Back from the dead! And now for my comeback post, a game from the old times, back when playing outside is too mainstream. Final Fantasy IX, ah Final Fantasy — one of the longest running and probably the biggest JRPG franchise on the market. Final Fantasy was a part of my childhood, this is the series that got me hooked in the RPG genre. It also taught me a lot of things not obtainable on school.
IX was the 3rd and last main Final Fantasy title to be released on the original Playstation, the time when Square and Enix were two different entities. Originally, IX was supposed to be a spin-off but as development goes it eventually became a main entry — probably because it was too big and impressive to be just a spin-off. I'm gonna give a rundown on why this is my best and favorite Final Fantasy.
Melodies of Life
Music is by far the biggest asset of IX. This alone makes IX so memorable, you can feel the quality work from just hearing the intro alone, even the overworld track makes travelling aimlessly less weary and actually makes it enjoyable. Uematsu's score makes you so high you could reach the Mars and even Uranus :D. Some of the tracks are recycled though I see this as a tribute to older titles and passing a message to the fans that this is the Final Fantasy you knew and loved for over a decade. This is Nobuo Uematsu's best score yet, coincidentally he considers IX's music as his favorite. A few tracks for the doubtful:
Perfect Blend of Characters
A cheerful main protagonist, a princess who wants to be kidnapped, a creature with a weird obsession in eating, a rusty knight loyal till the end — this shows that IX's cast has a lot of variety in design and personality. Unfortunately, some were put off since they saw this as "childish"; Fortunately, its only their loss. Speaking of character design, IX's is helmed by Yoshitaka Amano who is also responsible for character designs in classic Final Fantasys on the SNES.
Tales of the Forgotten Past
IX's story as a whole uses typical JRPG formula which is, embarking a selected few on a quest to save the world from blah blah blah... But within that is an engrossing tale of loyalty, friendship, and self discovery. Each character has their own story to tell not just placeholders for the sake of forming a party for battle... well apart from Amarant but he gets a free pass for being badass. Much of the plot is lighthearted paired with funny scenes and occasionally shifting to a more serious tone, most notably near the near the final chapters.
An Absolute Fantasy Setting
Out of the all the 3D iteration of the series this is the only one that has a non-futuristic setting. IX took the series back to medieval fantasy where steam is the medium for transportation and moogles delivering information faster than Google. Locations are magnificently depicted with most of them having little detailed animations, kudos to Square's talented artists. How I wish they would still make games with 2D backdrops... Oh wait! upcoming game Bravely Default got that covered.
This is My First Final Fantasy
I'd be lying if this doesn't count. There's a reason most of you preferred VII more and I really think is one of your reason if not your only reason.
Every RPG fan (even if not) should not miss this title. If you haven't played this yet well you're just missing one of the best gems of gaming... So you definitely should!.
