The Final Fantasy IX review between nostalgia and bitterness

Final Fantasy IX is probably one of the most talked about chapters in the entire franchise, mostly because since its release - it was 2000 and it was just a few months before the launch of PlayStation 2 - fans have been debating its place in the Olympus of games. Japanese role. There are not a few, in fact, who consider it very simply the best Final Fantasy ever. For new players approaching the series thanks to its success in the era of the first PlayStation, Final Fantasy was science fiction RPG. Those who have followed the Square Enix opera since the NES, knew very well that Final Fantasy IX was not only a return to the origins, but also represented the quintessence of the brand: medieval kingdoms, bizarre anthropomorphic creatures, fixed professions and simple and intuitive mechanics ... Those were the characteristics that made Final Fantasy special and that shone in that revival between two generations. Not to mention that Final Fantasy IX had Vivi and the other Final Fantasy did not. For all these reasons, Final Fantasy IX would have deserved a remastered version with all the trappings, a re-edition in style like that of Final Fantasy XII. Instead, on PlayStation 4 only the lazy PC conversion published on Steam last year arrived with its few strengths and many defects.



The melodies of life

On Final Fantasy IX, floods of words have already been spent in at least two reviews and several specials, so it is useless to review it again. Let's summarize everything like this: if you haven't played it, drop any other game you're on right now and fix it. Square Enix, for better or for worse, now allows you to solve the problem even if you only own a PlayStation 4, so take advantage of it. Why should you play Final Fantasy IX? Let's see ... as we said above, it is the title in which the two souls of Final Fantasy coexist perfectly: the traditionalist one and the pioneering one. It is a JRPG that tells a great love story and investigates the meaning of life.



The Final Fantasy IX review between nostalgia and bitterness

The protagonist is not a curmudgeon: the fans of Cloud and Squall don't want it, but Gidan's optimism and cheerfulness are contagious and make the adventure even more fun, as if a variegated cast of really funny characters like Steiner and Quina. It is also the favorite Final Fantasy of Hironobu Sakaguchi, who created the series, and Nobuo Uematsu, the historic composer, once claimed that the music of Final Fantasy IX is the best he has ever written. These reasons should be enough to give him a chance. The plot is also surprising and full of twists, starting with a daring prologue in which the rogue Gidan takes advantage of a theatrical performance to kidnap Princess Garnet. In reality, the latter turns out to be happy to leave the castle, displacing the protagonist and starting an incredible adventure in which our heroes will discover themselves and the mysteries of the planet Gaia. In Final Fantasy IX we laugh and cry, we get angry and moved: it is a tidal wave of emotions that closes in a clear and transparent ending that leaves no room for doubts or interpretations.

The Final Fantasy IX review between nostalgia and bitterness

PlayStation 4 Trophies

There are 52 trophies up for grabs with Final Fantasy IX: in addition to platinum, we count 3 gold, 4 silver and 44 bronze. Obviously you will have to complete the game and each minigame, but also collect numerous collectibles and reach special achievements: are you ready to jump rope a thousand times?



It took an extra effort

In the face of this over-the-top praise, it's easy to see why this remastered edition has so disappointed us. Beyond the price, not particularly outrageous but not cheap either, the PlayStation 4 edition of Final Fantasy IX carries the same, identical problems encountered a year ago on PC. This is a hasty and listless conversion: the developer has simply transplanted the code and, with it, every little flaw. It's embarrassing that the music starts all over again after each fight, forcing the player to sit still if he wants to hear the beautiful soundtrack, or that certain glitches have stayed where we left them a year ago if not, worse still, in 2000. The contrast between high-resolution, clean and detailed polygonal models and pre-rendered backgrounds can also be quite irritating, especially because backgrounds, drawn in an era of lower resolutions, appear grainy and more often confused.

The Final Fantasy IX review between nostalgia and bitterness

Fortunately, the team managed to at least keep the aspect ratio and implement some tricks that make the frame rate more stable, especially during the fights: the latter can be accelerated up to three times, in case you want to get rid of enemies as quickly as possible. possible. In this respect, however, Square Enix also offers in this conversion the same screen of the cheats - also called boosters - that first appeared in the 2016 mobile edition: you can in fact select a series of gaboles such as infinite life points, maximum levels, enhanced damage and other tricks that make the adventure a walk. Playing it in this light does not make much sense, but those who want to enjoy only the story can do it and maybe try their hand without pressure with the nice minigames, starting with the excellent card game Tetra Master, a real game within the game. It would be a shame, however, to leave out a solid and captivating combat system that relies on the individual abilities of the characters - which each follow an iconic Final Fantasy Job - and on a system of intelligent growth, even if not particularly original.



The Final Fantasy IX review between nostalgia and bitterness

Comment

Digital Delivery PlayStation Store Price 20,99 € Resources4Gaming.com

7.0

Readers (27)

8.7

Your vote

Final Fantasy IX is a gem and one of the coolest JRPGs ever planned. We're not saying it's the best Final Fantasy in the series, but do as if. It was also a crucial chapter of iconic importance that, coming out between two generations, wanted to close the circle and open the franchise to a future to be discovered. The story of Zidane, Garnet, Vivi and their gang would have deserved a much more edited edition than this one, but unfortunately we have to settle for it. Clearly our numerical judgment does not refer to the game itself, but to the quality of the conversion: if you have not played it and you really have no other way to remedy this very serious fault, keep in mind that it could have been ... indeed, had to. .. do much more.

PRO

  • Final Fantasy IX is a great JRPG
  • Boosters kill the challenge but can help those short on time
AGAINST
  • It's a lazy re-release of the 2016 PC conversion
  • Various glitches here and there and no final patch on the horizon
  • The low resolution backgrounds clash with the rest
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