Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Squaresoft for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main "Final Fantasy" series. The plot centers on the consequences of a war between nations in a medieval fantasy world called Gaia. Players follow bandit Zidane Tribal, who kidnaps Alexandrian princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII as part of a gambit by the neighboring nation of Lindblum. He joins Garnet and a growing cast of characters on a quest to take down her mother, Queen Brahne of Alexandria, who started the war.
The game was developed alongside "Final Fantasy VIII". Envisioned by developers as a retrospective for the series, it departed from the futuristic settings of "Final Fantasy VI", "Final Fantasy VII", and "Final Fantasy VIII" by returning to the medieval style of the earlier installments. Consequently, it was influenced heavily by the original "Final Fantasy", and features allusions to the rest of the games. Despite this approach, the game did introduce new features to the series, such as "Active Time Event" cutscenes, "Mognet", and skill systems. "Final Fantasy IX" was the last game in the main series whose music was composed solely by Nobuo Uematsu.
"Final Fantasy IX" was released to critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Often cited by critics and fans as one of the best "Final Fantasy" games, it also holds the highest Metacritic score of the series. "Final Fantasy IX" was commercially successful, selling more than 5.5 million copies on PlayStation by March 2016. It was re-released in 2010 as a PS1 Classic on the PlayStation Store; this version was compatible with PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable; PlayStation Vita support arrived in 2012. Ports featuring minor gameplay and graphical enhancements were released for various other platforms in the late 2010s.
Gameplay.
In "Final Fantasy IX", the player navigates a character throughout the game world, exploring areas and interacting with non-player characters. Most of the game occurs on "field screens" consisting of pre-rendered backgrounds representing towns and dungeons. To aid exploration on the field screen, "Final Fantasy IX" introduces the "field icon", an exclamation mark appearing over their lead character's head, signalling an item or sign is nearby. Players speak with moogles to record their progress, restore life energy with a tent and purchase items—a deviation from previous installments, which used a save point to perform these functions. Moogles can also be contacted from the world map, with an item called a "Moogle flute". Moogles may request the playable character deliver letters to other Moogles via Mognet, playable characters might also receive letters from non-playable characters.
Players journey between field screen locations on the world map, a three dimensional, downsized representation of "Final Fantasy IX"s world presented from a top-down perspective. Players can freely navigate around the world map screen unless restricted by terrain like bodies of water or mountain ranges. To overcome geographical limitations, players can ride chocobos, sail on a boat or pilot airships. Like previous "Final Fantasy" installments, travel across the world map screen and hostile field screen locations is interrupted by random enemy encounters.
"Final Fantasy IX" offers a new approach to town exploration with the introduction of Active Time Events (ATE). These allow the player to view events unfolding at different locations, providing character development, unique items and prompts for critical story-altering decisions. ATE are occasionally used to simultaneously control two teams when the party divides to solve puzzles and navigate mazes.
Combat.
Whenever the playable character encounters an enemy, the map changes to the "battle screen". On the battle screen, the enemy appears on the opposite side of the characters; each battle uses the familiar Active Time Battle system first featured in "Final Fantasy IV". The character's command list appears in a window opposite the ATB gauge list; while all characters can physically attack the enemy or use an item from the player's inventory, they also possess unique abilities. For example, the thief Zidane can steal items from the enemy, Eiko and Garnet can summon "eidolons" to aid the party, and Vivi can use black magic to damage the opposition.
These character-specific commands change when the player goes into "Trance mode", which is activated for a short duration when an uncontrollable gauge fills as the character sustains damage in a style similar to the Limit Breaks used in "Final Fantasy VII". When the indicator is full, the character's strength is amplified, and the player can select special attack commands. Zidane's "Skill" command list, for example, changes to "Dyne", allowing him to execute powerful attacks; Vivi's "Black Magic" command evolves into "Double Black", allowing him to cast two magic spells simultaneously. Through the Configuration screen, the player can change the Battle Style from Normal to Custom, which allows two players to control any combination of characters during battle. However, two controllers must be plugged into the PlayStation.
A character's performance in battle is determined by numerical values ("statistics") for categories like speed, strength and magical power. Character statistics are driven by experience; when players win battles, they are awarded "experience points", which accumulate until characters gain "experience levels". When characters "level up", the statistics for their attributes permanently increase, which may also be amplified by the types of equipment the character is wearing. Winning battles also awards the player money (Gil), Tetra Master playing cards, items and ability points (AP).
