Final Fantasy IX

aka: FF9, FFIX, Finalnaja Fantazija 9, Zuizhong Huanxiang 9
Moby ID: 3556
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Description official descriptions

Final Fantasy IX tells the story of Zidane, the member of a team of theater actors who also happen to be a gang of thieves, and Garnet, the princess of Alexandria. Zidane and his buddies first plan to kidnap Garnet from her mother's palace. But shortly after the kidnapping, they realize the queen of Alexandria is up to something evil. Zidane, the princess, and other characters they encounter on their journey decide to join forces and find out what can possibly drive the queen to commit her cruel deeds.

The game's visual style is similar to the previous entry in the Final Fantasy series, with 3D character models, world map, and battle stages, pre-rendered backgrounds in individual locations, and CG cutscenes that advance the story. However, from the point of view of overall atmosphere and gameplay, the game tends to resemble older installments more. Like in Final Fantasy IV, each character belongs to a specific class (e.g. thief, black mage, summoner, etc.) which cannot be changed, having his or her own unique abilities. Combat utilizes the series' trademark ATB (active-time battle) system. Battles allow for the participation of four player-controlled characters. The player is able to choose these from a larger amount of available characters during later parts of the game.

Character abilities (magic spells, immunity to certain status changes, etc.) are contained within weapons and armor. Each of these allows the player to learn one or more abilities by equipping the item on a character and continuously participating in battles. Ability points are awarded after battles along with experience points, gradually filling the ability bar of the equipped part. Once the bar is full, the ability can be used by the character even after the equipment that allowed him or her to learn it has been removed.

The card mini-game from the previous installment is now called Tetra Master and is featured more prominently. Cards are now placed on a 4x4 grid and can attack other cards on diagonals as well as cardinal directions. Cards no longer have set stats, and instead have a range of values and arrow positions, making every card unique. Regional rule variations are gone, but at the start of every match one to five positions on the grid will be blacked out, changing the player's offensive and defensive strategies with every game.

Spellings

  • ăƒ•ă‚ąă‚€ăƒŠăƒ«ăƒ•ă‚Ąăƒłă‚żă‚žăƒŒïŒ©ïŒž - Japanese spelling
  • 最终ćč»æƒł9 - Chinese spelling (traditional & simplified)

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Credits (PlayStation version)

638 People (549 developers, 89 thanks) · View all

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[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 90% (based on 72 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.3 out of 5 (based on 220 ratings with 8 reviews)

Not really improved over the prequels, but still a great game

The Good
The graphics in the final fantasy serie have always (at least on the psx) been wonderful. the 9th episode is no exception : The gorgeous painted backgrounds, the animation of the characters, the modeling of characters and monsters in battle, and the amazing (!!!) pre-rendered cut-scenes are all spectacular
The sound effects are good too, and the music is just one of the best one produced for a video game
The gameplay is as good as in other final fantasy games. Almost the same as in other episodes, which means it's great fun for those RPG fans.
Also, the optional side quests and secrets are better balanced. It is actually possible to discover the vast majority of them without a strategy guide (it ain't easy, but at least, it's not as impossible as chocobo raising in FF VII).
The story is involving and most of the characters you play are really likeable
It's got great longevity : expect between 30 and 60 hours of gameplay before you complete it, depending on how much you care for side-quests and world exploration.
The replay value is not great but at least, there is one, cos you may want to replay the game with a strategy guide to discover all the secrets you missed in the first run.

The Bad
The Graphics, while gorgeous, didn't really improve technically since FFVIII. Granted, maybe FFVIII already pushed the psx to its limits, but at least you could still be amazed by FFVIII if you had played FFIX. Only a very minor complain though
The story is very complex at times, especially in the end : chances are you'll beat the game without knowing exactly what good you have accomplished and how your actions did save the world. And where the hell does the final boss come from ?
The story is also nothing new. It's very similar to other FFs : characters have identity crisis, fall in love with each other, etc. Maybe Square should start thinking about new kinds of plot twists.

