Fishermans Horizon



Fishermans Horizon, occasionally abbreviated FH, is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. The town is attached to a transcontinental bridge in the middle of the ocean, with Galbadia to the west and Esthar to the east. The town is lightly populated and sees little immigration due to Esthar shutting itself off from outside interest.

People from the Galbadian continent, attempting to cross to Esthar, have made their permanent residence here. The buildings are made out of recycled materials, and the town's energy is provided by windmills and solar-panels. As the town mayor is a strict pacifist, the town has no militia or weapons, and disputes are solved through discussion.

Fishermans Horizon was built by the dissatisfied engineers who were active during the time of Esthar's development. They decided to abandon their homeland and build a new city elsewhere. The town was named by the man who had played an important role in breaking away from Esthar. Those involved in the town's construction have grown old, but the town has reached the point of seeing its first genuinely native generation grow up. The town was built on the old railroad station used to cross the sea, and ruins of that structure still remain.

Story
When Balamb Garden crashes into Fishermans Horizon, Mayor Dobe, fearing the SeeDs will start trouble, orders them to leave. He lets his mechanics work on Balamb Garden to fix its controls that have broken down due to lack of maintenance. Galbadian soldiers enter the town in search of Ellone, and after not finding her, decide to burn the entire town down.

Mayor Dobe tries to reason with them, but it's left up to Squall and his party to fight off the Galbadians, who deploy the Iron Clad to deal with them. After its defeat, Selphie and her teammates, who had hid inside it following the mission at the Missile Base, climb out, and are finally reunited with Squall's team. While the technicians are restoring Balamb Garden Selphie and her friends organize a Garden Festival to celebrate Squall's promotion to commander.

Later on in the game, Squall crosses the Horizon Bridge on foot to reach Esthar.

Layout

 * Horizon Bridge

Horizon Bridge is the name of the intercontinental railway bridge that connects Galbadia and Esthar. Ever since the Sorceress War erupted, the Horizon Bridge has been out of operation, stalling all hopes for people to see the wonders of these two continents. Horizon Bridge's appearance on the larger World Map is reminiscent of the Big Bridge in Final Fantasy V which also spans two continents across ocean.

The sun panel is located at the center of the Horizon and is thought to be the main power supplier for the settlement. Bolstered by wind fans and possible water refineries, Fishermans Horizon possesses a massive power network. A draw point and a Save Point can be found on its edge, and this is also where the Queen of Cards can be found if she comes to FH.
 * Sun Panel
 * Draw points: Regen

The Mayor's residence is located at the center of the sun panel. Accommodated by Mayor Dobe and his wife/supporter Flo, the residence has been built next to the Horizon's only visible tree.
 * Mayor's Residence
 * Draw points: Ultima (hidden, never refills)

The Drunkman Alley is the name given to Fishermans Horizon's hotel/item store overlooking one of the Horizon's many wharfs. While its accommodations may seem crude in comparison to most other hotels around the world of Final Fantasy VIII, the Drunkman Alley does provide access to a news screen from which patrons can freely watch to follow the happenings of the world.
 * Drunkman Alley
 * Items: Timber Maniacs magazine (in the hotel)

The docks operate a junk shop and is where Master Fisherman's apprentice, the Fisherkid, goes to practice fishing, much to the shop owner's dismay.
 * Docks
 * Draw points: Shell

The home of the Grease Monkey, who owns a moomba doll who will react to visitors who have been to Shumi Village. The residence is a location to optional events, first after the Iron Clad has been defeated, and later as part of the Shumi Village sidequests.
 * Grease Monkey's Residence
 * Items: Mega-Phoenix, Phoenix Down, Fast Ammo, AP Ammo, Pulse Ammo, Moomba Doll, Timber Maniacs magazine

The now run-down station that served as a halfway point on the Horizon Bridge. The FH Train Station now only serves as scrap metal ready for any mechanic who has found themselves needing a little more.
 * FH Train Station
 * Draw points: Haste

The spot where Master Fisherman fishes is down by the water level. Master Fisherman can first be encountered here, but after telling the story of FH's history he leaves the town.
 * Fishing Spot
 * Items: Occult Fan III
 * Draw points: Full-Life (hidden, never refill)

Location
Fishermans Horizon, while located in the center of the ocean between the Galbadia and Esthar Continents, is connected to the continents via a railroad that has long since fallen into disuse.



