Final Fantasy IX

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 98 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 98
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 98
  3. Negative: 14 out of 98
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  1. JoseyBlueEyes
    Feb 17, 2019
    6
    Degraded visuals and sound quality subpar compared to ps4 version as of February 17, 2019. I trust that the Nintendo Switch can handle better sound and visual quality loads and look forward to a performance upgrade. The game is still enjoyable, particularly in handheld mode.

    Dear Nintendo and Square Enix, give us a visual and sound upgrade. Please and thank you.
  2. BlackSkull80
    Feb 22, 2019
    7
    I played this great game when it originally launched, and still love it today. This is a good "on the go" version, but the sound is not good, nor the performance, as I cant remember my old PlayStation taking too long to load a battle as it happens on this version. Also, the phone menu on the battle screen looks awful.
    It's a good version for nostalgia, or any person that hasn't played it    I played this great game when it originally launched, and still love it today. This is a good "on the go" version, but the sound is not good, nor the performance, as I cant remember my old PlayStation taking too long to load a battle as it happens on this version. Also, the phone menu on the battle screen looks awful.
    It's a good version for nostalgia, or any person that hasn't played it before, but such a game deserves better updates. Hope if some day we get a Final Fantasy VIII remaster, it's a really good version.    … Expand
  3. Kvr
    Feb 14, 2019
    5
    I own this gem of a game on PS1, Steam, Android, PS4 but still I needed it on my switch, this is one of my favorite games of all time! Look everyone knows this is one of the best FF there is so I don't need to explain that here. But there is something wrong with this version, the sound quality is really compressed, so it doesn't sound good, there is no bass... and I feel that there areI own this gem of a game on PS1, Steam, Android, PS4 but still I needed it on my switch, this is one of my favorite games of all time! Look everyone knows this is one of the best FF there is so I don't need to explain that here. But there is something wrong with this version, the sound quality is really compressed, so it doesn't sound good, there is no bass... and I feel that there are missing sound effects too. This is such a disappointment, with this game it needs to be as best as it can be, and with compressed sounds it is just not a good port. Didn't expect this, I paid 20 dollar again and what I got is a port with low quality sound...
    Lazy square enix.. I want my money back!    … Expand
  4. guiletheguiles
    Mar 27, 2020
    10
    This is my 2nd favorite Final Fantasy and this was the 3rd time I've finished it. It's still a classic.
    Everything about this game is amazing. The story, the battle system, characters and the witty writing. Hard to point out nay flaws.
    The ost is one of the best in the series and the open world is just amazing. Even the side-quests are very good, albeit too long. I also like the fact    This is my 2nd favorite Final Fantasy and this was the 3rd time I've finished it. It's still a classic.
    Everything about this game is amazing. The story, the battle system, characters and the witty writing. Hard to point out nay flaws.
    The ost is one of the best in the series and the open world is just amazing. Even the side-quests are very good, albeit too long. I also like the fact that you can beat the game without grinding, as long as you're well equipped and with the right abilities.
    This game is just perfect and probably one of the best starting points, in case you want to get into the series.
    Also, the Switch version is alright. Not better than the PS1 version, but it's just fine. There are no bad ways to experiencing this incredible epic.    … Expand
  5. mnt9
    Jun 3, 2019
    4
    Hasn’t really aged that well. Good gameplay sometimes but it’s usually too slow and tedious. Character expression is lacking and dialog is often too simple and wasteful.
  6. pendelberry
    Apr 27, 2019
    10
    Not a perfect port but still a good version of the game I have always loved this game and it is by far, in my opinion, the best game to start the franchise with. So for anyone who is new to Final Fantasy do yourself a huge favor and get this game.
  7. whowe
    May 15, 2019
    8
    Battle is too old school. Grinding is boring. Graphic is bad. But the story worth it. To be able to play this classic on the go is a plus.
  8. MonkdemMan
    Jan 30, 2022
    5
    I never beat this game originally on ps1, the first 10 hours had a lot of nostalgia for me. Now I finally finished the game on the switch years later, my overall verdict... I don't like it. The battle system is sooo slow, the characters are quite strange and unlikeable. The villain would look better dancing to village people in a parade then as a evil threat. Zidane is a creep, Vivi isI never beat this game originally on ps1, the first 10 hours had a lot of nostalgia for me. Now I finally finished the game on the switch years later, my overall verdict... I don't like it. The battle system is sooo slow, the characters are quite strange and unlikeable. The villain would look better dancing to village people in a parade then as a evil threat. Zidane is a creep, Vivi is pathetic. The ending was really bad! I thought I liked this game but now I've finished the whole thing I wish I just kept what I had played as a happy memory from my childhood… Expand
  9. nortoons
    May 2, 2020
    9
    Final Fantasy IX ended up being one of my favorites of the series. I found the gameplay and the story to be top-notch, and I personally valued the inclusion of the "cheats" to move faster or bypass enemies for a while if you get lost.