The game play is also very similar to previous FFs. I know, I know, there are changes, like the fact that your abilities lie in your equipment, but in the end, those changes are very minor.

The Bottom Line
This is truly a great RPG, with many major good things and many minor flaws (mainly the fact that it's just too plain similar to previous episodes). Anyway, It'll probably delight fans of the serie, and many other people as well.

PlayStation · by Xa4 (300) · 2001

Putting The Fantasy Back Into Final Fantasy

The Good
I have never been a huge Final Fantasy fan. Those who know me are well aware of this. That is not to say however, that I dislike all Final Fantasies. To me the Final Fantasy series is kind of like Halo. As serious FPS fans pay little attention to Halo, it seems to me that most serious RPG fans play little attention to Final Fantasy, as I do, and I am a hardcore RPGer, and FPSer, for that matter.(I prefer the term “Fragger”.-MM-)

However I did enjoy Final Fantasy IX on the PSX. Released in 2000, FFIX harkens back to the good old days of RPGS. And brings back the whole “fantasy” thing. Square’s goal with this one seemed to be to mix the best of the old and the best of the new. In many ways they succeeded, but in other ways the failed. I plan to discuss this duality in full in my review.

Old Skool is the best school
.

The plot in FFIX revolves around Zidane, and Tantalus. A trope of actors, that are more like a band of thieves.(Not the cool ones like Garrett, of Thief fame however.-MM) It would seem that Tantalus has a scheme to kidnap the lovely Princess Garnett, from the city of Alexandria. Alas the wayward Princess has plans of her own, that are about to make hell for Zidane and company. Further complicating matters is Captain Adelbert Steiner.(No relation to the badass Rudolf Steiner, of Phantasy Star II.-MM) He will protect the Princess at all costs.

We are also introduced to Vivi, a black mage, and a nod to earlier Final Fantasies. His innocence and Phil Dickian question of his humanity is central to the plot of FFIX.(That’s Philip K. Dick, look it up.-MM-)

So it is safe to say that one of Final Fantasy IX’s strengths is a good cast of characters. Note that I said good and not great. I also thought that Freya was a cool character, albeit a bit underused. Each character has there own back story some better than others. Not only that but in the Gameplay, each character, is useful in various ways, unlike in the previous PSX, Final Fantasies.

Allow me to further explain, the Gameplay. Like the majority of eastern RPGS, FFIX, has random battles with monsters. And of course there is the obligatory, NPCS, world maps, dungeons etc. We all know the RPG drill by now.

What I want to focus on here is what makes FFIX unique. Firstly there are ATE’s. Which stands for Active Time Events. They are NOT as cool as they sound. Basically when exploring a new town, or city the party splits up. During which you get to see what other party members are up to. I felt that these were a mixed bag. At best they offer more back- round info on the people and places. At worst they can be annoying and feel like a waste of time. As in some areas they keep popping up.

Better done is how the party members are used in battle. Unlike in FFVII, in which your entire party is interchangeable. In FFIX all of the party is useful is some way. For example only Vivi can cast black magic, Zidane is the only one that can steal, and only Freya can use the “jump” command. So when forming a party the player has more to choose from that the way a character looks. (Interchangeable party members is one of the things I hate the most in newer RPGS.-MM)

Furthermore, Vivi and Steiner can use magic sword combo attacks. Which is cool. I just wish that there were more things like this in FFIX.

A word or two about abilities
.

Now I would like to talk about the abilities system of FFIX. While it is not original per se. As FFVI, Grandia, and Lost Odyssey, to name a few, use a similar system. Say you want to learn a new spell for Vivi, or a stat boost for Zidane. Well first you must equip the proper weapon, boots, what have you. Then as you win battles you gain AP. Or Ability Points. These are key to learning new spells and or skills.

