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role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
developed and published by
Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
for the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' series. The plot focuses on a war between nations in a medieval fantasy world called Gaia. Players follow a thief named
Zidane Tribal is a video game character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy IX''. He was conceived and written by Hironobu Sakaguchi, while his appearance was designed by Yoshitaka Amano and re-interpreted by Toshiyuki ...
who kidnaps princess
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, alias Dagger, is a character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series and one of the main cast of ''Final Fantasy IX''. She is the princess of the kingdom of Alexandria and one of the lead characters. In this game, she is tryi ...
as part of a ploy by the neighboring nation of Lindblum. He joins Garnet and a growing cast of characters on a quest to take down her mother,
Queen Brahne ''Final Fantasy IX'', a PlayStation role-playing game consisting of four CD-ROMs,''FINAL FANTASY IX'' English game manual, Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., 2000. features a cast containing various major and minor characters. Players c ...
of Alexandria, who started the war. Game development occurred in parallel with ''
Final Fantasy VIII is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, the game follo ...
''. Envisioned by developers as a retrospective for the series, it departed from the futuristic settings of ''
Final Fantasy VI also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' in its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' ser ...
'', '' VII'', and '' VIII'' by returning to the medieval style of the earlier games. Consequently, it draws heavy influence from the original ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' and features allusions to the rest of the series. The game introduced new features to the series despite this approach, such as "Active Time Event" cutscenes, "Mognet", and skill systems. ''Final Fantasy IX'' was the last game in the main series whose
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
was composed solely by
Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Joh ...
. ''Final Fantasy IX'' was released to critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 8.9 million copies by March 2025. It was re-released in 2010 as a PS1 Classic on the
PlayStation Store PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital distribution service for users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content both ...
—this version was compatible with
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
;
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
support arrived in 2012. In 2016 Square Enix released an enhanced
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
featuring minor gameplay and graphical enhancements, which would be released on several platforms. An animated series adaptation by Square Enix and
Cyber Group Studios Cyber Group Studios (formerly Cyber Group Animation) was a French developer, producer and distributor of animated television series and movies for children in France and internationally. The company was founded by Pierre Sissmann, Dominique Bours ...
was announced in 2021. However the series was scrapped due to the closure of Cyber Group Studios in 2025.


Gameplay

In ''Final Fantasy IX'', the player navigates a character through the game world, exploring areas and interacting with
non-player character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
s. Most of the game occurs on "field screens" consisting of pre-rendered backgrounds representing towns and dungeons. To aid exploration on the field screen, ''Final Fantasy IX'' introduces the "field icon", an exclamation mark appearing over the lead character's head, indicating a point of interest. Players speak with
Moogle are a fictional species of diminutive, sentient creatures and a recurring element of the ''Final Fantasy'' video game franchise, starting with their initial appearance in '' Final Fantasy III''. They also appear in the ''Mana'' and ''Kingdom H ...
s to record their progress, recover their energy, and purchase items. An extensive optional quest involves sending and receiving letters from Moogles and other non-playable characters via Mognet, an in-game postal service. Players journey between field screen locations on the
world map A world map is a map of most or all of the surface of Earth. World maps, because of their scale, must deal with the problem of projection. Maps rendered in two dimensions by necessity distort the display of the three-dimensional surface of t ...
, a three-dimensional representation of ''Final Fantasy IX''s world presented from a
top-down perspective A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...
. Players can freely navigate around the world map unless restricted by obstacles such as bodies of water or mountain ranges. To traverse these impediments, players can ride
chocobo The is a fictional species created for the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise by Square Enix (originally Square). A galliform bird commonly having yellow feathers, they were first introduced in '' Final Fantasy II'' (1988), and have since featured in ...
s, sail on a boat, or pilot
airships An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding ai ...
. Like previous ''Final Fantasy'' games, players enter battles caused by
random encounter A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby combat encounters with non-player character (NPC) enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random, usually without the enemy being physically detected ...
s with enemies while traveling across the world map or hostile field screens. ''Final Fantasy IX'' offers a new approach to town exploration with Active Time Events (ATE). These allow the player to view events unfolding at different locations, providing character development, unique items, and prompts for story-altering decisions. ATEs are occasionally used to simultaneously control two teams when the party divides to solve puzzles and navigate mazes.


