Played the steam rerelease on pc which comes with some overhauled graphics and game boosters.
I think final fantasy IX allowed me to really reflect on my fondness for jrpgs and in its final moments, helped me better understand just what makes these games so special. I've been testing the waters with jrpgs new and old and inbetween, trying to see what really sticks for me, what I think works and what I think doesn't work so well. Probably a sustantial commitment for a genre that revels in lengthy experiences that demand dedication from the player. But that's exactly it, they are true experiences. It's an adventure, and like any great adventure story, you need to immerse yourself in it and that can take time.
Final Fantasy VII was a game that I absolutely loved despite some of its flaws, a charming and moving experience that in many ways revolutionised the genre and that remains evident even today. Final Fantasy IX on the other hand, in my opinion, doesn't so much adapt or 'break' the wheel as deliver something new yet familiar. But while it sticks to a lot of familiar themes, settings, character types and scenarios, it certainly has a lot to offer and new ground to tread that made it a very worthwhile commitment. Saying this, it is absolutely not without its flaws, some more glaring than others. Coming out of this game I do kind of want to rate it higher because of the joy of finishing a game like this - and I can see why people who played it at the time would look back at it so fondly. But unfortunately I did find it to be somewhat inconsistent.
As i've grown older and in some ways probably more cynical, it naturally becomes the case that I have less patience for some things, but I can still look past a good majority of them. On top of that, having the game boosters is a huge blessing. I could not imagine playing this without the options to speed up the gameplay and turn off encounters, as both of these things eliminate the burden of two of the games most glaring flaws, which i'll talk about.
Firstly, Final Fantasy IX has possibly my favourite opening stretch of any jrpg i've played. One of the first things that struck me and something that this game introduces and then performs exceedingly well at, is telling its story from multiple perspectives when it is called for. There's something so naturally gratifying and charming about visiting a new area and seeing the game's colourful cast of characters go about their business individually. It adds different perspectives to the same location or event, gives a deeper personal insight into the thoughts and feelings of each and allowed me to connect with them on a more personal level. This is felt most strongly with Vivi and Steiner, 2 absolutely fantastic characters who feel deeply connected to the world and in a way that feels more down to earth than Zidane & Princess Garnet.
Unfortunately, I do find that this 'active time event' tendency becomes squandered partially because of the games' introduction of overall less interesting characters towards the middle of the game. I'm talking about Quina, Amarant and Eiko, though it is felt more with the first two due to their general story irrelevance and personalities that I simply found wholly unlikeable. Carrying Quina and Amarant around feels like a burden. I understand that final fantasy games have a tendency to introduce less interesting and compelling characters later into the story primarily because you're given less time to get to know them. But with Quina and Amarant, you hear 2 lines of dialogue from them and you basically know their character which totally sucks. But despite this, it does not take away from the likeability of the game's main cast and wider cast. Even the game's npcs feel crucially tied to the world and can be really interesting. Some of my favourites were regent cid, the tantalus guys and beatrix. I also have a particular personal fondness for the burmecians. I think they're really cool and nice and I felt horrified and sad seeing Burmecia and then Cleyra get absolutely devastated. On that note, i'm also yet to talk about one of my favourite characters in the game - Freya. Freya was my party MVP and I think her overall design, combat utility and effectiveness and tragic story compelled me in a way I wasn't expecting. It was a shame to see her really rather interesting story get cast aside once you return to Alexandria in disc 2, and it is basically never brought up again aside from a few lines of dialogue strewn here and there. But despite that, I think she's really cool and she was also doing a consistent 9999 damage with dragon crest so let's go freya, mvp.
The plot of this game is one of the things that I would refer to regarding FFIX's inconsistency. Overall it's really solid and at its best when the characters are exploring around the game's cities - that's also where I think the perspective shifts are on point. But I did find a few sections towards the middle and middle end of this game to be a bit of a slog. I do think this is a common jrpg problem, there's a lot of focus poured into exposition and crafting a worthwhile ending that the middle often feels like an afterthought. Parts like pinnacle rocks, fossil roo, condie petie and madain sari are decent breathers after a lot of plot exposition, but are also marred by frankly little going on. Madain Sari / the Iifa tree is where it comes back around and we find some out some key plot facts, but with both of them I just felt ready for them to be finished. Then once again you're met with inconsistency because the next part in alexandria is such a marvellous dramatic setpiece with some shakespearian twists. It is then followed randomly by a non-optional card game segment where you have to beat 3 players in a row to actually proceed the game. Why? Why is that in the game? Much of the game's middle section right up to its final moments which I really like feel like this back and forth of interesting story moments being introduced and then abruptly interrupted. As a result, I found myself thinking on several occassions anything between 'this is fucking great, I love this' and 'I want this part to just be done with'. Add on top this game's majorly annoying and dated encounter frequency (thank god I could turn that off) especially in the overworld exploration and you have a game that feels ALMOST fantastic.