Abilities and equipment.
"Final Fantasy IX" deviates from the style of customisable characters in the last two games by reviving the character class concept, which designates a character to a certain role in battle. For example, Vivi is defined as a black mage and is the only character who can use black magic, and Steiner is a knight and is the only character who can use sword skills.
The primary function of equipment in "Final Fantasy" games is to increase character attributes; arming Zidane with a Mythril Vest, for example, increases his base defense statistic. In "Final Fantasy IX", weapons and armor include special character abilities, which the character may use when the item is equipped (permitting the ability matches their class). Once the character accumulates enough ability points in battle, it becomes usable without having to keep the item equipped. In addition to granting skills, the equipment in "Final Fantasy IX" determines the statistical growth of the characters at the time of level up. Armor not only raises base defense or evasion statistics but raises defense or defense as well as other statistics at level up.
Abilities are classified into action and support categories. Action abilities consume magic points (MP) and include magic spells and special moves that are used in battle. Support abilities provide functions that remain in effect indefinitely and must be equipped with magic stones to be functional. The maximum number of these stones increases as the characters level up.
Synopsis.
Setting and characters.
"Final Fantasy IX" takes place primarily on a world named Gaia. Most of Gaia's population reside on the Mist Continent, named after the thick Mist that blankets the lowlands. Large mountain ranges act as natural borders that separate its four nations: Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, and Cleyra. Alexandria is a warmongering monarchy that controls the eastern half of the continent. One of its cities is Treno, a cultural nexus under perpetual starlight that is home to many aristocrats and paupers alike. The technologically advanced Lindblum, a hub of airship travel, is nestled on a plateau to the southwest. Both countries are populated by a mix of humans, humanoids, and anthropomorphic animals. Burmecia, a kingdom showered by endless rain, is in the northwest; Cleyra, a neighboring region that seceded from Burmecia due to the latter's appreciation for war, hails from a giant tree in the desert and is protected by a powerful sandstorm. Both are inhabited by anthropomorphic rats with a fondness for dance and spear fighting.
Players eventually explore the Outer, Lost, and Forgotten Continents as well. Civilizations on the Outer Continent include Conde Petie, home of the dwarves; Black Mage Village, a hidden settlement of sentient magician drones; and Madain Sari, once home to a near-extinct race of horned humanoid summoners who conjure magical entities called eidolons. Also on the Outer Continent is the Iifa Tree, which disperses the Mist to other continents through its roots. This Mist stimulates the fighting instinct in humanoids and contributes to Gaia's bloody history. The Lost and Forgotten continents are littered mostly with ancient ruins. Scattered throughout the marshes of Gaia are the Qu: large, frog-eating, and seemingly androgynous humanoids who are considered great gourmands. Late in the game, players briefly travel to the parallel world of Terra and the dream realm of Memoria.
The main playable characters are: Zidane Tribal, a member of a group of bandits called Tantalus who are masquerading as a theater troupe; Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (alias Dagger), the Princess of Alexandria who is actually from Madain Sari; Vivi Ornitier, a young, timid, and kind black mage with an existential crisis; Adelbert Steiner, a brash Alexandrian knight captain and loyal servant of Princess Garnet; Freya Crescent, a Burmecian dragoon searching for her lost love; Quina Quen, a Qu whose master wants him/her to travel the world so that s/he will learn about cuisine; Eiko Carol, a young girl living in Madain Sari, and, along with Garnet, one of the last two summoners; and Amarant Coral, a bounty hunter hired to return Garnet to Alexandria. Other important characters include Cid Fabool, the charismatic Regent of Lindblum; Brahne, Garnet's mother and the power-hungry Queen of Alexandria; General Beatrix, the powerful leader of the female knights of Alexandria who is a playable character in a short section; Garland, an elderly Terran male tasked with saving his world; and antagonist Kuja, an arms dealer and pawn of Garland with his own existential crisis.
Plot.
In Alexandria, Zidane and Tantalus kidnap Princess Garnet by order of Cid. Garnet does not resist, for she was already planning to flee and warn Cid of Queen Brahne's increasingly erratic behavior. Vivi and Steiner join the party during the escape. En route to Lindblum, the group discovers that Brahne is using a village to manufacture soulless black mage soldiers that look similar to Vivi. In Lindblum, Cid confirms that he hired the group to protect Garnet from Brahne's newfound aggression. After learning that Alexandria has invaded Burmecia with the black mages, Zidane and Vivi team up with Freya to investigate, while Garnet and Steiner secretly return to Alexandria to reason with Brahne.
