Haven't played FF in a while, I'm fairly inexperienced with the franchise as I've only beaten 1, 4, 6, and 7. About to start 8 today though, anything I should look out for? You know, general gameplay tips, missable secrets or side quests, that sort of thing.
8's a little frustrating if you hate missing things, there's a ton you can do right at the beginning that's all unintuitive. The card game, doing the SeeD test perfectly, grinding for magic but NOT for exp, because everything levels with you...which is fine, except some drops are tied to lower level monsters. If that's the kind of thing that bugs you, play it with a guide.
That being said, GF summons are free and massive damage spells, that also protect your health while they're casting. You have a huge incentive to rely on them, except you have to watch the same cutscenes a billion times.
....with that being said, it's still probably my favorite game in the series? It hit me with a moody teen protagonist trying to woo a girl with his internal monologue back when that hit way too close to home. I could never love it the same way again, I've changed and it hasn't, but it's tangled around a part of my life like vines.