This system succeeds to a point, as it makes combat feel more rewarding. However it can be a double edged sword, as it also means that you pretty much CANNOT SELL any old items, as a particular party member may need it later. So unlike in say Grandia, you end up carrying all this junk around with you, and do not have as much money to buy new items. Which can be quite frustrating.

There are many abilities in FFIX. And they can be broken down into two types. There are “action” and “support” abilities. Black magic would be an example of an “action” ability. While counter would be an example of a “support” ability. Making the system even more complex is the combining of support abilities. For example Auto-potion+ Chemist= more defensive battles that keep up your party’s HP. On the down side this can make the game a bit too easy.

Low choleric eye candy
.

The graphics is FFIX are quite good for the PSX. While it offers little that has not been done before, they still get the job done. I particularly liked the character design. And yes it is true that Square brought back famed artist, Yoshitaka Amano, also known for his award winning work on Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman”, graphic novels. But they had others redo his work. So it looks less like his style. Which makes no sense to me, as Mr. Amano’s art was one of the few things that made pre FFVII, Final Fantasies stand out.

And yes the CGI looks good, if a little over the top. So in closing FFIX, is the best looking PSX, Final Fantasy.

Magical Sound Shower

The music is FFIX is pretty good. I have never seen what is so great about Mr. Uematsu’s style as such. I feel he is a bit overrated. Especially seeing as many other RPG composers are more talented yet there praises go unsung. However I did enjoy most of the score from FFIX. And many of the tracks still stand out in my mind, which is rare for me.

The sound effects are also up to par. Nothing new, but the get the job done.

The Bad
The Bad and The Ugly

There are tons of things to see and do in FFIX. This is partly a good thing, but not entirely. Many of the side quests are way too long and tedious. When collecting the best gear for your party at the end of the game. Instead of like in most old skool RPGS, in which you find the best stuff in the difficult end dungeons, you must play mini-games.

“Kweeh!?!”-Chocobo speak for WTF!?!-

Namely a game called, “Chocobo: Hot and Cold”, in which you train a dubious yellow ostrich type thing, aka, a Chocobo. To train it you must dig up treasures. Which range from potions, to rare world map treasure clues. Digging increases his “beak” level. (I can’t make this stuff up.-MM-) Once you find a world map treasure clue, you must, get this, travel to the world map, and try to find the aforementioned treasure. Making this little game even more tedious and a teensy bit contrived, are the different Chocobo types.

Eventually you will find a special box. Pandora’s box? Unfortunately not. Once you open it you and your Chocobo have some sort of acid flash back, in which the Chocobo evolves. Evolution entails him changing color and being able to cross oceans, and eventually fly. You must evolve him at least 4or 5 times to claim the best treasures. Is it worth it? Well yes and no. Playing this very long mini-game, takes about an additional 10-15 hours of Gameplay. Yet it allows you access to the best weapons and items for your party, and thus some of the best abilities. But I cannot help but wonder, could they have done it more like the evolution system of your dragon, Panzer Dragoon Saga? (But I am getting ahead of myself as that review is for another time.-MM)

I also very strongly disliked the story/characters after a certain point. What starts off strong quickly becomes weak and contrived. Most of the heroes were cool, with a few exceptions. Like Quina Quinn, a Pac-man type creature that likes to eat frogs. There is also Amarant, and assassin of sorts, that looks sort of like a giant Chicken-man. I saved the worst for last friends. Lastly there is Eiko. She is an annoying bastard child that is about 7 or 8 years old, and she has a childish crush on Zidane, whom is about 12 years her senior. Her only real use is summoning, and dying often in boss fights.

This weakness in plot is exacerbated by idiotically weak villains. There is Kuja, whom is some sort of wanna be Kefka, or The Joker. Then there is his boss Garland. Now if you thought Garland was lame the first time, wait till you see this one. His evil scheme really makes no sense. His penultimate goal is vague, at best, as are his motivations. I like RPGS to have strong villains with lot’s of presence. Like Laschic, in Phantasy Star, or Darth Ninhilus, from KOTOR II. FFIX lacks this.

