Why Final Fantasy IX Remains a Human Masterpiece in 2024 

In all my years of gaming, There are only a handful of times where I have been truly moved by a video game moment. “You’re Not Alone” is first among equals in this category.

The Studio Ghibli of Final Fantasy games, I love it 🥰💚

FF9 is one of those few games with a true soul ... a magical masterpiece ❤

I think that the game's concept of dealing with your own mortality hits SO much harder because it's Vivi. Who for all intents and purpose is just a child. It makes us feel for him in a way that we don't want to see anything bad happen to him. That we want to comfort him, or we're upset alongside him when he's scared. Seeing people die in a cutscene in X doesn't hit the same the way it does for when we follow Vivi's story of learning about how short his people's lives are. And being scared not knowing how much time he has left of his own.

FF 9 is the most "fantasy" of Final Fantasy and it is my favourite. Have a good day everyone.

Final Fantasy IX is a very high concept game. Stylistically it's not fully fantasy, it's not fully steam punk. It has a very developed own style which shines bright in EVERYTHING. The characters, area design, gameplay, dialogue, story. Every detail is so carefully thought out, the world feels truly alive. There are rarely games with so much unique personality that make you fall in love. It tought me to value good concepts, and this is what I use in my work in marketing till this day.

FF9 is one of those games that seems to be overshadowed by 7. So I'm really happy to see it get shown some love online.

FF9 hit me like a truck, this was a very powerful story that felt so special and mature. Sakaguchi went all out on writing this story.

FF IX is my roman empire.. I'm not joking

"A twink on a dragon" was not a phrase i expected to hear today

This game is simply put; charming. There's no edge here, it's just an honest introspective viewing of what life is. And ofcourse there is Vivi, all I'm gonna say about that.

The thing that never gets discussed about nine, and what distinguishes it well above the rest of the series, is how well the dialogue is written. It's one of the only games in the series where the characters talk like actual people and the sentences follow sensible, logical structure. When you combine that with the setting of a fantasy world, you have an irresistible charm that kicks the crap out of all of the other games in the series

The part of the game I found to be most poetic is the theme of life and death. Each character has their own relationship with this theme, which is eluded to in the quotes in the pre-game reel. All major civilizations in the game are either destroyed or severely damaged. The team has death constantly looming over them at all times and two of them, Zidane and Vivi were made to be weapons, but choose to live. The main antagonist, Kuja is driven to destruction through fear of his own mortality. After killing the team (as I nterpretated it) they are faced with the embodiment of death, Necron. Who, albeit was a surprising final boss on my first play through, makes a lot of sense considering the characters existential deliemmas. Kuja choosing to revive the team as he came to terms with his fears created a full circle moment to close out the game. A masterful story.

It still looks beautiful to me. My favorite game ever.

I played this game with my dad for the first time when I was around 12. My parents were divorced and I’d go to his house every other weekend, and always wanted to play FFIX, not just because I liked it, because my dad loved it. It has remained my favorite game of all time, in part due to the fact my dad voice acted everyone. FFIX is funny and charming and just so impactful, it will follow me my entire life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In 2000 I was such a big fan of Final Fantasy I told both my parents "I don't care what else I get for Christmas but I NEED THIS game" come Christmas day I got two copies of it, my mom did go "oh we have to see if we can return one" and I wish I told her no and just kept that one sealed because this game and ESPECIALLY the music have a very special place in my heart.

Wow, you really wanna convince me to play this game with this video man! Fine fine gonna give it a shot! 👍

It's peak fiction. It and 10 are the only FFs I cried at, while I cried at 10 because of what happens to Tidus, I cried at 9 because the ending genuinely moved me. Also has such great moments like "You're Not Alone", and this is the one Final Fantasy game where they nail character development for almost every character involved (excluding Amarant lmfao) The only thing FF9 needs is a remake to fix the slow nature of the combat and fix some stuff like limit breaks and we have the definitive best Final Fantasy game in the series Also wtf is up with all the dislikes??

FF9 not just my favorite Final Fantasy but also my favorite video game!! This game is the reason I got into speed runs and this is about the only game I've speed through lol!! Love the Excalibur 2 challenge as well as the frustrating E2PG!! Love the music and the characters!!

When i first got to control Vivi i remember my 10 year old self thinking "I would die for this guy"

One of my fondest memories was almost missing school because I got to Necron and was trying to beat the game before school. And I lost. Bad. The younger me didn't fully understand the mechanics of the battle. I was around level 70 when I got to Necron the first time. After coming home from school, I booted up FF7 to try to beat Necron again. When I booted it up, my characters were mysteriously level 90. I asked about it and my parents told me they leveled my characters while I was at school and even specified they didn't use any items or change any setups. And I beat Necron. Thats love! 😊 Even though Vivi is just the hooded mage with glowing eyes to them.

