Final Fantasy IX

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 426 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 373 out of 426
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 426
  3. Negative: 38 out of 426

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  1. deadlysilentbob
    Sep 23, 2017
    5
    To start this review I would like to say that I probably spent most of the time in my childhood playing this game above all others. I had at least 1000 hours over multiple save files and multiple playthroughs. So believe me when I say that this remaster is very, VERY disappointing.

    The nature of a remaster means that we cannot rate the game based on game content that was part of the    To start this review I would like to say that I probably spent most of the time in my childhood playing this game above all others. I had at least 1000 hours over multiple save files and multiple playthroughs. So believe me when I say that this remaster is very, VERY disappointing.

    The nature of a remaster means that we cannot rate the game based on game content that was part of the previous iteration of the game as that would just be redundant circlejerking (if you want the original reviews they are still on metacritic). Instead we must only rate the new/remastered content and the content that should have received a remaster.

    1st off: Graphics. This has got to be some of the laziest s*** I have ever seen. The backgrounds in towns actually appear to be worse than the ps1 original. The only parts of the overworld that got an actual rework were the character/enemy models (to their credit those were actually well done). The battles are a disjointed mish mash of frame rate drops and awkward 60 fps damage pop ups that are actually quite distracting. The cutscenes are exact pulls from the ps1 version with no smoothing or even upscalling AT ALL. Finally I would like to know why the font is set to "I have the eyesight of a molerat" size for EVERYTHING.

    2nd: Music. The soundtrack received absolutely NO remaster at all. Take this as you will but if im gonna buy a remaster I like to have the soundtrack reworked with an option to switch to the original.

    and 3rd: Gameplay. There are built in cheats for the game that are accessible through the pause menu and the config menu. I understand that this was originally set up as an iOS game and as such cheats to speed progress would be a boon to people who just want a casual time waster while commuting. They do however drain all the fun from the game for people looking for an actual gameplay experience. I urge you to play without the cheats at least once. Other than the cheat menu there are no real changes to the battle system. The analogue movement has been removed which results in clunky overworld movement but that is more of a quality of life thing and not really a hindrance to gameplay. The addition of trophies however was nice and definitely increases replay-ability.

    As a person who wanted this game remastered for so long, I find myself very saddened by the cheap and heartless way this game was reborn. ESPECIALLY in light of how beautifully ff12 was done. If you are new to this game I urge you to play the original ps1 version (available for the psp, psvita and ps3 on the psn for 6 dollars). If you are an old fan then you may get some enjoyment out of it but don't go into it thinking that this is gonna be anywhere near as good as the ff12 or even the ffx/x-2 remakes were.

    Overall I give this game a 5.    … Expand
  2. eruciform
    Feb 27, 2018
    6
    ** OVERALL 6.5/10 ** Gameplay 7/10 - Creativity 7/10 - Music 7/10 - Visuals 7/10 - Characters 7/10 - Plotline 6/10 - Emotional Engagement 6/10 - Replayability 6/10 - Difficulty 7/10

    Not my favorite FF but not terrible either. It has a unique feel and I'm glad I played it, but it gets to be a bit of a grind towards the end with the battle system in particular. And some of the characters    ** OVERALL 6.5/10 ** Gameplay 7/10 - Creativity 7/10 - Music 7/10 - Visuals 7/10 - Characters 7/10 - Plotline 6/10 - Emotional Engagement 6/10 - Replayability 6/10 - Difficulty 7/10

    Not my favorite FF but not terrible either. It has a unique feel and I'm glad I played it, but it gets to be a bit of a grind towards the end with the battle system in particular. And some of the characters are downright annoying.

    Gameplay 7/10

    It's a basic role-playing game. You learn skills by arming a particular armor or weapon that has a skill attached to it. This often means that you need to hold onto an old or bad piece for a long time, before you can extract use out of it. It's not the only game that does it this way - Tales of Berseria has a similar system, though it seemed more annoying here.

