Game 30 - Final Fantasy IX (PS4) - 48 Hours
This was an interesting game for me. This was probably the last classic, universally acclaimed FF game that I hadn't played through, and there were many reasons why I was looking forward to the experience. Being the last game directed by Sakaguchi gives the game probably the closest definition to "Final Fantasy" out of the whole series. And while I haven't played through many of the SNES and NES games, this entry feels like the definitive old-school FF experience that both calls back to and takes a wonderful introspective look at the legacy of those older games.
The game definitely has a very nice art style and graphical design. This 2017 version also looks very clean and sharp. The developers also added some helpful tools like battle assistance and speed up, which was a nice inclusion for those that needed some extra assistance.
The story definitely felt like an older Final Fantasy game overall, but did have some of the more serious elements from the PS1 games, and it felt like the perfect combination of the two. I did have some gripes, however. I felt like much of the main story elements are back-loaded in the last few hours of the game in the Hill of Despair, and the final boss after Kuja, Necron, is introduced and then killed off in a matter of minutes. That said, I found this game's story to be an overall enjoyable experience.
Character-wise, I definitely think that these are the strongest group of characters out of the entire series when taken as a whole, though there were still some that I didn't like. Quina and Amarant were definitely my least favorite, and their reasons to join you were flimsy at best. There are some really good characters that have some great development, especially Vivi and Garnet. The side characters were also great too (Cid, the Tantalus troupe, Beatrix, too many to count). I wasn't the biggest fan of the villains though (already mentioned Necron); I found Garland to be a much more interesting character compared to Kuja. Kuja also has some very unsettling and weird character design as well, with the man-thong and all.
The combat overall felt familiar yet fresh, using the tried and true ATB system with a very streamlined and trim equipment and ability system that was strategic and engaging. Not a whole lot else to say on that front. I had two complaints however; the first is that the game runs incredibly slowly, with some serious lag between character actions during battles. The second was the way Trance was implemented. It's funny how FF7 and 10 were the only games to get the limit mechanic right. Because you enter Trance as soon as the bar fills up, you can't strategize around when to use it. If you don't want to attack with that character, or the battle ends, it gets completely wasted. Really squandered potential in my opinion.
The side content was overall mixed for me. I didn't do all of it, but there was some stuff I loved and some stuff I hated. My favorite was definitely the Chocobo treasure hunting. Least favorite was Tetra Master by far. There are so many problems with Tetra Master, which are:
- The explanation of what the numbers on the cards do were excluded from the tutorial, which was confusing
- You can't see your opponents cards unlike in Triple Triad, so you can't strategize how to play around your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. It means going first is completely disadvantageous, as you have to commit your first card completely blind, and your opponent will get the last move when all the cards have been laid out
- None of the cards you collect have any use outside of the game unlike in FFVIII
- Placing a card that is better than your opponent's doesn't always guarantee you a win. You can still lose your card because the game implements a random feature during the battles. It's absolutely infuriating.
Normally I wouldn't complain too much about a game like this if Tetra Master was only side content and left as is. The problem is that the game is presented as side content at first, but then a card tournament is sprung on the player as a required obstacle in the story in order to progress, which is unforgivable. Thankfully I was going for the trophy so I had a decent collection at that point...
The music is where I find my opinion diverting from others. It's no secret that Nobuo Uematsu requested help with FFX's soundtrack because of an understandable feeling of burnout, and while I found this soundtrack to be good, unfortunately I could feel that exhausted, worn-thin mental state creeping into much of the music in this game. A lot of the music felt very uninspired, or a worse version of previously composed music. Obviously not trying to knock Uematsu, because he's an absolute genius, and I do think the soundtrack is good, but in a crowded field of excellent Final Fantasy OSTs, "good" only gets you so far. It's definitely outside of my top 5 soundtracks in the series.