I first played FF9 when it came out when I was 10 or 11. It quickly became my favorite. It may be corny but I made it a ritual to play it every year when school got out to start my summer off right.

When I first played FF I played FF7,8, and 9. 9 became my favorite game of all time, and no other game ever managed to steal that throne.

9 and 10 are the only games in the series where I felt fully immersed because of how well designed the worlds are.

Truly on my top ten list of not just favourite rpgs, but favourite games of all time, the characters, the music, the setting, and a battle system that's easy to follow while still requiring thought to master. While ff7 still is one of the best in the series, this one remains special to me for it's uniqueness in the series

Man, excellent commentary and review! I was old enough to play this game at launch when it came out, I remember the hype even. You did an excellent job of explaining why it has held up so uniquely over the years!

Commenting for the algorithm. Great job, man. Keep it up.

As a diehard ff7 fan, ff9 almost swayed my heart. Almost.

I have only played this once, my sophomore year of high school back in the fall of 2004. Crazy to think that was 20 years ago. But I literally just posted my piano version of “Melodies of Life” on piano a couple months ago. This game has my favorite colllection of music from a Final Fantasy game, even though X is my all time favorite. This game’s feeling and aura it presents is quite special. And as I make my way through all of the main title entries (except XI), I will very much enjoy getting the chance to play through the main story and getting the Platinum for this one (besides that awful jump rope trophy😂😂). Final Fantasy IX is definitely a masterpiece and a truly unforgettable experience that lives on through the ages❤.

Final Fantasy 9 is still my favourite game in the series. Zidane is my favourite protagonist and Kuja is my favourite villain. Theres other villains I like including Kefka, Sephiroth, Genesis, Caius, Ardyn but i still would put Kuja in my top spot. I would like to see a trailervsoon for the remake ive been hearing about for the last few years

That's the most well rounded game of the last ps1 main titles.

I was browsing youtube on videos to remind me of one of my fav games of all time, FF9. Found your video by chance and I'm glad I did. You highlighted points which I haven't come across in other videos on similar topic, your analysis in on point and your narration is engaging, even for someone like me who has a very short attention span. I'm a fan. Looking forward to more videos from your channel.

FF9 and the mostly forgotten FF in heart Lost Odyssey are Hironobu Sakaguchis masterworks, so sad the way Square went after he was gone...

Absolutely loved FF9, I played most of the first 10 Final Fantasy games (yes including the original Final Fantasy on NES, not the PS1 remaster) and FF9 would be the most "Final Fantasy" with FFVI a close second. I would love a remaster of both of titles especially FF9, as well as Final Fantasy Tactics.

FF9 is and forever will be my favorite. The story, the characters, the music and the world is just wonderful. I love how it can be funny and light hearted but also dark and serious in moments when it needs to be.

Since 2000, when I played this game, it comes with my all the time!! Y just can't put out of my mind the animated scenes of this game, all the game play and sound and music!! Since then, every time I remember this game I feel nostalgic!! It was the best game on PSone

I’m like this for VII, VIII & X. Need to discover that love for IX

I enjoy your take on the perspective / camera angle! Interesting to think about

FF9 is the best FF because of its setting. The materia system is cool, but just because FF7 was the first to a lot of people do not mean it's the best. FF7 was my first but 9 is my favourite.

"FF used to be long and arduous, requiring 40 hours or more" meanwhile my first casual playthrough of FF7 Rebirth was somewhere north of 120 hours...

0:16 I WAS NOT EXPECTING YOU TO SAY THIS I LITERALLY SCREAMED

Replayed on switch. Was awesome to experience again. And this time with the speed options made it less of a grind not that it is much of one anyways.

Final Fantasy 9 feels like a declaration of love to old school true fantasy stories with knights and wizards/ cloak and dagger but in the form of FF

Glad I found this video since I'm playing 9 for the first time now!

"A story is only as strong as its writing." Fascinating

I’ve played FFIX a few times over throughout the years. My absolute favorite. Never gets old. Characters, storyline, music *chef’s kiss* I cried like a baby at the end the first time I experienced it. I was like, Me too girl, me too! Zidane always reminded me of David Bowie 😅❤ Anyhoo, I’ve played other FF games. Not one has had the same feel as FFIX.

Excellent video, great points throughout. Unforgettable game with so much soul.

