Final Fantasy IX is a melancholic and beautiful tribute to the series' roots. A return to basics with medieval fantasy style, deep characters including Zidane and Vivi, and one of Nobuo Uematsu's finest soundtracks. An emotional end-of-cycle PS1 masterpiece.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
Ninth Final Fantasy returning to the series' fantasy roots, where Tantalus thief Zidane and black mage Vivi rescue Princess Garnet of Alexandria. Created by Square, released in 2000 in Japan, the United States and Canada and in 2001 in Europe and Asia. ATB system with learnable abilities, eight playable characters with signature classes, Tetra Master card mini-game and Nobuo Uematsu's score. European multilingual editions.
Final Fantasy IX review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
A return to medieval-fantasy roots, the game unfurls fairytale settings of rare density and characters with a storybook charm. Villages, castles and creatures teem with details painted with love. This warm art direction, nostalgic and refined, closes the PS1 era in beauty.
A return to medieval roots, Nobuo Uematsu's score wraps Zidane's adventure in a warm nostalgia, from the tender "Melodies of Life" to the most intimate themes. Each village breathes a rare gentleness and melancholy. This melodic elegance, often cited as the composer's own favourite, still moves the heart.
A deliberate return to medieval-fantasy roots, the adventure of a big-hearted thief hides a bittersweet meditation on mortality and the meaning of existence. Warm characters and baroque pageantry serve an emotion of rare sincerity. Long underrated, this tender tale is now reclaimed as a high point.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Reconnecting with a warm medieval fantasy, learning skills through your equipment and ferreting out the side quests sets up an adventure where every town and dungeon revives the urge to press on. Hunting Chocobos and cards extends the journey. The battles are a touch slow, but the tenderness of the story and the richness of the world hold you all the way to the credits.
Final Fantasy's swan song on PlayStation, returning to heroic fantasy and series in-jokes after two more modern entries. Beloved for its tone and art direction, it stays widely distributed in the West, which keeps it affordable. Its interest lies in this status as a cherished close to an era, prized by fans wanting to round off the saga's 32-bit trilogy.
Memorable bosses
An embraced return to heroic fantasy, the battles shine through theatrical staging and Nobuo Uematsu themes that lodge themselves for good. From the unsettling Kuja to devastating summons, each fight marries turn-based strategy with an emotional swell. The hidden superboss Ozma remains a mythical challenge. A timeless elegance that J-RPG lovers still hold up as a benchmark.
A cult cover
A crystal logo painted by Yoshitaka Amano, velvety watercolor and barely sketched figures on a light ground: the cover openly reconnects with the medieval fantasy dear to the series. The softness of the line and patinated golds announce a nostalgic tale, far from the sci-fi of neighboring entries. Elegant and serene, it breathes a deliberate classicism.
Is Final Fantasy IX still worth playing in 2026?
Final Fantasy IX is a melancholic, magnificent homage to the series' roots. A return to the source with medieval fantasy style, deep characters including Zidane the thief and Vivi the orphan black mage, and Nobuo Uematsu's sublime score. Toshiyuki Itahana's inimitable chibi art and Hironobu Sakaguchi's deeply human writing. Often cited as his personal favourite by Sakaguchi himself. An absolute peak today.
