About Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX takes place in a fantasy world called Gaia. The majority of Gaia's population resides on the Mist Continent. Various nations are scattered atop the Mist Continent's mountains, away from the eponymous Mist that cloaks the continent's valleys. This is due to the Mist's effect on wildlife, which mutates animals into monsters.

The protagonist, rogue Zidane Tribal, is a member of Tantalus, a traveling band of thieves and theatre performers. At the beginning of the game, he and the rest of Tantalus are given an assignment: to kidnap the crown princess of Alexandria, Garnet. However, it turns out the whole plot was never necessary. After Zidane chases Garnet onto Tantalus's flying airship, she surprises him by asking to be kidnapped to escape the thumb of her mother, who has been behaving erratically as of late.

What unfolds next is a conflict between the nations of the Mist Continent. Brahne, the queen of Alexandria, seeks to expand her kingdom into an empire, with the help of a weapons dealer named Kuja. As Garnet and Zidane seek to learn more about what's happening, other characters join them, getting caught up in the story's events. First is Vivi Ornitier, a Black Mage who has many questions surrounding his origins. Another is Adelbert Steiner, captain of the Pluto Knights, a loyal retainer to Princess Garnet, and fervent supporter of Alexandria's crown. Others include Freya Crescent, a dragoon knight from the kingdom of Brumecia, longing for her lost love Sir Fratley; Quina Quen, a member of the Qu tribe who joins the party to learn more about world cuisines; Eiko Carol, a lonely little girl and one of the remaining members of the Summoner tribe; and Amarant Coral, a mercenary hired to bring Garnet back to Alexandria.

Thematically speaking, Final Fantasy IX centers on personal agency. Every character is weighed by established expectations of who and what they must be. In response to these pressures, they must make choices to determine what kind of person they actually want to be. As the characters discover more about themselves, what follows is a thoughtful exploration of mortality, what it means to live a fulfilling life, and other existential topics.

The ninth mainline installment of the Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy IX was released at the tailend of the Playstation 1's lifespan. With entries VII and VIII having more futuristic elements than before, IX was conceived to be a throwback to Final Fantasy's earlier installments in both setting and genre. Producer and series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi wanted to show players that Final Fantasy did not have to be one singular thing, but encapsulate a wide range of themes. Furthermore, he envisioned IX as a retrospective on the franchise up to this point, and is full of references to previous titles––though knowledge of them isn't needed to enjoy the game! But because of this, Final Fantasy IX relishes in its fantastic medieval setting, where steam and wind technologies are only beginning to be developed. IX also shifted away from the more realistic art style utilized in VII and VIII, opting for a more stylized direction. Legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu returns to write music for IX, and is the last Final Fantasy game with music composed entirely by him.

Upon release, IX was overshadowed by VII and VIII due to its departure from their aesthetics and the (then) recent release of the Playstation 2. Today, Final Fantasy IX is one of the most well-loved in the series, with players praising its characters and mature themes. Final Fantasy IX is still Sakaguchi's favorite game that he developed, with him stating that it's closest to [his] ideal view of what Final Fantasy should be."