You may rcongnize them as summoning spells or purple materia from previous Final Fantasy games, buts in FFVIII these powerful magical beings are known as Guardian Forces (or GF), and they play a much more important role than ever before.

As in FFs past, they can be equipped by characters and then brought out in battle for special magical attacks. But when thay are linked, or junctioned, to a character in FFVIII, each GF can also lend attribute bonuses and new skills to that person or to the whole party. Also, the more "compatible" the two become, increasing the speed that they work together in combat.

Every Guardian Forces out there looking for good homes, 16 in all. Sometimes you'll have to defeat them in combat before they will join your party, but deep down they all just want to be loved.