Oh and I should probably mention, when you look at a full summary of all of this game's events, there is so much fantasy / sci fi nonsense and a lot of it I do like but man is it confusing. Planets, souls, crystals, genomes, angels of death, mist and basically all of memoria make my fucking head spin and there's also a decent chunk of convenient plot amnesia and stuff that just isn't really explained. But overall it's a fun kind of nonsense that I enjoyed trying my best to piece together, even if it did feel like beating my head against a wall sometimes. It was this kind of nonsense that existed in ff7 too but for the most part I don't think it's as important as the individual characters and their stories and the same can definitely be said here too.
Next, the gameplay, it's solid. I like the way that you learn abilities in this game and the way you assign them too. Character growth has a really natural curve that makes progression feel worthwhile and on top of that, the combat is visually gorgeous (as is much of the game). However, it is also marred by being quite frustratingly slow, especially when compared to its predessors. I've heard that the rerelease also made combat even slower. Even with speed up, each and every combat encounter has a lengthy startup animation that I grew tired of quite quickly - but that's partly that adult cynicism coming through that I mentioned earlier. This game also has difficulty spikes, and I really had to grind in disc 3 to stand a chance so thanks once again to the game boosters. Outside of combat I do very much enjoy exploring the world in this game. The overworld is a delight and the towns and cities all feel wonderfully unique and interesting. Getting around on foot, by chocobo, by boat or by airship are all great fun and like its predessors, there's plenty of secrets to be discovered. While FFIX at many times feels like quite a linear jrpg, there are occassions where the game sets you free and those parts are all great.
My only other gripe worth mentioning is this game's main antagonists, who I could give or take. Their motivations and general presence didn't feel particularly threatening to me and I never felt like I was looking forward to what came next with them - unlike previous ff villains like kefka and sephiroth. But saying that, the quality boss fights, visual setpieces, musical themes and relevant story themes that surround them all hit. When a boss fight in this game is good, it's really good. Taking what I had learned and the abilities i'd gained into those fights felt really rewarding and some of them are genuinely tough. I must admit on a fairly rare occassion I did use boosters to exploit them (ark comes to mind, totally forgot that I couldn't use magic, or rather - that a 'magic barrier' would have a gameplay impact, silly me). Also, garnet can't concentrate half the time for a portion of this game and it's quite odd but y'know what, I kinda like how that translated into what she was going through in the story. Cool use of gameplay being squandered by a character's ongoing turmoil.
Lastly, this game's soundtrack. There's no doubt that Nobuo Uematsu is a genius but the bar was set high with ff6 & ff7. FfIX's soundtrack, in comparison, is still really good, but doesn't quite meet those highs in my opinion. It takes a different approach, one that feels somehow less unique and memorable to me. It's more ambient and seemed to almost take a backseat a lot of the time. Whereas in ff6 and ff7, the music was absolutely essential. The battle themes are just fine in my opinion but where this game's soundtrack truly shines is when it gets sentimental. It has some beautiful recurring melodies and a heart wrenching end credits song. The character themes are also really gorgeous and, like in previous games, match the individual character's personalities through music in a truly wonderful way.
So to round this off, this game, while feeling quite inconsistent, had very high highs. The low points were never so low that they made the highs feel any less poignant and this really felt demonstrated when the final cutscenes play. It gave me time to reflect on what an awesome journey this game is and how despite some of its flaws, it left an impact on me. There's so much character growth to be found (in Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Steiner and some side charaters primarily) and it's honestly refreshing to have a main character who is not edgy and aloof but lighthearted and cheery from the get go. This is a game that is definitely best experienced with its rerelease and I think that it is overall an essential jrpg that left me feeling satisfied and put a smile on my face on many an occassion.