Combat and character progression

When the player encounters an enemy, the map changes to a battle screen. The player issues commands to characters from an on-screen menu on the battle screen, including physically attacking, using items from the inventory, and unique character-specific abilities that define their role in battle. For example, the thief Zidane can steal items, Eiko and Garnet can summon "eidolons" to aid the party, and Vivi can use
black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...
to damage the opposition. The speed and order in which the characters and enemies take their turn varies according to their
agility Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance. More specifically, it ...
, an implementation of the Active Time Battle system first featured in ''
Final Fantasy IV titled ''Final Fantasy II'' in its initial North American release, is a 1991 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The fourth main installment of the ''Final ...
''. Character-specific commands change when the character goes into "
Trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
mode", which is activated for a short duration when the character sustains a specified amount of damage similar to the Limit Breaks in ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first ...
''. Trance mode amplifies the character's strength and allows the player to select more powerful attack commands. For example, Vivi's "Black Magic" command changes into "Double Black", allowing him to cast two magic spells at once. Winning battles awards money, items, "
experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
s", and "ability points". Experience points determine a character's combat attributes like agility, strength, and magical power. Accumulating sufficient experience points results in a "level up", which permanently increases combat attributes. Equipment worn by a character may also amplify their attributes. Certain weapons and armor also bestow special abilities, which the character may use when equipped. When the character earns enough ability points, it becomes usable without the item equipped. There are two types of abilities: action and support. Action abilities require
magic point Magic or mana is an attribute assigned to characters within a role-playing or video game that indicates their power to use special magical abilities or "spells". Magic is usually measured in magic points or mana points, shortened as MP. Different ...
s to use and include magical spells and special moves used in battle. Support abilities provide functions that are automatically enabled in battle, such as increasing power against certain types of enemies. The maximum number of effects characters can equip at once is determined by each character's Magic Stones.


Plot


Setting and characters

''Final Fantasy IX'' takes place primarily in a world named Gaia. Most of Gaia's population lives on the Mist Continent, named after the thick Mist that blankets the lowlands. Large mountain ranges act as natural borders that separate its four nations: Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, and Cleyra. Alexandria is a warmongering monarchy that controls the eastern half of the continent. One of its cities is Treno, a cultural nexus under perpetual starlight that is home to many aristocrats and paupers alike. The technologically advanced Lindblum, a hub of airship travel, is nestled on a plateau to the southwest. Both countries feature a mix of humans, humanoids, and
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
animals. Burmecia, a kingdom showered by endless rain, is in the northwest. Cleyra, a neighboring settlement that seceded from Burmecia due to its appreciation for war, is situated in a giant tree in the desert, protected by a sandstorm. Both are inhabited by anthropomorphic rats with a fondness for dance and spear fighting. Players eventually explore the Outer, Lost, and Forgotten Continents as well. Civilizations on the Outer Continent include Conde Petie, home of the dwarves; Black Mage Village, a secret settlement of sentient magician drones; and Madain Sari, once home to a near-extinct race of horned humanoid summoners who conjure powerful magical beings called eidolons. Also on the Outer Continent is the Iifa Tree, which disperses the Mist to other continents through its roots. This Mist stimulates the fighting instinct in humanoids and contributes to Gaia's bloody history. The Lost and Forgotten continents are littered mostly with ancient ruins. Scattered throughout the marshes of Gaia are the Qu: large, frog-eating, and seemingly
androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...
humanoids who are considered great
gourmand A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming particularly good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively. Etymolo ...
s. Late in the game, players briefly travel to the parallel world of Terra and the dream realm of Memoria. The main playable characters are:
Zidane Tribal is a video game character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy IX''. He was conceived and written by Hironobu Sakaguchi, while his appearance was designed by Yoshitaka Amano and re-interpreted by Toshiyuki ...
, a member of a group of bandits called Tantalus who are masquerading as a theater troupe;
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, alias Dagger, is a character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series and one of the main cast of ''Final Fantasy IX''. She is the princess of the kingdom of Alexandria and one of the lead characters. In this game, she is tryi ...
(alias Dagger), the Princess of Alexandria who runs away with Zidane;
Vivi Ornitier is a video game character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. He appears in the video game ''Final Fantasy IX'', where he serves as a member of the game's main cast. He is a shy character who through the game's plot grapples with the trauma of disc ...
, a young, timid, and kind black mage with an unknown origin;
Adelbert Steiner ''Final Fantasy IX'', a PlayStation role-playing game consisting of four CD-ROMs,''FINAL FANTASY IX'' English game manual, Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., 2000. features a cast containing various major and minor characters. Players c ...
, a brash Alexandrian knight captain and loyal servant of Princess Garnet; Freya Crescent, a Burmecian dragoon searching for her lost love; Quina Quen, a Qu whose master wants them to travel the world so that they will learn about cuisine; Eiko Carol, a young girl living in Madain Sari who is one of the last summoners; and Amarant Coral, a bounty hunter hired to return Garnet to Alexandria. Other important characters include Cid Fabool, the charismatic Regent of Lindblum; Brahne, Garnet's adoptive mother and the power-hungry Queen of Alexandria;
Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "ble ...
, the general of Alexandria's all-female army; Garland, an elderly Terran male tasked with saving his world; and antagonist Kuja, an arms dealer and pawn of Garland who questions his own existence.


