WARNING: THIS WILL DISABLE STEAM ACHIEVEMENT FUNCTIONALITY.
FFNx does not yet support Steam achievements for FFVIII, unlike FFVII.

I have no idea why, but the PC releases of FINAL FANTASY VII/VIII do not actually use the original PS1 version's music. it uses a pretty abrasive MIDI recreation of it that many dislike. this guide will change that.

Roses And Wine is very poorly mixed. it is far too gain-y and loud to blend with the game well. this also resumes music after battles, unlike R&W.

FFNx is not only a good engine, music, sound, etc. enhancement mod, but it is also multiplatform unlike Roses And Wine.

FFNx is a mod engine for FINAL FANTASY VII/VIII. it is hosted on GitHub[github.com] where you can also find its installation instructions.

simply download the latest release[github.com], extract it, and paste its contents wherever your FF8_EN.exe file is located (when asked, select "Replace All").

it should be:
keep that folder open after you paste! we still need it for the coming steps.

now that you have FFNx installed, you should see a file located in FINAL FANTASY VIII's folder named "FFNx.toml". this is our configuration file (I know, weird that it's not an .ini).

upon opening with Notepad(++) it you can see many useful configurations such as which rendering engine to use visual enhancements, etc. none of that is covered in this guide, view the FFNx wiki[github.com] if you're interested more in those features.

in the config file, CTRL + F and type "use_external_music". you should see that it returns false. replace this with true (do not use quotes), we need it enabled! here are a few more toggles you need to look for and set:
remove the # from the beginning of these lines if any

great! now we can move onto our next step.

now, we need to download the actual music. visit this site[forums.qhimm.com] and scroll to the "Download" section.

download the version that says "For FFNx 1.8.x+" and extract it anywhere you like.

then, copy the "psf" folder within it and locate where you installed FFNx.

you should paste the psf folder such that FFNx.toml, FF8_EN.exe, and the psf folder (the folder itself, NOT its contents) are in the same directory.

but wait! aren't we using FFNx 1.10.x?
yes, the download is for 1.8.x+, which means any version above 1.8.x will be compatible as well.

there is a pretty noticeable difference in quality between the PS1 version of the music and the PC Steam release. right away it should feel more full, but if you still aren't sure if it worked, compare it to the soundtrack released on YouTube/Spotify/Apple Music side-by-side.

if any more help is needed or this guide could be made more cohesive, do let me know in the comments section of this guide or add me on Steam (leave a comment on my profile first). I will be happy to help both Windows and Linux users.