Thanks for reading!
I think final fantasy IX allowed me to really reflect on my fondness for jrpgs and in its final moments, helped me better understand just what makes these games so special. I've been testing the waters with jrpgs new and old and inbetween, trying to see what really sticks for me, what I think works and what I think doesn't work so well. Probably a sustantial commitment for a genre that revels in lengthy experiences that demand dedication from the player. But that's exactly it, they are true experiences. It's an adventure, and like any great adventure story, you need to immerse yourself in it and that can take time.
Final Fantasy VII was a game that I absolutely loved despite some of its flaws, a charming and moving experience that in many ways revolutionised the genre and that remains evident even today. Final Fantasy IX on the other hand, in my opinion, doesn't so much adapt or 'break' the wheel as deliver something new yet familiar. But while it sticks to a lot of familiar themes, settings, character types and scenarios, it certainly has a lot to offer and new ground to tread that made it a very worthwhile commitment. Saying this, it is absolutely not without its flaws, some more glaring than others. Coming out of this game I do kind of want to rate it higher because of the joy of finishing a game like this - and I can see why people who played it at the time would look back at it so fondly. But unfortunately I did find it to be somewhat inconsistent.
As i've grown older and in some ways probably more cynical, it naturally becomes the case that I have less patience for some things, but I can still look past a good majority of them. On top of that, having the game boosters is a huge blessing. I could not imagine playing this without the options to speed up the gameplay and turn off encounters, as both of these things eliminate the burden of two of the games most glaring flaws, which i'll talk about.
Firstly, Final Fantasy IX has possibly my favourite opening stretch of any jrpg i've played. One of the first things that struck me and something that this game introduces and then performs exceedingly well at, is telling its story from multiple perspectives when it is called for. There's something so naturally gratifying and charming about visiting a new area and seeing the game's colourful cast of characters go about their business individually. It adds different perspectives to the same location or event, gives a deeper personal insight into the thoughts and feelings of each and allowed me to connect with them on a more personal level. This is felt most strongly with Vivi and Steiner, 2 absolutely fantastic characters who feel deeply connected to the world and in a way that feels more down to earth than Zidane & Princess Garnet.
Unfortunately, I do find that this 'active time event' tendency becomes squandered partially because of the games' introduction of overall less interesting characters towards the middle of the game. I'm talking about Quina, Amarant and Eiko, though it is felt more with the first two due to their general story irrelevance and personalities that I simply found wholly unlikeable. Carrying Quina and Amarant around feels like a burden. I understand that final fantasy games have a tendency to introduce less interesting and compelling characters later into the story primarily because you're given less time to get to know them. But with Quina and Amarant, you hear 2 lines of dialogue from them and you basically know their character which totally sucks. But despite this, it does not take away from the likeability of the game's main cast and wider cast. Even the game's npcs feel crucially tied to the world and can be really interesting. Some of my favourites were regent cid, the tantalus guys and beatrix. I also have a particular personal fondness for the burmecians. I think they're really cool and nice and I felt horrified and sad seeing Burmecia and then Cleyra get absolutely devastated. On that note, i'm also yet to talk about one of my favourite characters in the game - Freya. Freya was my party MVP and I think her overall design, combat utility and effectiveness and tragic story compelled me in a way I wasn't expecting. It was a shame to see her really rather interesting story get cast aside once you return to Alexandria in disc 2, and it is basically never brought up again aside from a few lines of dialogue strewn here and there. But despite that, I think she's really cool and she was also doing a consistent 9999 damage with dragon crest so let's go freya, mvp.
The plot of this game is one of the things that I would refer to regarding FFIX's inconsistency. Overall it's really solid and at its best when the characters are exploring around the game's cities - that's also where I think the perspective shifts are on point. But I did find a few sections towards the middle and middle end of this game to be a bit of a slog. I do think this is a common jrpg problem, there's a lot of focus poured into exposition and crafting a worthwhile ending that the middle often feels like an afterthought. Parts like pinnacle rocks, fossil roo, condie petie and madain sari are decent breathers after a lot of plot exposition, but are also marred by frankly little going on. Madain Sari / the Iifa tree is where it comes back around and we find some out some key plot facts, but with both of them I just felt ready for them to be finished. Then once again you're met with inconsistency because the next part in alexandria is such a marvellous dramatic setpiece with some shakespearian twists. It is then followed randomly by a non-optional card game segment where you have to beat 3 players in a row to actually proceed the game. Why? Why is that in the game? Much of the game's middle section right up to its final moments which I really like feel like this back and forth of interesting story moments being introduced and then abruptly interrupted. As a result, I found myself thinking on several occassions anything between 'this is fucking great, I love this' and 'I want this part to just be done with'. Add on top this game's majorly annoying and dated encounter frequency (thank god I could turn that off) especially in the overworld exploration and you have a game that feels ALMOST fantastic.