Story

In Alexandria, Zidane and Tantalus kidnap Princess Garnet by order of Cid. Garnet does not resist, for she was already planning to flee and warn Cid of Queen Brahne's increasingly erratic behavior.Garnet: I am actually ... Princess Garnet til Alexandros, heir to the throne of Alexandria. I have a favour I wish to ask of you ... I wish to be kidnapped ...right away. Vivi and Steiner join the party during the escape. En route to Lindblum, the group discovers that Brahne is manufacturing soulless black mage soldiers that look similar to Vivi. In Lindblum, Cid confirms that he hired the group to protect Garnet from Brahne's newfound aggression. After learning that Alexandria has invaded Burmecia with the black mages, Zidane and Vivi join Freya to investigate. Garnet and Steiner secretly return to Alexandria to reason with Brahne.Dagger: I have to help Mother ... I don't want to see anything happen to her ... / Steiner: Very well. Princess, I will follow you wherever you choose. Zidane's team finds that the Alexandrian forces, headed by Beatrix, conquered Burmecia with help from Kuja and the refugees have fled to Cleyra. Brahne imprisons Garnet, extracts her eidolons,Queen Brahne: Zorn, Thorn! Prepare to extract the eidolons from Garnet. and uses the eidolon, Odin to destroy Cleyra while Zidane's group defends the city. The party escapes on Brahne's airship, rendezvous with Steiner, and rescues Garnet. Meanwhile, Brahne cripples Lindblum with another eidolon, Atomos.Minister Artania: Yes, Princess. The castle was spared. Regent Cid is alive. Cid explains that Kuja supplies Brahne with black mages and the knowledge to use eidolons. The party befriends Quina and tracks Kuja to the Outer Continent.Regent Cid: I believe Kuja is the only one supplying Brahne with weapons.Minister Artania: That he came from the north suggests he's from the Outer Continent. Brahne hires bounty hunters Lani and Amarant to capture Garnet. On the Outer Continent, the party defeats Lani and meets Eiko, a summoner who lives with a group of moogles in the village of Madain Sari. Eiko leads Zidane and the others to the Iifa Tree. Inside, they learn that Kuja uses Mist to create the black mages and that Vivi was a prototype.Zidane: What kind of weapons did Kuja make? / Soulcage: Kuja called them black mages, dark spawn of the Mist. The party defeats the monster that generates the Mist within the Tree, which clears it from the Mist Continent. While waiting for Kuja's reprisal at Madain Sari, Lani and Amarant attempt to kidnap Eiko but Zidane and the moogles foil them. Amarant then challenges Zidane to a duel and loses. He joins the party and Garnet learns of her heritage as a summoner who was adopted by Brahne as a child. At the Tree, Brahne attempts to kill Kuja with an eidolon so she can rule unopposed, but he takes control of it and destroys her and her army.Queen Brahne: Kuja! So you finally decided to show your girly face here! You're all that stands between me and total domination!Kuja: Excellent, Bahamut! Power, mobility ... You truly are the best! You even hurt me ... a little. And you, Brahne ... Your tragic role in this drama now comes to an end! After Garnet's coronation, Kuja attacks Alexandria Castle.Kuja: What an auspicious day for Alexandria. Dagger's accession to the throne has brought hope and peace to this kingdom. The people are overjoyed; they believe a wonderful future is ahead of them ... But the celebration isn't over yet. It's time to really light things up! Your former master is here, Bahamut. Play