Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX Strategy Guide Box Set Included Extra Goodies

Box Set Contents and Enhancements

Prima Games announced a collector’s edition box set containing the official strategy guides for three classic PlayStation role-playing games: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX. The collection, titled the Final Fantasy Box Set (FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX): Official Game Guide, bundled the three guides into a premium package aimed at long-time fans and collectors.

Each of the three guides was presented with a deluxe hardcover treatment, a significant upgrade from the softcover format of the original releases. They also included built-in ribbon bookmarks for easily marking pages. Beyond the physical construction, the interior content of the guides was redesigned to feature high-resolution screenshots, offering clearer visual references. The box set also included exclusive bonus items: three holographic lithographs based on iconic images from the games. These prints were protected inside a dedicated slipcase, making them a distinct collectible. At the time of the announcement, Prima Games had not released any images of the lithographs or the slipcase.

A Major Fix for the Final Fantasy IX Guide

One of the most significant aspects of this collection was the revision of the Final Fantasy IX strategy guide. The original guide was infamous among players for its reliance on Square’s Play Online service. Critical information, including solutions to side quests and locations of key items, was not printed in the book. Instead, readers were directed to a specific website to find the missing content.

This approach became a major problem when the Play Online service was eventually discontinued, rendering the original physical guide permanently incomplete. For years, owners of the guide were left with a book that was functionally useless for achieving 100% completion without resorting to other online resources. The redesigned guide included in the box set rectified this long-standing issue. By integrating all the previously web-exclusive information directly into the printed pages, this new version became the definitive official guide for Final Fantasy IX.

A Collection Celebrating a Classic Era

The release of this box set acknowledged the enduring popularity of the three titles. Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX all originated on the first PlayStation console and defined the JRPG genre for a generation of players. Their legacy continued long after their initial release, with the games being made available on a variety of platforms.

Through Sony’s official emulation program for PSOne Classics, all three games were playable on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. This allowed new and returning players to experience the titles on more modern hardware. In addition, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII had been ported to PC, with versions that featured graphical and system improvements. The redesigned guides, with their high-resolution imagery, were well-suited for players experiencing these enhanced PC ports or playing on modern displays.