Zidane's team finds that the Alexandrian forces, headed by Beatrix, the head of Brahne's knights, conquered Burmecia with help from Kuja, and the refugees have fled to Cleyra. Brahne imprisons Garnet and extracts her eidolons; she uses one to destroy Cleyra while Zidane's group is defending the city. The party escapes on Brahne's airship, rendezvous with Steiner, and rescues Garnet. Meanwhile, Brahne cripples Lindblum with another eidolon. Cid explains that Kuja supplies Brahne with the black mages and knowledge to use eidolons. The party befriends Quina and tracks Kuja to the Outer Continent, a land mostly devoid of Mist and thus inaccessible by airship. Brahne hires a pair of bounty hunters, Lani and Amarant, to follow the party and bring Garnet back to Alexandria. On the Outer Continent, the party defeats Lani and meets Eiko, a summoner who lives with a group of moogles in the otherwise empty summoner village of Madain Sari. Eiko leads Zidane and the others to the Iifa Tree. Inside, they learn that Kuja uses Mist to create the black mages and that Vivi was a prototype. The party defeats the source of the Mist within the Tree, and the substance clears from the Mist Continent. While waiting for Kuja's reprisal at Madain Sari, Lani and Amarant attempt to kidnap Eiko but are foiled by Zidane and the moogles. Amarant then challenges Zidane to a duel and loses. He then joins the party, and Garnet learns of her summoner heritage. Kuja arrives at the Tree, but Brahne also appears and attempts to kill Kuja with an eidolon so she can rule unopposed; he takes control of it and destroys her and her army.
After Garnet's coronation, Kuja attacks Alexandria Castle. Garnet and Eiko summon an extremely powerful eidolon in defense; Kuja attempts to steal the eidolon as a means to kill his master, Garland, but the latter arrives and destroys it. Seeking to stop the quarreling villains, the party chases Kuja on an airship from Cid that runs on steam rather than the now-cleared Mist. They eventually unlock a portal to Terra, where the goals of the antagonists are revealed. The Terrans created Garland to merge the dying world with Gaia; Garland, in turn, created self-aware, soulless vessels called Genomes. For millennia, Garland has been using the Iifa Tree to replace deceased Gaian souls with the hibernating Terran souls, turning the former into Mist in the process; this will allow the Terrans to be reborn into the Genomes after the planetary merge. Kuja and Zidane are Genomes created to accelerate this process by bringing war and chaos to Gaia. Kuja had betrayed Garland to avoid becoming occupied by a Terran soul. Kuja defeats Garland, who reveals before dying that the former has a limited lifespan anyhow: Zidane was designed to be his replacement. Enraged, Kuja destroys Terra and escapes to the Iifa Tree.
At the Iifa tree, the party enters Memoria and reaches the origin of the universe: the Crystal World. They defeat Kuja, preventing him from destroying the original crystal of life and thus the universe. After defeating Necron, a force of death, the Tree is destroyed; the party flees, while Zidane stays behind to rescue Kuja. One year later, the cast's fate is revealed: Tantalus arrives in Alexandria to put on a performance; Vivi has implicitly died (as the Black Mages were not designed to live longer than a year), but he has left behind several identical "sons"; Freya and Fratley are rebuilding Burmecia; Cid has adopted Eiko; Quina works in the castle's kitchen; Amarant and Lani are travelling together; and Garnet presides as queen of Alexandria, with Steiner and Beatrix as her guards. In the climax of Tantalus's performance, the lead actor reveals himself as Zidane in disguise and reunites with Queen Garnet.
Development.
Development of "Final Fantasy IX" began before Square had finished development on "Final Fantasy VIII". The game was developed in Hawaii as a compromise to developers living in the United States. As the series' last game on the PlayStation, Sakaguchi envisioned a "reflection" on the older games of the series. Leading up to its release, Sakaguchi called "Final Fantasy IX" his favorite "Final Fantasy" game as "it's closest to [his] ideal view of what "Final Fantasy" should be". This shift was also a response to demands from fans and other developers. Additionally, the team wanted to create a coherent story with deep character development; this led to the creation of Active Time Events which showcase the character's individual exploration away from the protagonist. The scenario for the game was written by Sakaguchi. He began early planning on it around July 1998. Director Hiroyuki Ito had the idea to make the protagonist Zidane flirtatious towards women.