a requiem for her and all of Alexandria! Garnet and Eiko summon an extremely powerful eidolon in defense; Kuja attempts to steal the eidolon as a means to kill his master, Garland, but the latter arrives and destroys it.Garland: You have gone too far, Kuja. I granted you the freedom to do as you wish in Gaia for one purpose alone. Now that you have lost sight of your mission, I will no longer tolerate your actions.Kuja: I need an eidolon more powerful than Alexander! An eidolon with the power to bury Garland! His powers are so incredible; I cannot even come close. I must destroy him before Terra's plan is activated, or my soul will no longer be my own! The party chases Kuja through a portal to Terra, where the antagonists' goals become clear. The Terrans created Garland to merge their dying world with Gaia; Garland, in turn, created self-aware, soulless vessels called Genomes.Garland: I constructed the Genomes to be vessels for the souls of the people of Terra when they awaken. For millennia, Garland has been using the Iifa Tree to replace deceased Gaian souls with the hibernating Terran souls, turning the former into Mist in the process; this will allow the Terrans to be reborn into the Genomes after the planetary merge.Garland: the Iifa Tree blocks the flow of Gaia's souls, while it lets those of Terra flow freely.Garland: The role of the Iifa Tree is that of Soul Divider. The Mist you see comprises the stagnant souls of Gaia ... Kuja and Zidane are Genomes created to accelerate this process by bringing war and chaos to Gaia.Zidane: So ... Kuja is just an angel of death who sends souls to the Tree of Iifa. / Garland: Yes, my angel of death. But only until you came of age. Kuja had betrayed Garland to avoid becoming occupied by a Terran soul. Kuja defeats Garland, who reveals before dying that the former has a limited lifespan anyhow: Garland designed Zidane to be his replacement.Garland: There's a limit to your life ... You'll be dead soon ... Even as I die, you'll have died without ever leaving your mark on the world ... Enraged, Kuja destroys Terra and escapes to the Iifa Tree. At the Iifa Tree, the party enters Memoria and reaches the origin of the universe: the Crystal World. They defeat Kuja, preventing him from destroying the original crystal of life and thus the universe.Kuja: It's the original crystal ... This is where it all began ... The birthplace of all things ... Once I destroy it, everything will be gone. Gaia, Terra, the universe, everything ... After defeating Necron, a force of death,Necron: I exist for one purpose ... To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life. the Tree collapses; the party flees, while Zidane stays behind to rescue Kuja.Zidane: ... Kuja's still alive. I can't just leave him. One year later, the game reveals the cast's fate: Tantalus arrives in Alexandria to put on a show; Vivi has implicitly died as Black Mages only live for a year, but he has left behind several identical "sons," as well as grown to understand the meaning of life; Freya and Fratley are rebuilding Burmecia; Cid has adopted Eiko; Quina works in the castle's kitchen; Amarant and Lani are travelling together; and Garnet presides as queen of Alexandria, with Steiner and Beatrix as her guards. In the climax of Tantalus's performance, the lead actor reveals himself as Zidane in disguise and reunites with Queen Garnet.Robed performer: I beseech thee, wondrous moonlight, grant me my only wish! '' emoves robe, revealing himself as - ' Zidane: Bring my beloved Dagger to me!


