Vivi, Zidane, and Garnet on the go.
What They Say:
Selling over five million copies since its release in 2000, FINAL FANTASY IX proudly returns on Nintendo Switch
!
Experience the adventure once again with characters and pre-rendered movies featured in high definition, as well as a new booster system with a selection of various modes such as “high speed” or “no encounters”!
The Review:
The release of Final Fantasy IX on Nintendo Switch marks a momentous occasion. This is the first time that one of the PlayStation exclusive mainline Final Fantasy games has arrived on a Nintendo platform and it won’t be the last. For the most part, this is the same beloved game from the original PlayStation with a few extra goodies including better-looking character models and the CG cinematics.
There is also a revamped UI and a few quality of life improvements like the ability to speed up the game or make things easier that are totally optional. The real draw for Final Fantasy IX Switch is the ability to play it on your TV when you like and then take it on the go. In this regard, there is no noticeable difference in performance either way and the game will certainly be enjoyable whichever method you prefer.
For me, personally, this is my first time really digging into Final Fantasy IX outside of a few hours of the original, despite being a huge fan of the series. It’s one of the very few entries I have left to beat in the main series so I welcomed the ability to play it on the Switch. In that regard, this is absolutely the best place to check it out for the first time. However, if you have played it before unless you totally are in love with the game, there isn’t much to convince someone to try it again.
For those who don’t know, Final Fantasy IX Switch follows a makeshift troupe of heroes as they go on a journey to save the world. The characters are some of the weirdest in the series and their relationships with one another is interesting since basically none of them are your atypical heroes. You have the outgoing thief Zidane, the complex and layered black mage Vivi, the headstrong princess Garnet, the goofy knight Steiner, and so on.
It’s clear from the start that none of them really want to be around each other but it’s fascinating to watch their relationships and personalities develop over the course of their journey. It’s a mostly standard Final Fantasy adventure to save the world where the characters and locales are the real stars. You visit some intriguing locations like the massive city of Lindblum that are very impressive given how old the game is.
Another appealing factor of Final Fantasy IX Switch is that this is a prime example of what a classic Final Fantasy game is. You have your chocobos and Moogles that play a large role in a traditional fantasy setting where magic has a nice focus and there is a little sprinkling of technology. For someone who wants the more traditional Final Fantasy style, this is the game for you.
Its combat features the beloved ATB – Active Time Battle – system where each character has a bar that fills up until they are able to use a move. You have the typical roles of a thief, white mage, black mage, and so on that each can use unique skills and magic. Herein lies the bulk of the additions that Square Enix has included in Final Fantasy IX Switch to mixed results. For starters, you have a good bit of combat options.
These include healing your party, turning your damage up to 9999, and so on. Most of these won’t be much use to someone who wants a challenge but the ability to heal your team at any point is great for avoiding annoying situations where you could suddenly lose a lot of progress since the game doesn’t include save states. The most useful for everyone, though, is the ability to speed up the game.
In battle, it works really well but the catch is that it also works outside of combat as well. While that’s fine in a game like Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, it only has one speed boost option and you basically have to manually turn it on and off each battle. If you don’t, you’ll end up flying across the field area in an instant. It’s a weird quirk but still welcome for lengthier boss battles and in dungeons where battles are frequent.
The enhanced UI is also a little weird, too. It’s a little too spread out for my liking and I would prefer the original UI, to be honest, but it doesn’t detract from the experience in any way. These are mainly just minor issues that are offset by the better character models and CG cutscenes. The characters are much sharper and appealing to look at even if the environments are still the same. Overall, this is the place to experience Final Fantasy IX for the first time.
In Summary:
Final Fantasy IX on Switch is the place to play this classic if you’ve never experienced it before. The ability to play it on the go or on the TV is already a welcome benefit alone but you also get a few quality of life improvements that, while mixed in nature, do help the player to speed things up or even make the difficulty easy enough for anyone. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to appeal to players who have already beat the game. Regardless, the traditional fantasy setting and the goofy hodgepodge of characters have aged well, making for a classic Final Fantasy experience that fans of the series should check out.
Grade: C
Released By: Square Enix
Developer: Guild Studio Inc
MSRP: $20.99
Release Date: February 13, 2019
Platform: Switch (reviewed), Xbox One, PS4, PC, Mobile
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.