Great video, distinctive voice, no notes

"No cloud no squall shall hinder us”... with this, FF9 declares its superiority to its predecessors.. this line was exclusive to the english version, the japanese version had a different line.

Lol. Not even mentioning 12 at all. I just started a play through of IX. I’m pretty early on, but the word of mouth is very positive and the tone hits just right for me.

My first final fantasy and forever my favourite. I remember my friend playing 7 and starting me on 9 when it came out. I was dreadful at it and remember never grinding and never being able to beat anything. Coming back to the game years later and delving into it brought back all those memories. Vivi will forever be my favourite final fantasy character. I hope that the developers know how much this game means to its fans and what an amazing experience they gave all of us

Thank you for this!! FF9 is and will forever be my favourite game of all time ❤️

FFVII is my favourite game, but i still remember when my dad bought us ( me and my brother ) FFIX for christmas, i was a 8 yo kid and the game felt so unique and magical, good times.

Final Fantasy IX is the first game of the series I have ever played, I just finished another run a couple of days ago and can't wait for the remaster!! This game has always felt like a lucid dream... Good luck to all the oldschool FF fans out there, kupo!

I never bought into the original ffvii hype but played mostly all the final fantasy games. 9 and 10 are still my 2 top rpg games of all with funny and romantic scene and memorable soundtracks. Can't be beat

So, ff9 is my favorite. And I was around and played 6&7. 8,10 and 12 are my 4th 5th and 6th placed

Good points about many aspects being distinct and memorable like locations and the characters. I agree that the sense of progression and game systems in IX are underrated. One thing I feel I want to express is that regarding the Moguri mod, I think there are some problems it presents that people ignore just because it looks crisper. The widescreen setting messes up off-screen models and camera panning, the upped frame rate of cut scenes makes the sound go out of sync, and let's not forget the crash before the final cut scenes. Basically I don't think it's quite as be-all and end-all as people make out, lol

My favourite game as well. I like all the points that you mentioned.

Favorite FF of all time for me til this day. The charm is simply memorable, and the characters are deep yet relatable.

Nah that letter from Vivi at the end still cuts me up

Truly an evergreen game that holds such a special place in my heart. Catch me playing this on my death bed when I'm old 😂🥰

Check out my massive review of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Nibelheim Mission: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JH2TEhS4C0w.html

I'm playing this right now for the first time but I have played a bunch of titles! I have an affinity for the pre rendered backgrounds of the ps1 era so I warmed up to this pretty quickly. Seeing Vivi walk up the street and trip over for the first time yeahhhhh I pretty much knew I would like this game no matter what!

FF9 was meant as a throwback to the earlier FF games 1-6 for their charm and that's what Squaresoft wanted to achieve with 9 and of course succeeded. It is not my favourite of the series but it has my acknowledgement.

personally think every other release of ffix is visually impaired vs the original. when i get the itch to replay, i emulate; a few tweaks, pgxp, crt filter (mattias). *it's beautiful this way, for me.* rereleases audio levels are broken, cutscene audio desyncs, regular tracks glitch. the ui design is messed with in battles, and the field map interaction adds exclamation marks over 'speakables'... character model changes / resolution mismatch, and the artwork was crafted for crt displays. load/cache times and lack of crt is why i choose emulation over original. great point about the fixed camera for locations, but you miss the intent by forcing widescreen, these shots were framed for 4:3, there was care, sometimes even punchlines delivered with these angles which at best are lost but in some instances are broken by the widescreen hack. sorry to rant, it just eats at me when people recommend such a mess as the "best" version, honestly i am glad it exists as a gateway for newcomers to experience the journey, i just wish it was done justice. as to your videos main point, i 100% agree; it's the humanity and soul that drips from this game and it's characters that becomes unforgettable. and i enjoyed your take on it. one last point about the games good writing; it has deliberate timing! it communicates through it's text speed _(minus the early theatre performance which is rushed to music sync),_ and for someone's first playthrough i **strongly suggest not changing the text message speed** or mashing to full reveal it, at least for story scenes. (ps: you can play battles co-op on original / emulated)

I found this video by chance, and my god so I want to listen to you talk about this!

FFX is my favorite FF game of all time! 9 was great too

I was just thinking about how special this game was, and then boom I see this video (algorithm 2 days slow at suggesting it xD).

My favourite FF game ever. Its beautiful in every single way ♥️

I'd say objectively they didn't ditch turn based after X-2. 12 was turned based, but you could still move the character around (only ditching random encounters; which isn't unique to TB). 13 was also turn based.