Development

Early planning for ''Final Fantasy IX'' began in July 1998 before Square had finished development on ''
Final Fantasy VIII is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, the game follo ...
''. The game was developed in Hawaii as a compromise to developers living in the United States. As the series' last game on the PlayStation, Sakaguchi envisioned a "reflection" on the older games of the series. Leading up to its release, Sakaguchi called ''Final Fantasy IX'' his favorite ''Final Fantasy'' game as "it's closest to isideal view of what ''Final Fantasy'' should be". This shift was also a response to demands from fans and other developers. Additionally, the team wanted to create a coherent story with deep character development; this led to the creation of Active Time Events which showcase the character's individual exploration away from the protagonist. Sakaguchi wrote the
scenario In the performing arts, a scenario (, ; ; from Italian , "that which is pinned to the scenery") is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the ''commedia dell'arte'', it was an outline of entrances, exits, and actio ...
for the game, with further contributions from Kazuhiko Aoki and Nobuaki Komoto. In the game's conceptual stage, the developers made it clear that the title would not necessarily be ''Final Fantasy IX'', as its break from the realism of '' VII'' and ''VIII'' may have alienated audiences. This idea led fans to speculate that it would be a " gaiden" (side story) to the main series. By late 1999, however, Square had confirmed that the game would indeed be titled ''Final Fantasy IX'', and by early 2000, they had almost finished the game. The developers made several adjustments to the game, such as changing the ending seven times. Director
Hiroyuki Ito , is a Japanese game producer, director and designer who works for Square Enix. He is known as the director of ''Final Fantasy VI'' (1994), ''Final Fantasy IX'' (2000) and ''Final Fantasy XII'' (2006) and as the creator of the Active Time Bat ...
had designed the battle system. The game's developers sought to make the game's environment more "fantasy-oriented" than its PlayStation predecessors by reintroducing a medieval setting. In the game world, steam technology is just beginning to become widely available. The population relies on
hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...
or
wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...
for energy sources but sometimes harness Mist or steam to drive more advanced engines. Norse and Northern European mythology also inspired the game's setting. According to Ito, " he development team isattracted to European history and mythology because of its depth and its drama". The game's art director was Hideo Minaba, while the characters were designed by Shūkō Murase and Toshiyuki Itahana. Recurring artist
Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He began his career in 1967 at Tatsunoko Production working on anime such as '' Speed Racer'' and later became the c ...
created promotional concept art of the characters and world, and designed the logo. The main ''Final Fantasy IX'' website says the development of the game's world serves as a culmination of the series by blending the "successful elements of the past, such as a return to the fantasy roots", with newer elements. To accomplish this and satisfy fans who had become used to the realistic designs of ''Final Fantasy VIII'', the designers stressed creating characters with whom the player could easily relate. The characters had "comic-like looks" as a result. In addition, ''
The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy, dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell (actress), Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was prod ...
'' was used as inspiration for the design of the world and characters. Ito suggested that the protagonist Zidane should be flirtatious towards women.


Music

Regular series composer
Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Joh ...
wrote the music of ''Final Fantasy IX''. In early discussions about the game, Ito asked him to compose themes for the eight main characters along with "an exciting battle track, a gloomy, danger-evoking piece, and around ten other tracks". Uematsu spent a year composing and producing "around 160" pieces, with 140 appearing in the game. During writing sessions, Square gave him a travel break in Europe for inspiration, where he spent time admiring ancient architecture in places like Germany. Uematsu cited
medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred music, sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the Dates of classical music eras, first and longest major era of Western class ...
as a significant influence on the score of ''IX''. He aimed for a "simple" and "warm" atmosphere and incorporated uncommon instruments like the
kazoo The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a ''buzzing'' timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (itself a membranophone), one of a class of instruments that modify the player's v ...
and
dulcimer The term dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...
. Unlike the stark realism of its predecessors, the high fantasy undertones of ''IX'' allowed for a broader spectrum of musical styles and moods. Uematsu composed with a piano and used two contrasting methods: "I create music that fits the events in the game, but sometimes, the eveloperswill adjust a game event to fit the music I've already written". Uematsu incorporated several motifs from older ''Final Fantasy'' games into the score, such as the original battle music intro, a reworked ''Volcano Theme'' from ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' and the Pandemonium theme in ''
Final Fantasy II is a 1988 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer as the second installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Like other ''Final Fantasy'' sequels, the game is set in its own world, and does not follow ...
''. Tantalus' band plays "Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony" from ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first ...
'' near the beginning of the game. Uematsu has stated on several occasions that ''Final Fantasy IX'' is his favorite score. "Melodies of Life" is the theme song of ''IX'' and shares its main melody with pieces frequently used in the game itself, such as the
overworld An overworld or a hub world is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres, such as some pla ...
theme and a lullaby that Garnet sings. Emiko Shiratori performed this piece in both the Japanese and English versions with arrangement by
Shirō Hamaguchi is a Japanese anime composer, arranger and orchestrator. He is best known for composing music to the anime franchises ''Girls und Panzer'', ''One Piece'', and ''Oh My Goddess!'' and arranging/orchestrating music in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. ...
.


