Final Fantasy IX was the one that got away from me as a young gamer. I had the game on PS1, and then I got a PS2, and then along came games like Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto III; and of course, Final Fantasy X; which made me abandon FFIX and never even come close to finishing it.
Until now, as the last game I'm likely to finish in 2021. I played this game on the Nintendo Switch, but it is a member of my Steam Library, where the title is fundamentally the same in terms of features and the modern re-release of the game.
The switch version maintains the original game's 4:3 aspect ratio, making up for this with bits of artwork on the sides of the 16:9 image. There's also a number of combat boosts in to make the game go by faster, and for some inexplicable reason, a blackjack game on the main menu which I never noticed until I finished the game a few minutes ago.
Final Fantasy IX was developed alongside FF8, so it shares much of the same technology and graphical prowess. It feels that more attention was given to the character design in FF8, while more attention was given to the plot in FF9, even if it does complicate itself needlessly with pacing issues that don't resolve themselves until you are about 65% through the game, where the pacing fixes itself, and the story starts to sort itself out in an intriguing manner.
Background Plot
As most things go, this is more than a matter of a simple political fray between nations, and quickly involves classic Final Fantasy tropes, including crystals, moogles, chocoboos and black magic. Summons, of course, also make a return.
It's the same, but different.
Combat
Character models are stylised, elaborate representations of beings that are not quite human, but have exageratted proportions, with over-sized heads.
There's a lot of battles, and a lot of monsters to fight in FFIX, to the point where there's too many battles if this is your first time exploring the world (like it was mine) - it would've been fine on the original PS1 era hardware, but with less time to go through at the glacial pace, (which messes with the story's pacing) - it becomes a distracting issue that doesn't have the same level of tactical depth as we saw in FF8.
Each character is unique, has a role, and you can't change it, beyond learning abilities from equipment you buy / steal / obtain along your journey throughout the world.
Visuals
Cut scenes are of an excellent quality, but the art direction of the rest of the game (while containing elaborate details) are, to me, let down by the world building - there are no truly memorable set pieces or character designs to be encountered along the way.
As a result, the emotional impact of characters and the story is diminished, but only slightly, as the game tends to use more text towards its end stage to get its point across, as opposed to cinematics or in-engine sequences that propel the story forwards.
The other stuff
Final Fantasy games are always filled with dozens, if not hundreds of distractions along the way to allow you to complete sidequests for extra bonuses. They're here in FFIX, but they're not worth pursuing in light of the extra gameplay helpers that are thrown your way - which lets you make quick work of pretty much all the enemies in the game.
While I spent hours and hours genuinely enjoying Triple Triad in FF8, the few times you are forced to play the card game built into FF9, it isn't nearly as memorable or useful to do so.
Conclusion
Final Fantasy IX has a story that ends up being a worthwile experience, but the way in which it takes you through that journey makes you almost give up along the way.
You must persist right through to the conclusion in order to allow all the plot elements to coalesce. Each character has a purpose, and their side-stories; woven into the main quest can be enthralling; but the game is let down in its emotional impact by a number of things - its character models, and the ... soundtrack - which is a really bizzare thing to say, given that the Final Fantasy series is renowned for its impressive aural landscapes.
While the legendary composer Nobo Uematsu is here; there's only one or two memorable tunes - unlike FF7 where each and every piece of music is memorable and plants you in a mood, no matter when or where you hear it.
Updated Final Fantasy game tier list
- Final Fantasy 6
- Final Fantasy 4
- Final Fantasy 7
- Final Fantasy 3
- Final Fantasy 8
- Final Fantasy 9
- Final Fantasy 4: The After Years
- Final Fantasy 5
- Final Fantasy 2
- Final Fantasy
Back when I published my review of FF8, I said, that I hoped it wouldn't take me two months to finish FF9, but it did.
I don't care how long it takes me to finish FFX, which is up next, as it is (from memory) one of my all time Final Fantasy favourites.