Often I felt what was the point? Am I only doing this quest because the bad man told me so? “The Desert Palace” was one of these parts that felt pointless. They make it seem as if the party is in peril, yet is hardly convincing.

Finally, one of the huge areas in which FFIX fails in the plot department, is it’s over reliance on plot points and devices from previous Final Fantasy games. Some are well done. But most do NOT fit the game. For example there is a FFVII, reference, that feels out of place, seeing as FFVII never happened according to FFIX.

Many people complain about Phantasy Star IV’s over reliance on devices from the previous games in that franchise. But at least those fit as PSIV, was the final chapter in that series, and takes place in the same timeline, therefore it fits into the overall story arc.

FFIX, does not have that advantage. As every Final Fantasy game is a standalone game. Set in a different place and time. Now if this were the “final“, Final Fantasy then I could see the point of it’s reliance on previous games. Thus the standalone nature of the series is both it’s best and worst advantage. As I just laid bare using my flawless logic.

Final Fantasy IX, is a very lengthy adventure, easily taking 70-80 hours perhaps more. Which kills any and all replay value it may have had.

What is with the lack of voice acting? It just seems lazy to me. And proves my point that Square is rarely on the ball when it comes to this sort of thing.



The Bottom Line
In closing, I must say that overall I enjoyed Final Fantasy IX. Despite it’s many flaws. It remains, the only post FFVII, Final Fantasy that I have played and actually enjoyed. The only one I have yet to play is FFXII. Have I played better RPGS? Yes. Have I played worse? Again, yes. Does FFIX succeed in it’s attempt to mix old and new skool? Not really. I would recommend either playing a real old skool RPG if you prefer that style. Otherwise Final Fantasy IX, is worth a try, as for I, was pleasantly surprised by it.

PlayStation · by MasterMegid (723) · 2008

Roll for initiative, monkey boy!

The Good
Born in an age of technical limitations, Final Fantasy borrowed elements of classic Western RPGs of its time and turned their slightly repetitive epic deeds into more personal affairs with players feeling attached to their avatars through more than their stats and gear. Its often soap-operatic quality aside, the drama that shone through even in the earliest instalments has persisted, mixing it with humour and the spirit of adventure, but never quite belying its video game roots. Final Fantasy IX came after the first two PlayStation instalments which not only marked the series’ change to a new hardware generation allowing for a much more cinematic story experience. Final Fantasy VII and VIII also veered drastically from their predecessors’ plots and settings by being darker and more futuristic. However, instead of trying to top the modernism of VII and the graphic realism of VIII, IX makes an almost 180° turn and celebrates everything that was quaint (and corny) about the classics 8 and 16-bit Fantasies. Its renewal of time-honoured traditions, game mechanics and also clichĂ©s feels strangely fresh and series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s guts to create such an anachronistic game must be admired, especially considering IX was originally meant to be a ‘gaiden’ spin-off to the main series. However, a return to what first made the series great in this case doesn’t mean a degeneration of an early 21st century game to gameplay and characters from two decades ago.

