards to collect with the designs of enemies, bosses, NPCs, party members, and summons to find. Some cards are harder to come by than others, and in order to get them all, you'll have to play a whole lot of cards.