Cheers to 25 years of Final Fantasy IX, released first in Japan on July 7th, 2000, still remains a most highly-appreciated RPG video game with heart, beloved by countless fans.
Thoughout its 25 years of iconic status, fans new and old to the Final Fantasy franchise explored the world of Gaia, uncovering an epic world of various cultures, class, peoples of human, half-human, non-human dealing with coexisits for better or worse. Within are heavy northern European classic influences of fashion, architecture, lifestyles infused with steampunk style technology.
Somehow it all makes beautiful, pure sense, of a world that we as players can feel at home in. It’s among the coziest of Final Fantasies for sure. Just look at this special movie put out by Square Enix…
A personal experience.
I purchased Final Fantasy IX much later that first year, on or very close to it’s North American release date of November 14, 2000. It would be the last great game for the first Playstation game console. It would be the last game that I would buy spanning four CD discs, which was a big deal at the time. I probably paid $49.95, the full price and worth every penny.
What got me hyped towards FF IX was more than my love the previous games and franchise as a whole. it was the promise and high standards I always expected from Squaresoft (eventually becoming Square-Enix). The character designs especially got me intrigued, with impressions got me curious and excited.
The hero Zidane, a short thief seems had a classic Peter Pan appeal,a different direction then the amnesiac silent soldier boy of the previous FF games. I loved that he did not carry some ridiculous sword, but instead carried a large knife, He had a tail, which was also initially a mystery. Zidane is initially carefree, with little purpose that would only grow with the story.
Then joining as playable characters is Garnet, a royal and very kidnapable princess. We had the coolest Black Mage of the franchise, Vivi Ornitier. Vivi was my favorite, with a bit of innocence with little understanding of his power and potential, both would grow in time. Adeline..a stoic knight that gave me Buzz Lightyear vibes at the time, and would end up my second favorite character. He displayed honor and loyality to his friends more than royality. And there was Quina, perhaps the strangest of all Final Fantasy characters of the franchisem with the constantly swaying battle stance that still cracks me up. And, there were others to the party joining along, Freya, Eiko, and Amarant.
The story is heavy to explain. The less you know going in, the better. But the story gets grander and grander with revelations on cloning and genetic experiments, involvng the main antognist of the story until the near end, Kuja, who was also finding his purpose as the story grew. But, Kuja’s heart was dark and becomes the more opposite of our hero as the story progresses.
But the central theme is not twisted infusions of science and magic, but of the cycle of death and life, with free will and purpose in constant question. Everyone has a purpose, a part to play, a destiny that is either accepted or resisted. But choices on life or death are based on selflessness and selfishness, leading to a final battle of life against death, an an ultimate sacrifce the player feels for one character…my favorite from two paragraphs above.
Through this epic story that took me less than a full month to finish, where sadly the game was a bit easy for this veteran player. But the greatest strength was it’s epic soundtrack by longtime Final Fantasy music composer. Nobuo Uematsu. Final Fantasy IX, his greatest work in my opinion!
So overall, Final Fantasy IX is an extraodinary storytelling experience that;s a wild, emotional ride. The exploring and worldbuilding is immense, with side quests and mini-games galore including a collectible card game hunt and fishing!! The turn based combat style may feel a little dated, but saved by the game’s immersive and epic score, which really draws me in.
Cheers to 25 years of Final Fantasy IX, staying in the hearts of fans and future generations to come. Check it out if have not, as there is a remastered version oin current consoles. No plans for a remake, but I feel its time will come for that too. But for now, I end with a tune…
strangerworlds.com 