In the game's conceptual stage, the developers made it clear that the title would not necessarily be "Final Fantasy IX", as its break from the realism of "Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy VIII" may have alienated audiences. This idea led fans to speculate that it would be a "gaiden" (side story) to the main series. By late 1999, however, Square had confirmed that the game would indeed be titled "Final Fantasy IX", and by early 2000, they had almost finished the game. The developers made several adjustments to the game, such as changing the ending seven times. Director Ito had designed the battle system used in the game.
The game's developers sought to make the game's environment more "fantasy-oriented" than its PlayStation predecessors. Since the creators wanted to prevent the series from following a redundant setting, "Final Fantasy IX" distinctly breaks from the futuristic styles of "Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy VIII" by reintroducing a medieval setting. In the game, steam technology is just beginning to become widely available; the population relies on hydropower or wind power for energy sources but sometimes harness Mist or steam to drive more advanced engines. Continuing with the medieval theme, the game's setting is inspired by Norse and Northern European mythology. According to Ito, "[The development team is] attracted to European history and mythology because of its depth and its drama". The main "Final Fantasy IX" website says the development of the game's world serves as a culmination of the series by blending the "successful elements of the past, such as a return to the fantasy roots," with newer elements. The creators made the characters a high priority. The return to the series' roots also affected the characters' designs, which resulted in characters with "comic-like looks". Composer Nobuo Uematsu commented that the design staff attempted to give the characters' realism while still appearing comic-like. To accomplish this and to satisfy fans who had become used to the realistic designs of "Final Fantasy VIII", the designers stressed creating characters with whom the player could easily relate.
Music.
Series regular Nobuo Uematsu wrote the music of Final Fantasy IX. In early discussions with game director Hiroyuki Ito, he was asked to compose themes for the eight main characters along with "an exciting battle track, a gloomy, danger-evoking piece, and around ten other tracks." Uematsu spent an estimated year composing and producing "around 160" pieces for "Final Fantasy IX", with 140 ultimately appearing in the game.
During writing sessions, he was given a travel break in Europe for inspiration, where he spent time admiring ancient architecture in places like Germany. Uematsu has cited medieval music as a significant influence on the score of "Final Fantasy IX". He aimed for a "simple" & "warm" atmosphere and incorporated uncommon instruments like the kazoo and dulcimer. Unlike the stark realism of its predecessors", VII" and "VIII", the high fantasy undertones of "Final Fantasy IX" allowed for a broader spectrum of musical styles and moods. Uematsu composed primarily with a piano and used two contrasting methods: "I create music that fits the events in the game, but sometimes, the [developers] will adjust a game event to fit the music I've already written."
Uematsu incorporated several motifs from older "Final Fantasy" games into the score, such as the original battle music intro, a reworked "Volcano Theme" from "Final Fantasy" and the Pandemonium theme in "Final Fantasy II". Tantalus' band is also heard playing "Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony" from "Final Fantasy VII" near the beginning of the game.
Uematsu has stated on several occasions that "Final Fantasy IX" is his favorite score. "Melodies of Life" is the theme song of "Final Fantasy IX" and shares its main melody with pieces frequently used in the game itself, such as the overworld theme and a lullaby that is sung by Dagger. It was performed by Emiko Shiratori in both the Japanese and English versions and arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi.
Release.
"Final Fantasy IX"s release was delayed to avoid a simultaneous release with then-rival Enix's "Dragon Quest VII". On October 7, 2000, a demo day for the North American version of "Final Fantasy IX" was held at the Metreon in San Francisco, California. The first American release of the game was also at the Metreon; limited-edition merchandise was included with the game, and fans cosplayed as "Final Fantasy" characters in celebration of the release. In Canada, a production error left copies of "Final Fantasy IX" without an English version of the instruction manual, prompting Square to ship copies of the English manual to Canadian stores several days later.
The game was heavily promoted both before and after its release. Starting on March 6, 2000, "Final Fantasy IX" characters were used in a line of computer-generated Coca-Cola commercials. Figurines of several characters were also used as prizes in Coca-Cola's marketing campaign. That same year, "IGN" awarded "Final Fantasy" dolls and figurines for prizes in several of their contests.