Master Fisherman
If the player participates in a sidequest involving the Master Fisherman, they can learn more about the town's history. The player must meet up with him before taking the lift down into the town by descending a difficult-to-see ladder next to a large silo, in the screen before the lift. Master Fisherman gives Squall the Occult Fan III magazine and asks Squall to find his apprentice.

After having liberated the town from Galbadia, the player can witness the apprentice boy near the Junk Shop finally learning to fish properly, and he wants Squall to go and tell his master. On the way, Irvine will join Squall, and instead of going back to Garden, the player must head back to Master Fisherman's fishing spot. He asks Squall to follow him to the local hotel, where he tells Squall and Irvine the town's history, and then asks if they want to hear more.

The player must respond positively and follow Master Fisherman out on the docks, and after some more conversation, the player receives a Megalixir. This will earn 20 SeeD Exp to the player, 0.2 of a SeeD rank.

Master Fisherman will leave, and if the player visits his fishing spot they can find a Full-Life draw point. After completing the side quest the player can later meet Master Fisherman in Shumi Village.

Grease Monkey's Residence
Grease Monkey is the man who owns a moomba doll on the outskirts of the town. After Squall has met up with Irvine on his way back to Garden, they must come back to town and visit Grease Monkey, to find the Galbadian officer demanding he fix the Iron Clad. After an event, Grease Monkey rewards Squall and Irvine with a Mega-Phoenix.

Later, Irvine is organizing a concert where the player must choose instruments for each character. After choosing an instrument the player, now controlling Irvine, can leave the scene and roam around the Garden and the town. Irvine can have a scene with the man by the lift and go visit the sleeping Squall in his dorm, and hear news about himself by checking the terminal in the hotel, but if the player visits the Grease Monkey, they learn the Galbadian officer is back. After a scene Irvine can receive a Phoenix Down from Grease Monkey, and by examining the officer's body, some ammo for his Shot.

Concert
For the concert, the player, as Irvine Kinneas, can choose instruments for the characters to play. Depending on the choices, the scene between Squall and Rinoa plays slightly differently.

Later, if the party meets the Master Fisherman in Shumi Village, they learn that he recorded the band's music and plays it back for the player.

Triple Triad
The Fishermans Horizon uses Fishermans Horizon region rules, where Elemental and Sudden Death are the starting rules.
 * Mayor Dobe has the Quezacotl card.
 * Flo has the Irvine card as part of the Queen of Cards sidequest.
 * Martine sitting behind the mayor's house has all the rare cards lost to Galbadia Garden students, plus the Ifrit card if the player lost it to General Caraway in order to win the Rinoa card.

People Associated With Fishermans Horizon

 * Mayor Dobe and Flo, the town's mayor and his wife.
 * Grease Monkey, an artisan.
 * Fisherkid, an apprentice fisherman.
 * Master Fisherman, previously known as "The Engineer", the founder of Fishermans Horizon.
 * Familiar Face, Familiar Face 2, and Familiar Face 3, brothers who operate the loading lift.

Musical Themes
"Fisherman's Horizon", the seventh track on the original soundtrack's Disc 3, is the theme of Fishermans Horizon.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Fishermans Horizon appears in the "Blue Fields" Field Music Sequence of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

Trivia

 * The FFVIII Info Corner entry for the town is labelled "Fisherman's Horizon" (note the apostrophe); however, every other instance of the name in-game (dialogue and the location both in the menu and on save files) neglects the apostrophe.
 * The news screen acts much in the same way as Selphie's page on the Study Panel, insofar as it will give a light commentary on recent and ongoing events in the game.
 * The Mayor's residence contains a mural of toy airships, some of which look like toy versions of the Nautilus, an interpretation of the Lunar Whale and the Tiny Bronco.
 * In the game's Japanese, German and Italian versions, Dobe is called 'station master', not mayor.
 * Once the two parties reunite following the Galbadian army encounter, a different conversation between Rinoa and Squall occurs depending on whether Rinoa was in Selphie's party or Squall's.
 * Fishermans Horizon makes a cameo appearance in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy as part of the background in Final Fantasy VIII's FMS events.

Fisherman's Horizon