Final Fantasy IX Review
A game that revels in the old, yet isn’t obsessed with it. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi deliberately using the word ‘reflection’ instead of ‘nostalgic’ when describing FFIX carries so much weight as old concepts throughout the series are recontextualized or challenged. The original entourage of jobs from the first Final Fantasy is dismantled and scattered before you’ve even hit disc 2. The final act of the game is shunning a character with a recurring name throughout the series who is trying to merge his old, dying world with a new world. Fuck, man, you literally watch someone destroy the crystal at the end of the game, when the back cover of the original box says “the crystal comes back,” and the crystal barely shows up beforehand! It’s so fucking good!!!!
And this return to more defined roles for each character comes with something that I felt was sorely missing in FFVIII: the careful management of resources. Now, obviously, FFVIII was made under the notion that people began to tire of the gameloop accustomed to JRPGs. People were tired of gathering money, dungeons, and… I guess leveling up? So, FFVIII created a system that still carried the hallmarks of progression, but tied it all to the junction system. It was still an investment, but much, much more streamlined. Here in FFIX tho? You really feel it when a magic character runs out of MP, having to take a turn or another character’s precious action on restoring an MP-focused character, because that could have been spent on another action. The sections where you are down multiple party members put a lot of pressure on ensuring that benched members are ready to step up to the plate, and testing whether you have been stocked up on various resources. Each new location carries with it some unknown stretch of time where you will have no idea when your next stop will be at a shop.
As with every new FF title, it has a new form of progression to play around with, but, once again, it finds new in the old. FFIX’s hallmark progression comes from abilities found on equipment that you level up and can freely equip on characters without needing that item. Some of these are new combat abilities, and some are support abilities. It’s a good mix of returning to emphasize new gear, getting the party stronger without leveling up, and also choosing to challenge those who wish to ignore the system. While this will come at the cost of turns being spent to mitigate enemies that can deal various statuses to the party, it is an entirely viable way to play the game. My only gripe isn’t really with the system itself, though there were plenty of instances where abilities take a good while to level up, and more, how unbelievably slow to get into random encounters. The transition screen is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too long. I get this is the Playstation struggling under its weight, and even the remaster I played rectified this, but good lord, can you still feel the passage of time. When you’re in actual fights, it’s great, thanks to Uematsu’s best battle theme in the series without a question for me.
The locations you are running around in are nothing short of gorgeous. Downright stunning. Every FF before has stellar art direction, owing to a great combination of character and world design, but FFIX’s is among Square’s absolute best. Characters are much more stylized this time around, forgoing the more realistic proportions introduced in FFVIII. You have so much variety in character races and the environments that come with it, such a fairy-talelike wonder and whimsy. Given that one of the sources of inspiration was… oh god. Here I go. I can’t stop myself.
The Dark Crystal served as inspiration for character designs and worldbuilding and my god, I can feel it. In The Dark Crystal, the planet of Thra had such an otherworldly vibe owing to a combination of artist Brian Fraud’s signature touch of faerie and folktale, combined with Jim Henson’s astounding work of puppetry to bring this world to life. A world with dried deserts, strange architecture, exotic planets and wildlife, some degree of technology, and not a single actual human. The closest you get are the Gelfling, but they are more resembling taller humanoid fae creatures than actual humans. FFIX shares this DNA, for the most part, with such variety in its world. While it definitely starts out in a medieval setting, it quickly changes tune with more interesting locations. An entire kingdom hidden in a sandstorm, a massive tree that is an engine designed to filter souls, and underground network transportation via ants, and even a Crystal World, that I swear to god looks identical to how Henson designed the titular crystal for the movie. Character designs lend themselves to a much greater pool of variety, owing to a lot more anthropomorphic animals. You got birds, hippos, rats, penguins, moogles, dwarves, and probably more that I’m blanking on. While your party will primarily consist of humans, it’s still cool to see a lot of variety on Gaia. Speaking of the party…
Oooooooooo boy, yep, this is one really, really solid party lineup. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who’s played this game who doesn’t like most, if not all, the characters present. Zidane, Vivi, Steiner, Garnet, Eiko, and Freya are just wonderful to be around. Zidane’s womanizer demeanor was, frankly, off-putting at first, but his heart was in the right place. By the closing moments, yeah, man, he’s great. Genuinely one of the FF protags of all time. Vivi absolutely steals the show, being this lovable black mage that has to deal with the short lifespan of his race, while also having to grasp that his entire race was used to instigate a war. Steiner, being so duty-bound to ensure Princess Garnet’s protection and having to come to terms with forging his own identity after being so engrossed in a lack of self, pledged himself to the kingdom of Alexandria. Garnet, having been thrust into a position of power too early before she has even begun to understand her own understanding of her place in the world, as she uncovers more of the truth lurking behind the Eidolons she held for sixteen years. Eiko serves as a guide for Garnet’s self-discovery and desire to see the greater world. Freya is pushing as hard as she can to continue forward after losing her home, and potentially losing her lover after he doesn’t even remember who she is. It’s such a great cast full of conflict and trials to overcome that you just can’t help but root for the whole runtime.
There are two additional characters, Quina and Amarant, and they are alright. Quina doesn’t have a greater role in the narrative, but that’s entirely fine. Amarant is really just there. I get he’s trying to understand Zidane more after being sparred in a fight, but you don’t really learn more about him aside from an optional Active Time Event in disc 3.
I would say, overall, the cast is pretty balanced in terms of screentime, owing to the focus on certain characters across four discs, which lends to a fairly well-paced experience. I didn’t have a moment where it felt like the story was spinning its wheels or struggling to hold my attention. It’s not all perfect, like I am extremely baffled that we never cut back to the Steiner, Beatrix, and Freya team-up in disc 2 after the return to Alexandria Castle. I would have loved to see Freya reconcile with Beatrix more after, you know, Beatrix was responsible for the attack on her home??? But alright, sure, they make amends offscreen. Could have had another Active Time Event to cut to, but oh well.
I just adore the bookending of this game. Ending where we started, right back in Alexandria Castle, but this time with Vivi’s children going to see “I Want to Be Your Canary,” Queen Garnet at the helm of her mother’s seat, Steiner watching over here, and Zidane being the cloaked figure to reveal himself instead of Garnet are just amazing to watch the game come full circle.
Final Fantasy IX is a delight. Truly among one of the most moving games I’ve played, with a life-affirming message carried throughout the entire runtime. It delights and dabbles in its long, storied history as a series, but not with a long sigh and a yearning for what was “lost,” desperate to return to the past, merely a look in the mirror at how far this series has come.
And what a legacy it has.