Release

''Final Fantasy IX''s release was delayed to avoid a simultaneous release with then-rival
Enix was a Japanese multimedia publisher who handled and oversaw video games, manga, guidebooks, and merchandise. It was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima as Eidansha Boshu Service Center, initially as a tabloid publisher and later attempting t ...
's ''
Dragon Quest VII ''Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past'' is a 2000 role-playing video game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation. The game was produced by Yuji Horii, who has presided over the ''Dragon Qu ...
''. On October 7, 2000, a demo day for the North American version of ''IX'' was held at the Metreon in San Francisco, California. The first American release of the game was also at the Metreon; limited-edition merchandise was included with the game and fans
cosplay Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and Fashion accessory, fashion accessories to represent a specific Character (arts), character. Cosplayers often i ...
ed as ''Final Fantasy'' characters in celebration of the release. In Canada, a production error left copies of ''Final Fantasy IX'' without an English version of the instruction manual, prompting Square to ship copies of the English manual to Canadian stores several days later. Square heavily promoted the game both before and after its release. Starting on March 6, 2000, the game's characters appeared in a line of computer-generated
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
commercials. Figurines of several characters were also used as prizes in Coca-Cola's marketing campaign. That same year, ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' awarded ''Final Fantasy'' dolls and figurines for prizes in several of their contests. ''Final Fantasy IX'' was released on Sony's Greatest Hits on June 30, 2003. ''Final Fantasy IX'' was also the benchmark of Square's interactive
PlayOnline PlayOnline is an online gaming service owned by Square Enix as the launcher application and Internet service for many of the online PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 games the company publishes. Launched on June 6, 2000, the service hosted games ...
service. PlayOnline was initially developed to interface with ''Final Fantasy X'' but became a strategy site for ''IX'' when those plans fell through. Square designed the website to complement BradyGames' and Piggyback Interactive's official
strategy guide Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and video game walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the ...
s for the game, where players who bought the print guide had access to "keywords" that they could search for on PlayOnline's site for extra tips and information. This design caused anger among buyers of the guide who felt cheated by the expensive print version's omissions. The blunder made ''GameSpys "Top 5 Dumbest Moments in Gaming" list, and Square dropped the idea for ''Final Fantasy X'', which was under development at the time. Square Enix re-released the game as part of the ''Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box'' Japanese package in December 2012. A remastered version was released for Android and
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
in February 2016. The remaster features HD movies and character models, an auto-save feature, seven different game boosters (cheats), including high speed and no encounter modes, and achievements. A port for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
was released on April 14 the same year. In September 2017, the Windows port was released on
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
. It was also released on the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
, Xbox One, and
Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. The successor to Windows 8.1, it was Software release cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on July 2 ...
in North America on February 13, 2019, and in other regions a day later.