Final Fantasy IX is set in a medieval fantasy world in which colourful monsters still roam the countryside freely. It even allows for some mild technological advances from other ages, such as steam power, to add plot elements to the upcoming adventure. So far, so classic. The graphics are as in the preceding games a combination of real-time rendered 3D characters and animated, pre-rendered backgrounds. The overall art style is colourful, whimsical and cartoony, populated by people with slightly over-sized heads (perhaps a nod to the 2D sprite graphics of the series) and the odd anthropomorphic animals wandering around as ordinary citizens. (Not to mention series staples like moogles and chocobos!) Pre-rendered FMVs tell especially dramatic events and don’t fall short of the technical quality of the cutscenes in Final Fantasy VIII. The adventure starts when a band of roguish bandits under the name of Tantalus gets hired to kidnap princess Garnet Til Alexandros of Alexandria. Already some changes to past formulas are noticeable because the kidnappers’ field agent isn’t a run-off-the-mill adventurer or moody mercenary. One Zidane Tribal by (default) name, players are instead introduced to an impish boy with a monkey tail and the bravado of a teenage Errol Flynn. As if that wasn’t enough, the plot takes off on an unusually humorous note as Tantalus bumble their way through the kidnapping under the cover of a courtly theatre festival. All eventually comes to an end when not only the princess unexpectedly request her kidnappers to whisk her away while her comically fussy protector, Adelbert Steiner, tries to intervene. Her wrath incurred, Alexandria’s vile-looking queen Brahne tries to stop the getaway of the involved in a way demonstrating a startling disregard for her daughter’s safety. One airship crash-landing later, bandits, princess, knight protector and an innocent black mage bystander who got dragged along find themselves trapped in a magical forest. It is there that after the vibrant prelude the classic RPG mechanics fully take off: party formation, exploration and combat. Final Fantasy IX strays from the previous two games’ convention by allowing players to field four party members at a time instead of three. Combat plays out using the series’ innovative ATB system in which enemies and party members take it in turns to act once their individual time gauges are filled. Instead of allowing character customisation through classes or jobs, Final Fantasy IX establishes well-imagined personalities whose defining abilities adhere to their backstories and advances during the story. It is, however, possible to outfit them not only with the standard RPG gear of weapons, armour and assorted stat-boosting trinkets. Similar to the job system of Final Fantasy V, most equipped gear grants the characters special abilities which can be learned to be wielded indefinitely over time.

The continuative story turns of Final Fantasy IX are perhaps not the most original in the series, revolving around queen Brahne’s attempts to conquer her neighbouring kingdoms with the help of an effeminate arms dealer named Kuja. True to Final Fantasy tradition and clichĂ©, however, the person who seems to be the root of all evil is seldom more than a puppet behind who an even more powerful mastermind eventually manifests. Apart from its pleasantly whimsical world, Final Fantasy IX derives a great deal of its appeal from the main characters’ personalities. Almost all have deeper motivations and dilemmas they are facing which are well balanced with the funnier aspects of their characters: Zidane, a thief by profession, is boisterously boyish and philandering, yet has problems admitting his deeper feelings for his leading lady Garnet. Garnet, a white mage, struggles with the huge responsibilities of her future rule and being the last of the summoners known as espers. Her guardian Steiner is duteous and stubborn to a fault but must ask himself whether his sometimes misguided sense of responsibility is the only trait defining his character. The party’s painfully shy and clumsy black mage Vivi makes some startling discoveries about his origins and questions the very purpose of his existence while the dragoon Freia’s search for her missing lover and loss of her people’s home at the hands of villains she can’t fight make her question the worth of her knightly lifestyle. The team roster is completed by gluttonous blue mage Quina, taciturn bounty hunter Amarant and Eiko, a cheeky six-year old with mystic powers not unlike Garnet’s. Although the various characters aren’t always deep by themselves, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them, be it Steiner’s obsequiousness towards Garnet and Vivi and his disdain for Zidane or Eiko’s crush on Zidane and bossy attitude towards an easily intimidated Vivi.

