Prerendered backgrounds and characters look hideous at times, and some updates there would have been graciously accepted on my end. Other parts of the game haven’t aged quite so gracefully. FMV cutscenes still look sharp too, but temper your memory accordingly – the CG is still 16 years old. The characters, despite the low polygon count and muddy textures, are brilliantly animated, emoting with a range that’s utterly surprising.
Part of the connection I feel to Final Fantasy IX’s story has to do with its visual presentation. The shifts in tone play together strikingly well, pushing natural emotional peaks and valleys to higher highs and lower lows. Quina on the other hand, wants something to eat. For example, black mage Vivi personifies shyness and doubt his journey is one of discovery and perseverance. Each of them is undeniably unique, and irrefutably integral to the flow of the multi-faceted story. The main character is Zidane – a womanizer with a tail, don’t ask questions – but the story relies on its ensemble cast in the way that only legends of the JRPG genre do. The story is magical, whimsical, and most of all charming in a way I sorely missed. Where VII and VIII leaned into technological advancement, entry IX was purely fantasy in tone. Final Fantasy IX was in many ways a return to the series’ roots.
