#dagger final fantasy

Year: 2000

Original Platform: PlayStation One

Also available on: PC, Android, iOS, Steam

Version I Played: PlayStation One

Synopsis:

Zidane Tribal is a thief whose troupe is hired to kidnap princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. The world is in the midst of a war, and Garnet is pleading with her mother, Queen Brahne, to stop it.

Gameplay:

Final Fantasy IX returns to more traditional gameplay. Active Time Battle. Each character has a unique ability. Summons come in the form of “eidolons.” Limit Breaks are now called Trance Modes.

There’s also a mini card game called Tetra Master – which is super fun. Final Fantasy VIII also had a card game named Triple Triad, which I think gamers like more, but I never touched it.

 I have very fond memories of Final Fantasy IX, both in gameplay and story. I devoured this game throughout my entire junior year of college. As such, I associate this game with many fond memories. I finished this game on literally the final day of junior year as people were packing up to leave.

This game as often been referred to as the prime example of Final Fantasy – again, both in gameplay and story. It has the highest metacritic score of all the Final Fantasy games. Yet at the same time, it’s sorely underrated. Not many people talk about it. 

The difficulty wasn’t hard to grasp – at least for me. I didn’t die until the penultimate battle. I would suggest it as an option for a beginner.

Graphics:

Imagine Final Fantasy VII but way more defined. Square returned to the cartoonish world and left the realistic world from Final Fantasy VIII alone. The graphics and style are awesome. Each town is so pretty and cozy.

Final Fantasy IX wraps up the series for the PlayStation One – and it’s a blast. It went all out with the system’s capabilities.

Story:

Final Fantasy IX goes back to the basics after Final Fantasy VIII. It’s also quite refreshing. Final Fantasy VIII was written so bland and without depth, whereas Final Fantasy IX is alive with colors, characters and stories. It has the most diverse cast in the series – just look at these dudes:

All of them have something to offer. The fan favorite is typically the black mage Vivi – whose backstory is memorable for the philosophical questions it poses.

The story is a perfect example of how tropes can still feel refreshing because of how the story is told. I like how the story’s biggest themes deal with the nature of a soul. Out of all the Final Fantasy games, the existential crisis here hits the hardest, like a thesis for a philosophy class.

Zidane hearkens back to the friendlier protagonists rather than the standoffish, brooding types seen in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. However, while Bartz from Final Fantasy V was a goofy drifter and Locke from Final Fantasy VI was a charming rogue, Zidane introduces the cheeky and H O R N Y protagonist. This can make you roll your eyes as he constantly tries to hit on the main female lead, Garnet. This one scene in particular didn’t age well. 

The romance between him and Garnet is the exact opposite of the romances in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. Instead of the female lead flirting with the male lead, being the one to change his life, the male lead flirts with the female lead. Zidane's role as a romantic is to “show her the world” á la Aladdin and Jasmine. Zidane is a devil-may-care thief with his band of rogues, wishing to show Garnet an exciting life by his side.

It was unclear to me at the time why Final Fantasy IX fell into the more underrated side of Final Fantasy. In retrospect, Final Fantasy VII still took the world by storm, and Final Fantasy VIII still came off as a lot “cooler”. Some critics complain how the main villain, Kuja, is the least threatening villain of the entire series. Kuja’s bishonen level is over 9,000. Look at this guy. He belongs on the cover of Vogue or something.

Gamers at the time probably felt that Final Fantasy IX wasn’t as amazing or intriguing since it returned to the tropey elements of the series, after we had seen two big games set in a modern technological world.

But like I said, Final Fantasy IX manages to use these tropes and make them entertaining. Vivi’s character arc? Oh man. I really don’t want to ruin it. It’s that good. They say Final Fantasy IX is the closest to how the developers originally envisioned the world of Final Fantasy. The definitive version of Final Fantasy.

Music:

Surprisingly, the music is the weakest part of the game. When I thought about what to write about for the music section for this game, I stared into space as crickets chirped in my head. I can only think of the title theme (”The Place I’ll Return to Someday”) and “Melodies of Life”, another pop song.

I like “You’re Not Alone” but I didn’t pay attention to it until I listened to the orchestrated version on the Distant Worlds album.

The answer then hit me as to why the soundtrack flew under my radar – the score takes an almost purely instrumental route, drawing inspiration from classical music. Most of the inspiration is specifically from medieval music, given the setting of the game. It’s not a bad thing, but Nobuo Uematsu’s signature progressive rock style is notably absent in everything except the battle theme. As such, nothing struck out at me. Nothing told me, “WOW. You just HAVE to listen to THIS!” I hate to say it, especially because Uematsu himself has stated that this soundtrack is his favorite work and the one he is proudest of.

The next time I play this game, I will pay more attention to the soundtrack.

Notable Theme:

As I said before, I associate Final Fantasy IX with fond memories of my junior year in college. “Melodies of Life” gives me all the feels. It has that late ‘90’s slow-dance feel.

Verdict:

Great game. Underrated. I can sum it up by saying - it doesn’t do anything new per se – it just shines as a Final Fantasy game using all of the series’ classic elements. It doesn’t do anything crazy, but it creates a lush vibrant world of pure medieval fantasy, and its characters go through a lot of depth.

Direct Sequel?

by @gracklepopp

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