Reception

''Final Fantasy IX'' sold over 2.65 million copies in Japan by the end of 2000, making it the second-highest selling game of the year in the region. Although it was a top-seller in Japan and America, ''Final Fantasy IX'' did not sell as many copies as ''VII'' or ''VIII'' in either Japan or the United States. In 2001, the game received a "Gold" certification from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The original PlayStation version sold over 5.5 million copies by March 2016. Across all releases, the game was announced to have sold 8.9 million copies by March 2025. ''Final Fantasy IX'' received universal acclaim both in Japan and abroad. It achieved a 94/100 on the review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
making it their highest-scoring ''Final Fantasy'' game. The game was voted the 24th-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
''. Francesca Reyes of '' Next Generation'' called it "an imaginative return to the roots of the ''Final Fantasy'' series that hits the RPG mark dead-on". Critics generally praised the title's gameplay and combat system. ''GameSpot'' approved of the simple learning curve and that the ability system is not as complex as in ''VII'' or ''VIII''. Each character possesses unique abilities, which prevents one character from overpowering the others. ''GameSpot'' describes the battle system as having a tactical nature and notes that the expanded party allows for more interaction between players and between enemies. Nevertheless, ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' disliked the lengthy combat pace and the repeated battles, describing it as "aggravating". ''RPGFan'' felt the Trance system was ineffective because the meter buildup is slow and unpredictable, with characters Trancing just before the enemy dies. The characters and graphics also received positive reviews. Although ''IGN'' felt that the characters were similar to those in other ''Final Fantasy'' games, the characters were still engaging and sympathetic. ''GameSpot'' found the characters amusing and full of humor. ''IGN'' also noted that even the Active Time Event system helps expand the player's understanding of the characters' personalities as they grapple with many ideas and emotions. ''RPGFan'' enjoyed the detailed animation and design of the semi-deformed graphical style. They also praised the pre-rendered backgrounds, noting the careful attention given to the artwork, movement in animations, and character interactivity. They commended the cutscenes for being emotionally compelling and highlighted the seamless transition between cutscenes and in-game graphics. The music also received praise, with ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' listing it the best soundtrack on their list of top five original soundtracks, while ''GamePro'' praised the audio for evoking "emotions throughout the story, from battles to heartbreak to comedy". Critics acknowledged that Square primarily built the storyline upon elements found in previous ''Final Fantasy'' installments, such as evil empires and enigmatic villains. The main villain, although considered by ''GameSpot'' to be the least threatening in the series, was seen by ''IGN'' as an impeccable combination of "
Kefka is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1994 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VI'', developed by Square. Yoshitaka Amano created his visual design and director Yoshinori Kitase wrote his scenes. He is one of the most wel ...
's cackling villainy" and "plenty of the bishonenosity that made
Sephiroth Sefirot (; , plural of ), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained ...
such a hit with the ladies". ''RPGFan'' felt that the music was "uninspired and dull" compared to previous ''Final Fantasy'' titles and criticized composer Uematsu for reusing some tracks from past iterations of the series. Still, reviewers have concluded that this and many other elements are part of the overall effort to create a nostalgic game for fans of the older ''Final Fantasy'' games. The strategy guide also received criticism; it urged buyers to log onto an online site to gain the information instead of providing it within the actual guide. The book's given links are no longer accessible on the
PlayOnline PlayOnline is an online gaming service owned by Square Enix as the launcher application and Internet service for many of the online PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 games the company publishes. Launched on June 6, 2000, the service hosted games ...
website. The minigame "Tetra Master" was seen by ''GameSpot'' as inferior and confusing compared to ''Final Fantasy VIII''s minigame "Triple Triad" as the rules are vaguely explained and offered few rewards despite its expansive nature. During the
4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 4th edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during the last ten months of 2000. The awards were arrang ...
, the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
honored ''Final Fantasy IX'' with the " Console Role-Playing", "
Art Direction Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to super ...
" and "
Animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
" awards, as well as received nominations for "
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
", "Console Game of the Year", " Original Musical Composition", and " Character or Story Development".


Legacy

''Final Fantasy IX'' was voted the 4th best ''Final Fantasy'' game in a poll by Japan's national broadcasting organization NHK. ''IGN'' named it the 14th best game on the original PlayStation, calling it an "incredible" way to close out the ''Final Fantasy'' series's first nine games and complimented its reverence for those titles. ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' named the title their 4th best ''Final Fantasy'' game available on PC, praising the cast and its eclectic group of heroes. Though overshadowed during its initial release by other ''Final Fantasy'' titles, the game has been recognized for its mature themes, including mortality and handling death and is considered a JRPG masterpiece. The music has also been called one of Uematsu's greatest scores. The game has inspired a number of mods such as '' Moguri Mod'', which is an unofficial remaster project developed by fans which saw its initial release in 2018. In 2015, OverClocked ReMix released a four-disc collection called "Worlds Apart" with 120 songs to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the game's release. In June 2021,
Cyber Group Studios Cyber Group Studios (formerly Cyber Group Animation) was a French developer, producer and distributor of animated television series and movies for children in France and internationally. The company was founded by Pierre Sissmann, Dominique Bours ...
and Square Enix announced plans to develop an animated television series based on ''Final Fantasy IX''.


Notes

Story notes


References


Further reading

*


External links

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