Oh and I should probably mention, when you look at a full summary of all of this game's events, there is so much fantasy / sci fi nonsense and a lot of it I do like but man is it confusing. Planets, souls, crystals, genomes, angels of death, mist and basically all of memoria make my fucking head spin and there's also a decent chunk of convenient plot amnesia and stuff that just isn't really explained. But overall it's a fun kind of nonsense that I enjoyed trying my best to piece together, even if it did feel like beating my head against a wall sometimes. It was this kind of nonsense that existed in ff7 too but for the most part I don't think it's as important as the individual characters and their stories and the same can definitely be said here too.
Next, the gameplay, it's solid. I like the way that you learn abilities in this game and the way you assign them too. Character growth has a really natural curve that makes progression feel worthwhile and on top of that, the combat is visually gorgeous (as is much of the game). However, it is also marred by being quite frustratingly slow, especially when compared to its predessors. I've heard that the rerelease also made combat even slower. Even with speed up, each and every combat encounter has a lengthy startup animation that I grew tired of quite quickly - but that's partly that adult cynicism coming through that I mentioned earlier. This game also has difficulty spikes, and I really had to grind in disc 3 to stand a chance so thanks once again to the game boosters. Outside of combat I do very much enjoy exploring the world in this game. The overworld is a delight and the towns and cities all feel wonderfully unique and interesting. Getting around on foot, by chocobo, by boat or by airship are all great fun and like its predessors, there's plenty of secrets to be discovered. While FFIX at many times feels like quite a linear jrpg, there are occassions where the game sets you free and those parts are all great.
My only other gripe worth mentioning is this game's main antagonists, who I could give or take. Their motivations and general presence didn't feel particularly threatening to me and I never felt like I was looking forward to what came next with them - unlike previous ff villains like kefka and sephiroth. But saying that, the quality boss fights, visual setpieces, musical themes and relevant story themes that surround them all hit. When a boss fight in this game is good, it's really good. Taking what I had learned and the abilities i'd gained into those fights felt really rewarding and some of them are genuinely tough. I must admit on a fairly rare occassion I did use boosters to exploit them (ark comes to mind, totally forgot that I couldn't use magic, or rather - that a 'magic barrier' would have a gameplay impact, silly me). Also, garnet can't concentrate half the time for a portion of this game and it's quite odd but y'know what, I kinda like how that translated into what she was going through in the story. Cool use of gameplay being squandered by a character's ongoing turmoil.
Lastly, this game's soundtrack. There's no doubt that Nobuo Uematsu is a genius but the bar was set high with ff6 & ff7. FfIX's soundtrack, in comparison, is still really good, but doesn't quite meet those highs in my opinion. It takes a different approach, one that feels somehow less unique and memorable to me. It's more ambient and seemed to almost take a backseat a lot of the time. Whereas in ff6 and ff7, the music was absolutely essential. The battle themes are just fine in my opinion but where this game's soundtrack truly shines is when it gets sentimental. It has some beautiful recurring melodies and a heart wrenching end credits song. The character themes are also really gorgeous and, like in previous games, match the individual character's personalities through music in a truly wonderful way.
So to round this off, this game, while feeling quite inconsistent, had very high highs. The low points were never so low that they made the highs feel any less poignant and this really felt demonstrated when the final cutscenes play. It gave me time to reflect on what an awesome journey this game is and how despite some of its flaws, it left an impact on me. There's so much character growth to be found (in Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Steiner and some side charaters primarily) and it's honestly refreshing to have a main character who is not edgy and aloof but lighthearted and cheery from the get go. This is a game that is definitely best experienced with its rerelease and I think that it is overall an essential jrpg that left me feeling satisfied and put a smile on my face on many an occassion.
Thanks for reading!