The best Final Fantasy game, first released today 20 years ago.
Final Fantasy hit Japan on July 97, 2000, and developing and releasing it in no time couldn't be more difficult.
This Final Fantasy 9 is a wonder to remember very well. Internally, this was done simultaneously and partly in the same Honolulu office as the failed Hollywood movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Weedin. It was a game that was completely different from its hugely successful PlayStation predecessors - less realistic persistence and more like a clever, cartoon-style medieval fantasy.
Then there's the release date - four months after the PlayStation 2 PlayStation game arrived in Japan, on the day it was released, it was almost instinctive news. It doesn't help what was announced in Final Fantasy 10 and 11 - with the voice acting, super-realistic visuals, and online connections to these games, FF9 looks old from the moment it was released.
And still not in this case! Final Fantasy 9 is an incredible game and regularly ranks as one of the best games in the series. It seems to deserve the same muted tone as Wonder and Final Fantasy 6 and 7; It is the holiest one. For a real scientist, he is clearly the best.
Although I can be biased. Final Fantasy 9, in its twenties, is a profound personal anniversary for me because the game marks my entry into the world of video game writing, in a sense. I'm a diehard fan of FF7 and FF8, I was interested in learning as much as possible before FF9 was released. It took me to the ultimate fantasy community and from there created content for the fan site at the age of 11. I did it in college, at university, and, well, I'm here. Still here. You can all thank or blame FF9.
FF9 is really special for all the reasons listed above, except for my personal point of view. It is often abbreviated as a throwback game, a tribute to the Final Fantasy games of the past. While it’s absolutely full of links and eye-catching fans, it’s much more than that. It is a unique ultimate fantasy with its own style and power that has never been done before or since.
This is partly because the game is building a multinational international development team. Although, of course, under the leadership of the Japanese, most of the development of FF9, especially its industry, was conducted in Hawaii, USA. The group included Americans, French, Germans, and many more. Many Japanese games these days have been created by different teams for international recruitment and outsourcing policy, but are ahead of the FF9 pack.
This international streak is felt throughout the entire design of the game, and it's not just a pretty medieval styling that you'll find in games like Dragon Quest, but filled with some more character and especially the feeling of instability and reverse darkness. According to FF9 lead artist Toshiyuki Itahan, this is because of the different members of the game's art team, each bringing a different perspective.
Despite its international team approach, Final Fantasy 9 is the ultimate FF game that is really based on the vision of series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Although his name will appear in several roles later in several games, FF9 was the last one where he really defined the game from top to bottom, on the other hand criminally underrated director Hiroyuki Ito, who directed FF12 and was one of the directors of FF6. This vision is sure to be fully fulfilled.
Producer Shinji Hashimoto called it best when he said the game was made "under Sakaguchi's direction" and that "Sakaguchi's vision and the world he wanted to create really came true."
While Final Fantasy 7 was a breakout moment for the franchise, FF9 is a moment where things have really changed - the game has really taken a turn to focus on the latest visual technology and cinematic presentation. After FF9, it would be fair to say that Final Fantasy has spent the next twenty years searching for its soul - the closest thing to regaining its true glory is its latest release: a remake of the most famous game.
Obviously, the game is not perfect. The battles are the result of slow, hardware pushing the PS1 and Sakaguchi's intent to recreate the true turn-based nature of the early final fantasy. Some of his characters are less developed than others - Amaranth is the main culprit. This could do everything except quote Yoda from the ultimate boss. Admittedly, neither is the Tetra Master Triple Triad.
But for every minor slip of this kind, there are some of the best for the show, such as Zidane's identity crisis in the middle of the game, composer Nobuo Uematsu skilled late motif and a truly confident rhythm, and Beatrix, the ultimate Uber musician. .. a powerful anti-hero on the show with a particularly strong offspring in this character class.
The other components of FF9 are just as powerful as the Active Time Event System, which lets you see multiple events happening at the same time, allowing you to explore and tell stories in the fascinating cities of Guayaquil. This subtle character building of both the world and the actors really pays off - and when it comes time to end the story and the FF9 themes themselves fight to the death, it pays dividends.
In my opinion, Final Fantasy 9 is one of the greatest Japanese RPGs of all time. If you want the best, most comprehensive, and complete Japanese RPG ever made, play Crono Trigger. If you want the most culturally significant, play Final Fantasy 7. If you want to touch more, play Final Fantasy 6. All of the above are great - forever - but do you want the best? Well, for my money, that's not it.
So, for the classic at twenty. For better or worse, it really seems unlikely that a final fantasy like this would ever appear again. In this case, Final Fantasy 9 will be special forever.
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