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Review by: Jake
Delfeir
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Reviewers Score:
10 / 10
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Posted:
May 18, 2006 |
I'm going to start writing a couple of
less than perfect reviews in the near future. I just want to get some of
my recent outings into video games off my chest, though. Especially this,
one of my favourite games ever.
Final Fantasy 9
System: Playstation
Genre: RPG
Difficulty: Medium
Score: 10/10
Final Fantasy 9 came out late in the lifespan of the PS1, meaning that it
got less attention than it deserved. This was added to by the fact that it
changed the formulas set up in 7 and 8 by sporting a slightly less mature
setting and a number of throwbacks to the origin of the series. What this
produced is one of the finest RPGs in history, but is also one of the most
underappreciated in the otherwise famous series. If you haven't played it,
allow me to tell you what you're missing...
Graphics (10/10)
The visuals are nice, really really nice, but as usual are
underappreciated. Rather than adopting the gritty style, semi-modern
backdrops, and dark colours of its older brothers, Final Fantasy 9
returned to the vibrant and colourful days that had been dropped since the
SNES and brought it to life in amazing detail. The settings are very
high-fantasy style, meaning towering monolithic cities loaded with colour
and depth, and are always a pleasure to look at. Even the darker aspects
of the game, such as the city of thieves or some of the final dungeons,
still possess that fine level of detail and that high-fantasy feel which
adds to the immersive pull of the game. It's all really pretty, especially
in the FMV scenes that are scattered throughout.
Character models all look fairly good too, but caused a bit of a complaint
among some - they are no longer properly proportioned and follow the 'chibi'
style, with disproportionate heads and hands, just like they had been in
the sprite-based days of the series. Fans of the previous two games,
again, didn't like the changes. Those willing to look past that bias saw
well-modelled characters, which had a life to them in their movements that
was lacking previously. This was especially true in the FMV scenes, which
contain some of the best animations I've seen on the original Playstation.
The characters are all cute and endearing, just like the rest of the games
visuals, and so for this raw display of eye candy, Final Fantasy 9
receives a full score.
Sound (10/10)
Like the graphics, Final Fantasy 9's sound was developed with the older
games in mind. As such, the music has reverted from the rock/metal
soundtracks of the last two games and replaced by something a little more
mellow. Like with the graphics, though, this change is done excellently.
The music fits the situations it is played in perfectly, and at times
seems to heighten the mood. This is done particularly well in some of the
more emotional scenes, which bolsters them considerably and really
connects with the player in a way that I haven't seen before in a video
game. The individual songs may not be as well done or popular as some of
Uematsu's other work, but the overall effect adds something to the overall
package. The sound effects are all in the right place and all sound good,
too.
Storyline (10/10)
I'd give this section a higher score if I could, really. See, the
wonderful thing about Final Fantasy 9's story isn't just the depth and
epic feel of it - which is there in abundance - but is instead the sense
of connection you have to it and the characters. More on this in a moment.
The story starts off straight away with the main character, who is a human
with a tail. Proper humans aren't the sole inhabitants of this universe,
it would appear. His name is Zidane, and he's a member of the Tantalus
group, a bunch of actors... and thieves. The merry band of reprobates have
been hired to kidnap the princess of Alexandria, Princess Garnet. A little
background is given here, then the scene shifts to a creature which
old-time Final Fantasy fans should recognise... a Black Mage! This Black
Mage is Vivi, and he's in Alexandria to see the play which the Tantalus
group is putting on as a cover. However, his ticket is a fake, so he then
conspires with a rat-like creature named Puck to sneak into the play. Come
the performance, the play is acted out at the castle as a cover, with
Zidane sneaking off after his scene in order to kidnap the princess as
requested. In his searching, however, Garnet finds him... and ASKS to go
with him to escape. He readily agrees and they attempt to escape, all the
while being pursued by Garnet's bodyguard, a knight named Steiner. After a
series of mishaps and while under fire, they manage to get away, somehow
picking up Vivi and Steiner in the process, and this is where a long
series of events begins...
