Final Fantasy IX

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Final Fantasy IX is a Turn-Based JRPG originally released in 2000, and it was originally intended not to be a numerical entry in the series, as it was designed as a sort of “tribute” to the Final Fantasy series. One way of looking at that is that this is a game that tries to deliver an experience intended to please fans of the series, while also acting as a good entry point for those new to the Final Fantasy games. Another way to look at it is that after the highly experimental nature of Final Fantasy VIII got a mixed reaction from fans, this game largely plays it safe.

In terms of presentation, Final Fantasy IX was the last game in the series to release on the original PlayStation, but as with Final Fantasy VIII, there’s a notable jump in the quality here, although this time around that jump is hidden behind the game’s art style aiming for slightly more cartoonish characters. However, the detail on the characters and pre-rendered environments, as well as the pre-rendered cutscenes, is definitely improved over the previous installment, and this release of the game improves the resolution of the textures further still, although they’re still not great by today’s standards, and the pre-rendered backgrounds still look a bit muddy. This port definitely improves on the original, but it can’t hide that this is still a game that’s 20 years old.

The music this time around is still pretty good, although I would argue there aren’t quite as many memorable songs as previous installments. As for the story, this game follows a band of roguish pirates on a mission to kidnap a princess, though that plan quickly goes awry. As with most mainline Final Fantasy games, this game’s story is unrelated to previous games in the series, although series fans will enjoy plenty of references to games from throughout the franchise littered throughout the game.

In terms of gameplay, more than most Final Fantasy games, this game sticks to fairly typical turn-based JRPG gameplay, though that’s not to say it doesn’t do anything unique or interesting. This game uses a job system similar to Final Fantasy V’s, albeit with a twist that has characters learning spells and abilities from the armor and weapons they use, giving players a reason to stick with an older piece of armor for a while even after you get a newer one with better stats, as well as making players decide between giving a piece of equipment to one character to learn one useful technique, or another character to learn a completely different technique.

There are a few other interesting gameplay elements at work here, including optional “Active Time Events” that show you snippets of other characters’ stories throughout the game, an item synthesis system, a “Mognet” system that has players carting messages back and forth between the game’s mascot “Mogs” and an in-game Collectible Card Game (different than the one that was in Final Fantasy VIII – This one is called Tetra Master). All told, there’s plenty of depth here, even if on the surface this is a pretty accessible game.

Much like the Switch ports of Final Fantasy VII and VIII, in addition to the improved higher-resolution textures this version of the game receives, this release has a host of other upgrades. The loading times have been thankfully shortened, and there are pause menu options to speed up the game, turn off random encounters, give yourself unlimited limit breaks (called “trance mode” in this game), and boost your attack power to the maximum. These quality of life enhancements are welcome, and help the game to be less of a slog by today’s standards.

In the end, while Final Fantasy IX may not have been the most original or memorable game in the Final Fantasy series, it has still held up pretty well, and although the visuals are pretty dated at this point, overall this is still a superb entry in the genre that plays well, and is well worth checking out.

tl;dr – Final Fantasy IX is a Turn-Based JRPG that’s not as iconic as the seventh game, and not as wildly inventive as the eighth, but of the three mainline Final Fantasy games originally released on the PlayStation, IX is probably the one that holds up the best. The visuals are still dated and the gameplay is mostly pretty traditional, but overall this is still a well-crafted entry in the genre, even by today’s standards.

Grade: B+

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