After three Final Fantasies set in a futuristic world, Final Fantasy IX takes a turn for the nostalgic with a (mostly) medieval world full of Final Fantasy's past. Additionally, Final Fantasy IX brings back gameplay elements of the past such as more specialized characters and the four person team. However, it retains core elements of the newer Final Fantasies, like characters with developed personalities. This blend of old and new works well to create both an engaging story and entertaining gameplay.


As is true of other modern final fantasies, the story of Final Fantasy IX is central to the game. There are frequent cut scenes and long stretches of dialogue between gameplay. Luckily, Final Fantasy IX's story is worth the time investment. Final Fantasy IX's story starts small with a botched attempt to save/kidnap a princess, but expands across four disks to encompass the fate of the world. Throughout the adventure, Final Fantasy IX makes clever use of classic Final Fantasy elements (such as summons and black mages), weaving them into the plot in new ways. Overall, the plot works quite well, and the past Final Fantasy references never feel forced. While taking in the story, you journey across a vast and diverse world. While the beginning of the game is very linear and story driven, the story becomes less constraining later on and you are given many opportunities to explore the world. Though the plot is strong, it is not without its faults. For instance, it makes heavy use of overused tropes like the damsel in distress.


The gameplay in Final Fantasy IX is also quite strong. Like the Final Fantasies before it, Final Fantasy IX makes use of the active time battle system. For those not familiar, this system allows characters to make a move once their timer bar has reached its limit. Unlike the previous few Final Fantasies, characters are fairly limited in their options. Instead of every character being able to use every spell, some characters can use white magic, while others can use dark magic, etc. Personally, I think the more specialized characters work well since it prevents characters from being carbon copies of each other. In general, Final Fantasy IX leans towards the easy side. If you've got one of the two white mages on your team, you shouldn't have too many problems. Despite the lack of difficulty, the battles are still enjoyable. In addition to the battles, there's also a card based mini-game. It's really easy to learn and simple to play. For the most part, this game is optional. However, there are many opportunities to play against NPCs all around the world and try and collect rare cards. It's a valuable edition to the game, and provides you with another reason to explore the world.


Like all Final Fantasies, Final Fantasy IX's graphics are strong. While there are certainly some darker parts of the game, the tone is definitely lighter and more cartoony. This works well, and adds some variety to the franchise. The music is also a treat and fits the tone of each location well.


In the end, Final Fantasy IX blends the Final Fantasy series into an entertaining and expansive game. If you're a fan of JRPGs, make sure to give it a go.

This review is very detailed but lacks the standard rating explanation format that I am used to seeing in the reviews forum. About the game - I didn't think this would be something I'd want to try. Either i've had bad luck with RPG's or maybe in general these types of games aren't for me. But your review has convinced me that this is something I want to try (when I unlock the PlayStation item). Thanks.