My Review: Final Fantasy IX (PS1)
It could be said that each generation of consoles put a unique spin on its particular batch of Final Fantasy games. This is particularly evident with the Playstation trio of Final Fantasies VII, VIII, and IX, which are among the most influential games of their genre. Final Fantasy IX is, in many aspects, the end of an era for the series: afterward, the series would go through many radical changes, and IX does seem to be the most recent ‘traditional’ Final Fantasy game. Perhaps this is because Final Fantasy IX was made as a throwback to the classic style of Final Fantasy, but with the design of the PlayStation entries, blending more lighthearted tone and colorful aesthetics with the storytelling and technological panache we expected from Square at the time. Final Fantasy IX isn’t just a great game- it’s a swan song for the entire series, as well as one of the best Playstation RPGs ever made.
STORY
Final Fantasy IX takes place in the world of Gaia, a land enshrouded in a Mist made from the spirits of the dead. In the Kingdom of Alexandria, Queen Brahne lists for power, and is waging war on neighboring kingdoms in order to expand her domain. When Zidane Tribal, a monkey-tailed member of the theater group Tantalus, kidnaps Princess Garnett of Alexandria, he discovers that she intended to escape from her mother, and wants to discover why she is behaving in this manner. Along with Garnett’s loyal knight Steiner, the young black mage Vivi, and a host of other colorful characters, Zidane becomes embroiled in a quest to save the world from Brahne’s ambition, as well as to free Brahne from the influence of an arms dealer named Kuja, and eventually discover the secret of another world linked to Gaia…
