5/5 ★ – nate_mckeever's review of Final Fantasy IX.

FF IX, in my opinion, might be one of the least appreciated Final Fantasy games. I just played through the remaster for a Book Club over at the Breakdown and, oh boy, it was a ride. I had played the original and loved it when it first came out, but the revisit was Fantastic (pun intended…). It totally stands the test of time, although even with the remaster it’s a little dated, visually and in the controls department. The music is top notch. Like pretty much all the FF games. It’s consistent with the series. That story though, man. It’s just so good. It’s not melodramatic like VII and VIII. I mean it’s still kinda melodramatic, but it’s not brooding or edgy. It’s hopeful and optimistic, and might have the best love story in the FF games. It’s uplifting. I really miss this vibe in the FF games. Like I said before, the visuals are still kinda dated, even in the remaster. The character models are super clean, but the backgrounds are grainy and pixelated. Not sure if there’s an easy fix for that on consoles, but there’s a mod for the pc port that makes everything super pretty. I have to be honest here too, I really like the characters, but the overall design is not my favorite…. Mechanically, this game is pretty sound. The controls hold up even if they aren’t super impressive. The remaster adds some speed up functionality and some “cheats”. If it’s your first time with the game, I suggest a liberal application of the movement boost… avoid the “cheats”. Although, for my replay I made use of them often. Before I forget, this has the best interaction of skills in the series. I loved the equipment system… just saying. Wrapping up, this game is a great counterpoint to the brooding melancholy of VII and VII. It’s a shame that it doesn’t get more love, because it’s great. We need more stories like this one. We need to know that it’s not only okay to hope, but that we need to. This is a game that teaches us that it’s good to look into the darkness and smile, because good wins.