    I know a lot of people have complained about the graphics and music from this particular edition of the game, but to me, I don't really mind that it's    Final Fantasy IX ended up being one of my favorites of the series. I found the gameplay and the story to be top-notch, and I personally valued the inclusion of the "cheats" to move faster or bypass enemies for a while if you get lost.

    I know a lot of people have complained about the graphics and music from this particular edition of the game, but to me, I don't really mind that it's dated or that there are slightly better versions elsewhere. If you pick this up on sale, it's an excellent value to have the classic Final Fantasy IX on the go. If you already own it on another system and don't care about the portability, then this probably isn't for you. If you've never played it or just really want to play it on the Switch, I'd advise you to wait for a sale since it drops in price on the eShop fairly often, but even at full-price it's a fine value and a great game.    … Expand
  10. Deandess90
    May 17, 2020
    9
    Final Fantasy 9 has always had a special place in my heart. An amazing port, especially fun to play portably.
  11. virusnetwork
    Jul 24, 2020
    5
    Great game, horrible port. It's obvious cut down compared to the PC realise but there no way the switch can't handle this game
  12. Zethor
    May 25, 2021
    9
    A simple port, but with some much appreciated QOL changes to fix the slow pace of battles. FF9 was already a complete package, and now even more so; this game stands as my favorite entry in the series. The battle system is great, the world is lovely, and the story is strong. A few party members are woefully underdeveloped, but the stories of the core group and the villains they face moreA simple port, but with some much appreciated QOL changes to fix the slow pace of battles. FF9 was already a complete package, and now even more so; this game stands as my favorite entry in the series. The battle system is great, the world is lovely, and the story is strong. A few party members are woefully underdeveloped, but the stories of the core group and the villains they face more than make up for it.… Expand
  13. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    8
    A memorable adventure.

    The Good - the characters are really interesting, with varied personalities. I'm glad they aren't the stereotypical jrpg type of characters. The relationship between Steiner, Garnett, Zidane is really funny. Vivi and Freya kind of keep things a bit serious all the others actors a comic relief. - Vivi, the one with the deep questions, questions about the    A memorable adventure.

    The Good

    - the characters are really interesting, with varied personalities. I'm glad they aren't the stereotypical jrpg type of characters. The relationship between Steiner, Garnett, Zidane is really funny. Vivi and Freya kind of keep things a bit serious all the others actors a comic relief.

    - Vivi, the one with the deep questions, questions about the universe and life, and his own existence. Eiko, the lonely girl whose entire tribe was killed, trying to win the affection of Zidane. Garnet, the righteous princess trying to make things right in the Kingdom.

    - the mog letters are cute. The whole mog community and story revolving them is charming.

    - out of all the pre-rendered backgrounds in the final Fantasy series, ff9 probably has the nicest ones.

    - there's less travelling in the overworld which I am thankful for, because the amount of travelling and attempting to locate the next destination was very frustrating in final Fantasy 8. In this game, the locations are close by to each other in the overworld.

    - out of all the final Fantasy games I've played, ff9 probably has the most simple battle and levelling system. I personally am fine with this, but the game can become really brain dead if your characters are overleveled.

    - I like the way the game lets you use abilities. The way it has a quota for you to set, which allows you to prioritize which ability is useful for you in that part of the game. It's intuitive and simple to manage. It makes more sense then having to use an item every time you want to cure an ailment.

    - some of the text response options are pretty hilarious and prompt some interesting animations.

    - there is a lot of attention to humanity and personality in this game. You can really tell through the cutscenes that developers fired to give each character dialogue that fleshes out their traits. This allowed me to bond and relate with many of the characters throughout the game

    - I like how the game lets you control different members of the party when exploring a city. It gives you I better look at the characters personality and their thoughts through monologues. The active time events help to expand the story as well when the party is separated.

    - when's Zidane sees garnet in the in the special dress before she becomes Queen, he has nothing to say because her extra exalted and beautiful image makes him feel even smaller, and her even more unattainable. Their dynamic has always been kind of like Romeo and Juliet.

