I can’t even describe how much this means to me! Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is not an amazing game, it is fun but not great. What makes me happy is getting to see Rinoa and Angelo in a modern game with updated graphics. They both look beautiful and I love them SO much!! Rinoa is a very special character to me and always will be. I honestly credit Rinoa for getting me into video games. Yes, Rinoa specifically not just the game. When I was a kid when this game first came out my mom bought an action figure for my younger sister and, as I’m sure you guessed, it was an action figure of none other than Rinoa Heartilly. I remember as soon as I laid eyes on it I fell in love with it. My sister played with it briefly and then put it on a shelf and didn’t seem to interested anymore but I was in love. I begged her to trade it to me for one of my toys and eventually she agreed and I got my Rinoa.
I thought she was so cool and immediately wanted to know everything about her and Final Fantasy VIII. Unfortunately at the time I didn’t have any game consoles and for whatever reason my parents didn’t want to get them for us so I wasn’t able to play the game. Eventually I ended up getting the entire set of these action figures and I would play with them constantly. I made up my own stories involving the characters and looked up what I could online. I always loved RInoa the most and took her literally everywhere with me, school, restaurants, to the swimming pool, on vacation, literally everywhere. She was my favorite toy and because of her I was dying to play FFVIII.
Finally when the PS2 came out my parents decided to get us our first game console for Christmas that year and I was beyond excited! It was one of the best Christmases I can remember. Later that day my parents took us to Walmart and let my two sisters and I each pick out a game. I knew before I even got there exactly what I was going to pick. I rushed over to the games and instantly found Final Fantasy VIII. I brought it home and began playing it and fell in love. I played the hell out of that game and loved every minute of it. It was my first console game and my first RPG. I thought about it constantly and when I wasn’t playing the game I played with my FFVIII action figures or looked up fanart on my computer. At school when we were asked to write in our journals all I wrote about was Final Fantasy VIII. Once I even overzealously attempted to explain the plot to my classmates when asked to share what I had written and went on so long my teacher said I needed to give someone else a turn. Bottom line is I LOVED this game! After playing Final Fantasy VIII I continued to play more and more games and to this day gaming is a major part of my life and my biggest hobby.
Final Fantasy VIII is still, and most likely always will be, my favorite game of all time and will always have a very special place in my heart. And all of it came about because I fell in love with Rinoa. As a little girl I idolized her and thought she was so cool and beautiful. As a dog lover I thought it was awesome how her dog Angelo was her partner and all of her limit breaks used Angelo. I loved that she was the leader of a resistance group fighting for what she believed in even though she had to go against her own father. It always made me sad that many people seemed to dislike her and find her annoying because I see her as a very strong, kind and adorable person. I encountered many people who thought she is weak and whiny or irritating but I thought she was the opposite. Rinoa is not a SeeD and therefore doesn’t have the benefit of their extensive combat training, yet she is willing to fight for what she believes in. She grew up the daughter of a general in the Galbadia army, she lived in a mansion and likely had a lot of money and privilege but when she got older she realized how corrupt Galbadia was gave all that up and left her father to join a resistance group fighting for Timber because she believed it was the right thing to do. Despite not being from Timber herself she still cared enough to risk her life and fight for their independence. Rinoa is very kind and genuinely cares about the people around her. She fights for the people of Timber, protects her friends and often stands up to Squall when she feels he is being too harsh or indifferent toward his friends. When everyone is captured and taken to D-District Prison Rinoa’s father sends Irvine to get her out but instead of escaping to safety she risks her life and her freedom to go back for her friends. Ultimately Rinoa is the one who helps Squall come out of his shell and realize he can trust others. I always thought that their love story was very touching and moving and they are still my favorite couple in any game or any other love story.
Anyway, sorry I know this ended up being way too long and if you read all this I appreciate you taking the time. I just wanted to share a little about why this character means so much to me and why I am so happy that she was announced for Dissidia NT. Rinoa and Angelo are both precious cinnamon rolls and I love them SO much! Also I am so happy to see Rinoa and Squall together in this game! If you haven’t played FFVIII I can’t recommend it enough! I love this game and it’s characters. Rinoa thank you for introducing me to this game and to video games in general, my life would not be the same without them or without you!
P.S. I still have that action figure to this day. Her weapon broke and got lost, her arm fell off and had to be glued back on by my dad, the back of her sweater and her hair got so scratched I had to hunt for some matching paint at a local hobby shop and re-paint it but she is still with me after almost twenty years and I still love her as much as I did as a kid and I will never get rid of her.
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