"Final Fantasy IX" was also the benchmark of Square's interactive PlayOnline service. PlayOnline was developed initially to interact with "Final Fantasy X", but when those plans fell through, it became a strategy site for "Final Fantasy IX". Square designed the website to complement BradyGames' and Piggyback Interactive's official strategy guides for the game, where players who bought the print guide had access to "keywords" that could be searched for on PlayOnline's site for extra tips and information. This caused fury among buyers of the manual, as they felt cheated for the expensive print guide. The blunder made "GameSpy"'s "Top 5 Dumbest Moments in Gaming" list, and Square dropped the idea for "Final Fantasy X", which was under development at the time.
On December 18, 2012, the game was re-released as part of the "Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box" Japanese package. On February 10, 2016, a remastered version released for iOS and Android.<ref name="iOS/Android"></ref> The remaster features HD movies and character models, an auto-save feature, seven game boosters including high speed and no encounter modes, and achievements. A port for Microsoft Windows released on April 14, 2016. In September 2017, the Windows port released on PlayStation 4. It also released on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Windows 10 in North America on February 13, 2019, and other regions the following day.
Reception.
"Final Fantasy IX" sold over 2.65 million copies in Japan by the end of 2000, making it their second-highest selling game of the year. Although it was a top-seller in Japan and America, "Final Fantasy IX" did not sell as well as "Final Fantasy VII" or "Final Fantasy VIII" in either Japan or the United States. In 2001, the game received a "Gold" certification from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As of March 31, 2003, the PlayStation version had shipped 5.08 million copies worldwide. The game was voted the 24th-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine "Famitsu". The original PlayStation version sold over 5.5 million copies by March 2016.
"Final Fantasy IX" released to critical acclaim both in Japan and the US. It achieved a 94/100 on the review aggregator Metacritic which is the highest score for a "Final Fantasy" game on the site. Francesca Reyes reviewed the PlayStation version of the game for "Next Generation", rating it five stars out of five, and stated that "An imaginative return to the roots of the "Final Fantasy" series that hits the RPG mark dead-on."
Across the reviews, praise was given to the graphics and nostalgic elements. Critics pointed out the strength of the game within its gameplay, character development, and visual representation. "GameSpot" noted that the learning curve is easily grasped and that the ability system is not as complex as in "Final Fantasy VII" or "Final Fantasy VIII". Each player character possesses unique abilities, which hinders the development of an over-powered character. "GameSpot" describes the battle system as having a tactical nature and notes that the expanded party allows for more interaction between players and between enemies. Nevertheless, "IGN" disliked the lengthy combat pace and the repeated battles, describing it as "aggravating", and "RPGFan" felt the Trance system to be ineffective as the meter buildup is slow and unpredictable, with characters Trancing just before the enemy dies.
The characters and graphics received positive reviews. Although "IGN" felt that the in-depth character traits in "Final Fantasy IX" could be generally found in other "Final Fantasy" games, it still found the characters engaging and sympathetic. "GameSpot" found the characters, up to their dialogue and traits, amusing and full of humor. "IGN" also noted that the Active Time Event system helps expand the player's understanding of the characters' personalities as they question many ideas and emotions. Their semi-deformed appearance, which also covers monsters of every size, contain detailed animation and design. They gave praise to the pre-rendered backgrounds, noting the careful attention given to the artwork, movement in animations and character interactivity. The movies are seen as emotive and compelling, and the seamless transition and incorporation to the in-game graphics helped to move the plot well.
Critics acknowledged that the overall storyline was mainly built upon elements found in previous "Final Fantasy" installments, such as evil empires and enigmatic villains. The main villain, although considered by "GameSpot" to be the least threatening in the series, was seen by "IGN" as an impeccable combination of "Kefka's cackling villainy" and "plenty of the bishonenosity that made Sephiroth such a hit with the ladies". Critics gave mixed reactions to the audio aspects of the game. Some reviewers, such as "RPGFan", felt that the music was "uninspired and dull", whereas "GamePro" praised the audio for evoking "emotions throughout the story, from battles to heartbreak to comedy". Some criticized composer Nobuo Uematsu who reused some tracks from past iterations of the series. Still, reviewers have concluded that this and many other elements are part of the overall effort to create a nostalgic game for fans of the older "Final Fantasy" games.
The strategy guide also received criticism; it urged buyers to log onto an online site to gain the information instead of providing it within the actual guide. The book's given links are no longer accessible on the PlayOnline website. Tetra Master was seen by "GameSpot" as inferior and confusing compared to "Final Fantasy VIII"s minigame Triple Triad, as the rules for it were only vaguely explained in the game, and there were very few rewards earned from playing it despite its expansive nature.
References.
Notes