The Bad
Ironically true to its concept of ‘back to the roots’, the problems Final Fantasy IX has have plagued the series since its beginnings - and by extension the whole JRPG genre. Like most Final Fantasies and spin-offs, IX is an almost thoroughly linear affair with little character customisation, side quests or important, plot-altering decisions the player can make. Whoever dislikes random battles won’t be too pleased with the game, either, but such people are generally not advised to play console role-playing games. On top of that, however, the battles in IX feel a little more sluggish than in other parts of the series. Time gauges fill up slowly and the game takes almost over ten seconds to switch to its battle screen. That’s ten seconds wasted waiting before every encounter. Levelling isn’t hampered too much by this as the XP rewards are adequate. On that note, it seems odd that defeating boss enemies doesn’t give the party any experience points at all. Although the cities players can visit are full of people going about their daily business, most prolonged stays can bring the game to a halt as some time may be spent searching for manipulable hot spots or approaching people to hear them spout single-sentence inanities about their personal lives or giving useless advice. Although the game’s characters are one of its definite highlights, not all are brilliant. The thoroughly weird Quina features interesting blue mage abilities but in the story is little more than a comic relief. Girly girl Eiko can be a little grating and Amarant seems like a character haphazardly written into the plot so someone could fill the traditional gambler/ninja class. Many fans’ main gripe is with the villain Kuja, and for a reason. The almost painfully androgynous, swaggering pretty-boy appears to channel the most obnoxious qualities of the JRPG genre’s youthfully arrogant antagonists. Being the mere compilation of stereotypes and bad clichĂ©s that he is, it’s hard to take him too seriously in spite of his ruthless deeds.

The Bottom Line
I admit to having an ambiguous relationship with the Final Fantasy series. As a video game phenomenon I find it deeply interesting even though I find many of its core mechanics simplistic or downright annoying. All in all it must be acknowledged that several of its concepts have been of an unmistakable gain to video games as a storytelling medium. Final Fantasy IX plays like a revue of past things positive and negative of the series, yet with the enhanced technology of the newer console generations. It is whimsical and light-hearted, perhaps not as appealing as Square gem Chrono Trigger but overall in the same line. Having played I, II, IV, V, VI and X, I can honestly say IX is my personal favourite. It is refreshingly free of overly lofty heroes or simplistic game mechanics that get artificially complicated (e.g. junctioning or the sphere grid), yet gaudy and sometimes even trite in an amiable, nostalgic way.

PlayStation · by Kit Simmons (249) · 2009

[ View all 8 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The PS1 version of Final Fantasy IX appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cancelled PC port

Final Fantasy IX, like FFVII, and FFVIII, was to be ported to the PC. However due to poor sales, of Final Fantasy VIII for the PC, the PC version was aborted.

References

  • During a visit to one of the villages is a store. When you walk in there should be a boy talking about a huge blade being used by someone with blond hair. Brief mention of Cloud right there!

  • The name of the main character, rendered as Zidane in the English translated version, is another reference (along with Citan Uzuki from Xenogears) to Dr. Gitanes, the protagonist of Square's very first game, The Death Trap.

Zidane

Because "Zidane" is the name of the most famous french soccer player at the time, the "Zidane" character has been renamed "Djidane" in the French version.

Awards

  • Game Informer
    • August 2001 (issue 100) - #43 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll

Information also contributed by MasterMegid, PCGamer77, Rey Mysterio, Unicorn Lynx

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Related Sites +

  • FF-Fan
    A fansite that offers all kinds of information on the entire Final Fantasy franchise, including walkthroughs, game media, discussion boards and fan art.
  • Final Fantasy Extreme
    Site that contains movies, wallpaper, codes, guides, walkthroughs, and general information on the Final Fantasy series.
  • Hint file for FF9
    Question and answer format will help you solve the game.
  • OC ReMix Game Profile
    Fan remixes of music from Final Fantasy IX.
  • Something Awful review
    A humorous review on Something Awful (PlayStation version)
  • Wikipedia: Final Fantasy IX
    Information about Final Fantasy IX at Wikipedia

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 3556
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Grant McLellan.

Xbox One added by Cantillon. PlayStation 3, PSP added by Caelestis. PlayStation 4 added by mars_rulez. Android, iPad, PS Vita, iPhone added by GTramp. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. Windows, PlayStation Now added by Sciere. Windows Apps added by Kabushi.

Additional contributors: MAT, Xa4, Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Jeanne, DreinIX, —-, Patrick Bregger, Thomas Thompson, MobyReed, FatherJack.

Game added April 2, 2001. Last modified March 25, 2024.