You know what they say, right? Better late than never! So Final Fantasy IX finally (no pun intended) launched on a Nintendo console so that you can indulge in this fantasy released back in 2000 on the PS1. If you didn’t play the game back then, or on iOS, Android, PC or PS4, then here’s your chance! I had the chance to play it back in the original PlayStation days and it always struck me as one of the most visually impressive games at the time. I didn’t play the re-release version which packs new features like no encounter mode, a much needed auto-save and “high-definition movies and character models”. I also remember mostly bits and pieces of the plot from my first playthrough so the Nintendo Switch version presented itself as a good excuse to refresh my memory and invest some more time in gaming.

Final Fantasy IX begins with the Tantalus Theater Troupe’s plan to kidnap Princess Garnet, the heir of Alexandria, who was in fact simultaneously planning on escaping from the castle herself. The plot evolves to merge the paths of monkey-tailed Zidane, member of the Tantalus Theater Troupe, Princess Garnet, her personal guard Steiner, the shy but powerful black mage Vivi and other colorful characters who all share an unexpected journey filled with adventures, dangers and ultimately a threat to destroy the world. The story is original and interesting to say the least, and worthy of traditional Final Fantasy games.

The port is basically the same version that was released on previous platforms and works perfectly on the Nintendo Switch. Noticeably, it has enhanced sprites that starkly contrast with the pre-rendered environment throughout the game’s varying backdrop. In the original game, the models and environments blended almost naturally but with the HD upheaval, one cannot help but notice the discrepancy. Leaving the models untouched might have been a better option visually in this case.

However, at its core, Final Fantasy IX is still a classic Final Fantasy JRPG, what with managing your party, partaking in mini games and the ability to travel freely across vast and varied locations supplemented with those nagging random encounters coupled with the charm of those old school ATB-based battles. But this version of the game has a “Safe Travel” mode that actually allows you to prevent those random encounters while exploring. To help ease things even more there is the “Battle Assistance” mode that refills the health, MP, and Trance counts and can help you out in a particularly difficult fight. On top of that there is the “9999” mode that assigns this number to your damage points, level and money, should you come across even more difficult fights (or are just feeling especially lazy). All of these modes can be triggered in-battles and while you can dismiss them as plain cheat, they are still all optional.

One feature that will surely be welcome unanimously is the auto-save. I used to dread the save function in Final Fantasy games, having to look for a Moogle before saving and/or quitting. In this version though, once you enter a new area, the game automatically saves. This allows players to enjoy this immense game at their own pace, opening it up to a wider audience.

Final Fantasy IX is a fine port on the Switch. It is boasts new features, some of which enhance the experience while others can be divisive. However the experience is mostly the same at its core; that is an enjoyable one.

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Final Fantasy IX eShop Link

 

[Kioku]

Saw that on the shop last night. Debating on whether or not I'd want to try it.

 

[Prans]

Saw that on the shop last night. Debating on whether or not I'd want to try it.

if you haven't played it before, I'd recommend it.

 

[BORTZ]

Please. Go. Play. This. Game. For the love of God, if you like any sort of Final Fantasy, JRPG, good games, and haven't played this one. Go. Right now. You owe it to yourself.

I have a very good sense of time. I have this uncanny ability to be able to guess the time within minutes. I don't "lose" track of time when gaming. My internal clock is great, even when sleeping. When I was in high school/college, I would game before bed. It was kinda like reading a book for me. It wound me down and got me all sleepy. On spring break of my junior year of college, I learned that you can adapt your own psp eboots and put them on your PSP. I had just finished FFVII and couldn't get into VIII. I tried IX (I think secretly I had just wanted to play XI anyways lol). I figured I would play the intro and get my first save or so. After what I thought was about an hour and 15 minutes or so I rolled over to check the time, thinking "Its kinda late and i'm tired. Better get to bed." It was 3:30AM. I am not kidding. I played 6 hours straight without so much a checking the time. It never happened before and it hasn't happened since.