FF is my favorite series and 9 has been my favorite. The world and characters are just top notch and it makes me feel like im transported to another world. And that music thoo. God I want the remake rumors to be real, I hope it’s released sometime in 2024/2025 latest once the FF7 rebirth release hype window dies down

I like the game and I want to finish it, but there's one thing that really bugs me; the fact that I have to mouse-click to advance every sentence. I just want to sit back and watch the cutscenes, I don't want to keep my hand on the mouse and keep clicking to advance the conversations. Is there any mod that will auto-advance the dialogue without the need for a mouse click?

Everything flows together. The music just makes everything perfect. Best ost of any ff games.

Praying for that rumoured new remake now that Rebirth has been released.

I will say it until the end of time, bring back set-angle backgrounds!! Modern games have lost that cinematic charm by always slapping the camera a few feet behind your character's head. How have they not realized the magic pre-rendered backgrounds had after so long!

Wait how have you had time to complete the game multiple times since release? I am still waiting for the ATB gauge to fill in Evil Forest.

The problem with FF9's progression system is that the player is too often limited by which characters are available and so characters miss out on EXP for long portions of the game and they become mismatched with the others.

If they remake it I hope they flush out the story even more like about the main villain.

Most special game ever made. Nothing comes even close imo

Andy's Critique, You're so cool! Let's be friends and have fun!

Even though I still haven't finished this game and it's been over 15yrs. already. It's still my most favorite game of all time.

Beatrix is best girl!

I just played it again back in January and it's still such a lovely game!

Sometimes i will just watch final fantasy 9 videos like these, even though ive watched so many i know basicly everything, it still fills some nice nostalgia for ff9 without "having" to do another playthrough, as ive already beat the game 5 orso times.

Card game was lit

IMO FF9 really lived up to the Fantasy part in what I expect Final Fantasy to be. It had so many combination of elements in it that just isn't based in reality like other final fantasy games. Most other Final Fantasy games had mostly human characters but 9 had so many different types of weird unique characters.

I remember a few people that didn't even know this came! It slipped under the radar somehow (PS2). IX sits right up there with VII in my book. Honestly, I think it's the last good FF to come out but that's just my opinion.

I’ve always said I could never pick a favorite Final Fantasy because there’s so many classics I love but IX is the one I come back to the most and if I had only one I could ever play again this would be it. It’s perfect. Only gripe with the original version is the battles were a little slow but with the new versions you can speed it up so it’s literally perfect to me.

Absolutely my favourite FF ❤️ combat being slow and the trance system do bug me after all these years but the characters and charm this game has just does it for me.

FF9 is the most cohesive. From art direction to music to story. Gameplay, however, is very standard rpg.

I've played FF6, FF7, FF8, FF9, and FF10 and while FF9 is my second favorite, I never got invested in anyone's personal story like I did with the FF7 crew. I liked everything about FF9 except the characters and story. They were just okay to me.

Im thinking of buying this game soon? Is there anything else i should be worried about?

FF9 is my all time favorite

The battle system and frame rate during battles was the only thing that prevents me from making IX #1

Because FF9 was released before the PS2 dropped, it was a vastly underrated entry in the series. People hated 'backsliding' from the semi-realism in FF8. But in reality, FF9 was a more advanced, a more beautiful game than FF8 could be with its pseudo realistic design, most likely because a purely fantasy FF game didn't seem to do well, they decided to focus on technology at that point. 11 wasn't as popular as they'd have liked, though it's kept making them some money. 12 was fantasy and technology, but the divergence from classic turn based combat made it look weird. FF13 was a step entirely into the realm of high technology environments like in 7 and 8, but mostly for the Cocoon parts, not that I'm an expert on that entry, since I couldn't get past the combat system (it was too hard for me to handle!!!). And 14 is a pleasant mix of fantasy of technology. FF15 being a total focus on modernizing the setting (Kinda cool... kinda not. It's a story about a boyband that doesn't sing or dance as far as I saw.). But now FF16 heads in the right direction, though I can't like that it focuses on a single character so heavily. Going fantasy again with it was what we all wanted ever since ff9. And that's a huge part of why people are realizing that ff9 was a masterpiece.

FF9 is my favorite by far, and one of the best rpg ever. It's absolutely amazing, a special gem of rhe past. The only small flaw is the slow combat transitions and slow leveling in the second half of the game. It's nothing big, even the best game in history cannot be perfect. But FF9 gets damn close of beeing it.

Growing up is realizing that Final Fantasy 9 is the best Final Fantasy.

pure classic.

I remember how addicted I was in this game. Everything about it is just awesome, best RPG game ever besides VI ❤

Oh I love your taste I too love ff9 and believe ff 15 isn’t worth mentioning