    - there isn't any unnecessary repetitive titles after you get annihilator. The continued function lets you start off pretty much right before the difficult battle that you lost.

    The Bad

    - no indication of what items are inferior when you are trying to sell in the shop, which means you need to cross-check you're inventory and go through each item to make sure you do not sell the wrong one.

    - not knowing which debuffs work on which enemies is really stupid. finding out whether something works or not becomes trial and error. Slow and silence and other tea boss like these are cool, but you never know which will work, meaning you'll be wasting MP to test. And most of the time it's better to just not use it and attack normally. Either this or you have to refer to a guide to see which will work, which sucks if you want to beat the game without any help. I think debuffs should still work on all enemies, but the potency of the debuff should bury depending on the type of enemy and the size of your party. For example, debuffs should be less effective against bosses. So instead of immunity, they will only have resistance. And this should be stated when a detect or scan ability is used. Anything in that removes the need for trial and error or referring to a guide is a positive thing for the game. Scan gives you some info, but it missed against most bosses.

    - the boss in Ipsen castle only weak weapons did decent physical damage to him. It was mostly weak against magic spells, but I did not have vivi or quina in my party. My characters were dealing on average less than 100 damage against him per turn. So at this point I can either restart a save file, then go all the way back to the ship to change my party. Or sit back for a very long and boring fight, just dealing peanut damage and constantly healing. Not knowing what debuffs it was susceptible to did not help either. How is the player supposed to prepare for this boss fight, if they give no hints as to how you should set up your party beforehand. As a consequence, players have to waste their time to go into a trial battle just to see what is effective and what isn't.    … Expand
  14. Zski
    Jan 29, 2022
    9
    This is a review of the game being played for the first time in 2021-2022. This is also my first classic 3D Final Fantasy game, as I would only play the classic 2D Final Fantasy games. I experienced a pretty significant barrier of getting into the game, it has a very slow start which makes it even more difficult to overlook the many elements of the game that aged poorly. I actually startedThis is a review of the game being played for the first time in 2021-2022. This is also my first classic 3D Final Fantasy game, as I would only play the classic 2D Final Fantasy games. I experienced a pretty significant barrier of getting into the game, it has a very slow start which makes it even more difficult to overlook the many elements of the game that aged poorly. I actually started playing this over a year ago, put maybe 5 hours into it and just couldn’t get into it until I revisited it again recently. I am very thankful that I went back and gave it another shot, because once the combat system and story open up after the initial 5 or so hours, it starts to have the same feeling of the 2D Final Fantasy games that I enjoyed the most (FFIV and FFVI). The game really shines with its characters, as they all have their own unique charming personalities, and they really make up for the relatively weak overarching story. The initial slog of all the dialogue about the overarching story begins to take the backburner when you get a feel for each character’s individual journey. The combat system is the classic turn based Final Fantasy system, which works well, however the slow speed of the combat takes some getting used to, especially during the early portion of the game when you don’t have many characters in your party. That gets much better as you get a full party characters with unique abilities, which really takes away from the waiting. The music is decent, but I just didn’t find it as memorable as the SNES era Final Fantasy games. The graphics aged poorly and took some time getting used to them. Overall, it’s a fun journey and I can really see why this game is considered one of the best among fans. Without having any nostalgia for the game, I consider it to be a top caliber Final Fantasy game, but I definitely enjoyed FFIV and FFVI more.… Expand
  15. basic123
    Oct 16, 2022
    10
    Never gets boring. Great game no matter what platform you play on. Well written main characters and an insane story.
  16. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this nineth game in the series.

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 28, 2019
    80
    If you've never played Final Fantasy IX before, I would highly recommend picking this up, despite the graphical and musical shortcomings of this particular port. [Issue #39 – May/June 2019, p. 26]
  2. RPGamer
    Apr 29, 2019
    80
    I think Final Fantasy IX proves that the middle road between a complete remake and simple emulation may be the best path to take to revive older games. Welcome features like autosave and optional cheats let players old and new experience the game on their terms. Final Fantasy IX is an amazing experience, with a fantastic cast and story — it’s truly a masterpiece of the PlayStation era. This upgrade means that fans don’t have to wait years to experience it again without all the pitfalls of the original.
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  3. Daily Star
    Apr 28, 2019
    60
    The quality of life improvements made can’t cover up the fact that this is a lazy port of a game that deserves better.
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