    The battle system is tedious. It first appears like timing matters, but it doesn't. It's turn based. But there's almost no point to haste or timing at all, because as you're enacting your turn, the bars all grow on everyone, so everyone's filled out at all times and you can't tell who's next, so there's no point. Also, there's a HUGE delay inbetween turns/characters that gets really grating.

    Creativity 7/10

    It has it's creative moments, but it doesn't really stand out to me, even among other FF's.

    Music 7/10

    Nothing to write home about but nothing really bad, per se.

    Visuals 7/10

    Some cute visuals from time to time, but also nothing particularly special. It doesn't go out of it's way to make beautiful vistas or anything, and the top-down viewpoint really limits scenery.

    Characters 7/10

    While Steiner was annoying at the beginning, I understand the character. And although Vivi is almost crippingly scared of everything, he has his moments and eventually grows as a character. Garnet (don't rename her Dagger, just don't do it, it's stupid) I actually like - her arc is believable and she's a good person and a useful character. Amarant is annoying and jagged in his personality portrayal, and so is Eiko. Freya I feel like they missed a huge opportunity to give her more of a role in the plot and character development, and in the end left her a fawning stereotypical girl. Quina is just plain annoying, all the time. I only kept him/her in the party for purposes of specific abilities at specific times. And finally, the main character, Zidane, I found really annoying. His character development seemed to take precedence over everyone else's, and nothing made sense until a bunch of deus-ex-machina stuff at the end. Not well done.

    Basically, I liked Garnet, even though they made her the "save me I'm a princess" character multiple times.

    Plotline 6/10

    Not bad, but really jagged at times. Hard to understand all the leaps and twists that occur for "because the plot requires it" reasons.

    Emotional Engagement 6/10

    I didn't feel for any characters except Garnet. And once or twice for Eiko.

    Replayability 6/10

    It's not on my high list to replay. I'm not sure how different it'd be the second time.

    Difficulty 7/10

    It was medium-difficulty. Decent curve over the course of the game. I did a bit of grinding and found myself overpowered at the end, but that's my play style.    … Expand
  3. Supersaiyan9000
    Dec 9, 2020
    7
    FF9 is by no means a bad game, but when comparing it to the most stellar of entries in the series such as 7 or 10; it honestly just isn't as "amazing," as all others seem to claim it is. As an RPG, it is competent and functional overall, but to me that's all that keeps it afloat.

    Apart from an art design that fails to impress me; the issues with Final Fantasy 9 as a game, while not    FF9 is by no means a bad game, but when comparing it to the most stellar of entries in the series such as 7 or 10; it honestly just isn't as "amazing," as all others seem to claim it is. As an RPG, it is competent and functional overall, but to me that's all that keeps it afloat.

    Apart from an art design that fails to impress me; the issues with Final Fantasy 9 as a game, while not fatal, primarily center on gruelingly lengthy load times, a poorly designed Limit break system, battles that tend to feel unsatisfyingly slow, and arguably the ugliest overworld map in the series.

    In short, Final Fantasy 9, while far from terrible, is grossly overrated.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PS4 Game of 2017
68
#68 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Cubed3
    Dec 21, 2017
    90
    It's a bold claim, but Final Fantasy IX is the best PS1 era Final Fantasy, and easily one of the best the series has ever produced. With it being on PS4 and PC, even if you don't want to visit a garage sale or local game shop to grab a PS1, you can now play one of the best RPGs ever created. While it manages to only just fall short of greatness, it does so with a level of grace so memorizing, it's hard to believe sometimes. If you still aren't convinced, just play to the final cutscene. That should convince you just fine.
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  2. DarkZero
    Oct 9, 2017
    80
    Though Final Fantasy IX’s PS4 port lacks the same love and care that was given to the recently released Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, it is still a solid enough re-release, and more importantly another modern source for players to experience this wonderful RPG classic, whether for the first time or the hundredth time. The timeless charm, characterization and content guarantees that this game will be the place you’ll return to someday, now and forever.
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  3. Destructoid
    Oct 5, 2017
    90
    This game feels like a home run after almost two decades. The look may be a bit dated, but the gameplay still holds up, and the story still resonates.
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