The storyline for this game is, much like other Final Fantasy games, very
well done. There are a number of very clever plot twists and happenings
that keep the player guessing, constantly making them think and anticipate
how it will continue. This continues throughout the entire game, though
some people tend to dislike the twist right at the end. I don't share that
sentiment, however - I find that it works quite well and fits in with the
rest of what is happening, and the overall ending and conclusion is
immensely satisfying and heartfelt. It even made me cry, I'll admit, and
this hasn't happened in a video game before.
This wasn't accomplished just by the storyline, however... it's the
characters that make this game truly wonderful. In Final Fantasy 7 and 8,
most of the characters are fairly... basic with their emotions. The main
characters in particular are typical brooding action heroes, but as a
result it can be very hard to develop emotional bonds with them. Final
Fantasy 9 is completely different. Every character has a very, very deep
personality, and each of them is very different but complement one another
perfectly. In this way, they are also extremely endearing. Personally, I
felt much of what the characters were feeling and constantly wanted to
know how things went. The characters are simply the most endearing
characters ever to grace any video game I've ever experienced, ever.
Zidane, the easy-going and friendly womaniser with the confused streak
underneath. Vivi, the adorable Black Mage who goes on learning just who
and what he is, experiencing a wide range of emotions in the process.
Garnet, the good-hearted princess who is extremely unsure of her
capabilities. Steiner, the honest and loyal to a fault knight captain who
develops inner conflict between completing his duties and following what
he knows to be right. This, topped off with a villain that you can truly
connect to, empathise with, and understand right up to the very end, make
the cast simply wonderful. For this, I would be willing to give Final
Fantasy 9 a more than perfect score, but that would be breaking rules.
Suffice to say, it's the most touching and endearing experience designed
for a game console.
Gameplay (10/10)
Final Fantasy 9's system is not as complex as its predecessor, and once
again it's inspired from some of the earlier games. The battles are
typical Final Fantasy fare, too - the Active Time Battle is once more in
effect, so you wait as a bar fills up according to your character's speed
before you can select an action. Your health is marked by your Hit Points,
and the magic you can cast is marked by your Magic Points. A nice little
touch to this game, though, is that you can once again use 4 characters at
a time. They cut it back to 3 for the last two games, but because of the
differing nature of the game, it's necessary to have access to that many.
Rather than Final Fantasy 7 and 8, 9 actually locks in what abilities you
can use. For example, Zidane has four commands - Attack, Steal, Skill, and
Item. Garnet gets Attack, Summon, White Magic, and Item. That's all he'll
ever have unless he's in Trance - more on that in just a moment. Because
you can't just stack 8 or 9 different commands on each character now,
having that extra character means you're capable of a little more. It
means that once again, you have to focus more on the strategy of which
character you're using, rather than just picking anyone. Each character
has their moves defined, but how you gain the moves is a bit different.
Every piece of equipment in this game is charged with some kind of
ability. These can either be Action or Support abilities, and not all of
them can be used by each character. Zidane's basic weapon, the Dagger, has
the Action ability Flee. So if Zidane has this weapon equipped, then he'll
be able to use the ability Flee. This doesn't mean, however, that he'll
have to keep that basic Dagger on forever if you want to run away. Each
skill on each piece of equipment has an Ability Point value. If you get
that much AP with Zidane, then he'll master the ability and can access it
forever. Like previous games, you gain experience and ability points after
every battle. Experience affects your characters level, which in turn
affects their stats and overall power. Anyway, every character has their
own individual Action abilities, but the Support abilities are generally
shared by a few characters. Not every character learns it from the same
piece of equipment though. Support abilities aren't used in battle like
Action abilities are - they are instead equipped outside of battles
through the menu. Each Support ability bestows upon that character a
certain boost or advantage. The ability Protect Girls, possessed by Zidane,
will occasionally let him stand in the way of an attack on a female member
of the party. You can't use all your Support abilities at once, though.