I finished it once. I haven't played it again despite it being one of the best gaming experiences I have EVER had. I don't want to ruin the memories. I even completely skipped (read:missed) and entire huge portion of the game, the Chocobo Hot and Cold mini game.

Go. Play. This. Game.

 

[AmandaRose]

Please. Go. Play. This. Game. For the love of God, if you like any sort of Final Fantasy, JRPG, good games, and haven't played this one. Go. Right now. You owe it to yourself.

Yep even if you only have a small interest in Jrpgs this deserves to be played.

Side note only issue I have with the game is Steiner being a total dick lol.

 

[Chary]

I've heard a lot of people hold this up as one of the best Final Fantasy games. I might finally get around to trying it now that it's on the Switch.

 

[AmandaRose]

I've heard a lot of people hold this up as one of the best Final Fantasy games. I might finally get around to trying it now that it's on the Switch.

In my opinion it's way better than 7 but not as good as 6 lol.

 

[Wuigi]

The game looks like the emulated PS1 game with PGXP enabled.
The low resolution prerendered backgrounds clash with the blocky high resolution 3d character models.
Laughable that they didn't update those when they seem to have the original assets stored somewhere and this would be a small addition to the otherwise barebone port.

One could buy the 10$ PSN PS1 game, retrieve the pkg link with psndl, extract it with lman pkg extractor, extract the disc images with psxtract and play it on switch via emulation.
Much more steps but it would look nearly identical for half the price.

 

[eyeliner]

For the final cinematic alone, you should get it.
The story is good, the end boss is relatable, the party varied, the characters are a deviation from the emo Cloud/Squall 'don't give a damn about anything'.

It's a very good journey to get lost in.

 

[godreborn]

I've been playing through this one. the game looks pretty good on an hdd unlike the psx classic's final fantasy vii. that looks ugly as hell. the fmv's seem dated and choppy. the one thing I have a problem is the fact that it's over $20.

 

[leon315]

i still have the psx 4cd version
guess the original one has invaluable value now!

 

[Plunt]

This game still holds up solid. I originally played through on the ps1. Possible emulator play through over the years. Just finished this switch port a couple nights ago forgot how great this game is. I highly recommend if you're into the ff series. Looking forward to the other ff switch ports coming out.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I thought this was a review but there was no rating at the end, that confused me a bit. It certainly reads like a review.
Not planning on replaying FF9 right now, I loved it the first time but unlike some other FF titles it's not one I've ever felt the need to replay. But at some point I probably will.

 

[Paulsar99]

Buy and play this game. Reminds you of how great final fantasy used to be.

 

[sarkwalvein]

I got this game on release day back on the PS1 days and played it non stop for 4 days (probably with some 4 hours breaks for sleep). Ah... things I was able to do when I was still in high school.

It was a great game.
Not sure if I would buy it again... someday if I get very nostalgic I guess.

 

[jurassicplayer]

By pure coincidence, I decided I'd try out the PSX FFIX 2 days ago (literally the night before I had an in-person interview). No, I didn't stay up the whole night, but I did sleep at like 3am. Then yesterday I found out that there were ports all over the place with those better quality models...I just console myself with everyone saying that it's half-assed.

In terms of progress, I'm at the first town...it's been 6 hours.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

I'm lost, what's the point of this post? Why is this on the front page? Is this sponsored content?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I prefer the OG version on my PS1, not the biggest fan of the "new" port personally. But it's nice to see them port it over everywhere so more people can get a chance to play it. Definitely one of my favorite FF games of all, only beaten out by 6.

 

[tbb043]

Much more steps but it would look nearly identical for half the price.

Unless you're using sxos or something and able to play it free,

 

[ThirstyPrisoner]

Unfortunately (and unmentioned in this review) this version of FFIX does carry over the music bug of the PS4 version, meaning music tracks restart after each battle rather than carry on as they did in the original version. While not game breaking, it does mean that you may never hear the full music tracks in regular gameplay. More troubling is the fact that Square Enix is satisfied with letting this go unpatched.