Every character has a limited number of Magic Stones, and each Support
ability costs a certain number of Magic Stones to have equipped. You get
another Stone occasionally when you level up. The better the ability, the
more it costs. Something like Protect Girls only costs a couple, but a
really good ability like Counter or Auto-Life will cost a fair few. Most
Support abilities are used to grant immunities to certain status effects,
so for some bosses and situations it pays to assign your Support abilities
very carefully. Learning these abilities is very important if you want to
get far in the game, but equipment in this game will more often than not
bestow some kind of elemental immunity or boost. So rather than just
picking the most powerful equipment, now it can take you quite some time
to gear yourself accordingly. It's actually a nice touch, I find, and
boosts the strategy required for challenging situations.
While that covers the vast majority of the battles, there's one more
little feature. Like the Final Fantasy 7 Limit Break gauge, every
character has a gauge that fills up when they get hit by an enemy. When
that gets filled, they automatically go into a Trance. While in the
Trance, their stats are boosted considerably, and their Skills change.
Vivi, for example, has his Black Magic replaced by Double Black, which
means he can cast two spells in one turn. Every character has a little
tweak like this, though for special reasons Zidane has the most impressive
change. When he trances, his usual Skill capability gets replaced by Dyne.
These moves, which are added to as you level up and progress through the
game, are insanely powerful... despite being huge MP drains. However, they
can easily turn the tide of a tough boss battle. Unlike the Limit Break,
Trance usually lasts for a few turns rather than just being one attack. It
does have a downside though - because it is used automatically, you may
end up having it wasted on a regular enemy battle and then find yourself
against a boss immediately after. Or you could beat the enemy before you
get a chance to use it - in this case, the Trance gauge is set back to
empty after the battle is over. That's perhaps the only real problem with
the gameplay of this game, but other than, the battle system is great.
As is fairly common of the Final Fantasy games, too, there are also a few
sequences where you'll be found doing mini-games. Some of these include
timing your jumps right to clear a jump rope, or hit a button when
prompted to act out a swordfight. These are a nice break from the norm,
though they aren't quite as common as they were in Final Fantasy 7.
However, there is a fairly big mini-game and sidequest called Chocobo Hot
and Cold. This entails you taking Choco the Chocobo into a certain area
and having him dig up items with his beak. When you dig, he'll say
something, which reflects how close you are to an item, as if he was
saying 'getting warm' or 'getting colder'. Most of the items you get are
fairly plain (although still useful), but occasionally you can dig up a
Chocograph. These rare items display a picture of a certain area of the
World Map. If you take your Chocobo to that spot and have him dig, you'll
find a treasure trove of items! Sometimes you might even find an upgrade
for your Chocobo, meaning you'll be able to take him through different
places in the world and thus open up new areas to dig. This will
eventually lead you to the ultimate optional boss in the game by unlocking
a special hidden area, and the rewards for the quest can be really good.
Other than that though, the sidequests and mini-games are fairly limited.
That alone should take up a good amount of your time, though, and there's
just about the right amount of stuff in it. Too much more and it'd become
dull, and a little less would have made it seem too short. So it's a good
balance.
Just like the usual Final Fantasy games, that's really all there is to it
in terms of gameplay. For the better part of the game you'll be trekking
through a multitude of dungeons and locales, all of which are fairly
varied and interesting. As I say quite a lot, it's all standard RPG fare,
but it's still very fun and well done.
Replayability (6/10)
Eh, what can I say? It's an RPG, it suffers from the usual trait of
story-based RPGs. The average person won't be playing through this over
and over. However, just like how I felt after playing through Final
Fantasy 7, I was drawn to this game even after I finished. I have little
doubt that given more time, I would certainly play through this game
again. It's certainly alluring.
Overall (10/10)
Final Fantasy 9 is not so much a game that you play because it's fun.
Don't get me wrong, it really is. This game is really more of an emotional
experience and epic story, though. Just keep in mind that I am a writer
and as such I appreciate stories and characters that I can really connect
to on a personal level like this. That and the fact that I'm a sap may
have just made the game appeal more to me than it would to most gamers.
Nonetheless, it is a very good game in all respects and ways, and just
like the much more acclaimed Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9 is one of
the best ever. It's one of my favourite games, too. Games like this
continue to prove that Squaresoft was and is the master of the RPG. |
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