FINAL FANTASY IX

Absolutly fantastic experience. For now this is best Final Fantasy game i completed. Graphics is just beautiful, this fantastic prerendered backgrounds, dynamic CGI cutscenes and cool designs of many things like airships, cities or characters (Freya is awesome). Remaster is helping a little with resolution, but this game can defend itself thanks to more fairy talish style, more resistant to time flow. Music is also pretty, well matched to fantastic climate, but with less bangers than some previous games from series. Gameplay is in perfect spot for me between simplicity and complexity, because you can help yourself a lot thanks to proper equipment, but you don't need to spent a lot of time learn game and grind to be good. And difficulty level of battles is rather low, they could be a little harder. Plot is great, i like it, there was many epic, funny or more emotional moments and team is bunch of memorable characters (outside Amarant, i didn't like him at all). There are some flaws, like a bit too confused finale part or last boss from nowhere. Overall awersome game.

A classic masterpiece and the absolute epitome of Final Fantasy. Have been playing game since 2000, having completed it twice at 100% but finishing it many times. Time to ride this game again.

You know what's annoying? Beating All these classics over 20 years ago and doing all the dumb/difficult sidequests. The year was 2003 and I jump roped 2003 times. No way I'm doing that again.

Anyway, the game is awesome. There's a lot of love that went into this. Lots of small little animations here and there. It's very colorful. The music is typical of Final Fantasy.

I beat this game one Ps1 its one game i love coming back to its chill and the story is so good i hope they remake it

Plays very much like a classic FF game with a twist on how to learn magic and abilities. Very enjoyable overall.

Final Fantasy 9 is one of the most beautiful games ever made. Beautiful animations, music, and lovable characters. The story features themes of comradery and the struggle of doing the right thing when the authorities commit atrocities for political gain. It is timeless and one of my favorite games of all time.

I remember being a little kid at one of my mom's friend's houses-- and being told to go "play with the boys" all of which were about 7 years older than me-- and watching one of them play this masterpiece while the others watched.
And I was obsessed.
This was the first Final Fantasy I ever saw being played and I was captivated.
I sat in that room being an 8 year old watching these teens play a game and knowing exactly what I was going to beg my mom for that year for Christmas/ birthday gift.
I have about 4 physical copies of this games-- one being the same one I got for Christmas (no longer works)
and others from buying them every chance I get.

The Steam version is a welcomed upgrade to the classic-- especially the Moguri Mod Manager.
I am almost done with this play through and can't wait to play it again.

I originally bought this game back in the early 00s, shortly after its first release, and I fell in love with it hard back then. To this day, it remains one of my favorite games and I love to replay it every few years.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of FF9.

At first, the game will seem to be bizarrely difficult because MP is very low, and every boss seems to 1 or 2-shot your party, but this is a very item/equipment-heavy game.
They want you to spare no expense with your potions and revives, and that's not really a problem, considering you can steal tents (full-party healing items,) and potions from many enemies in most fights. After the initial scary difficulty, it's a pretty smooth ride, but there are still challenges.

Even though FF9's art style is cartoony and cute, this installment is just as dark, if not darker than some of its predecessors.
The characters are wonderful, and the game is structured in a way that the party is often split, giving you a lot of time with some of the party members that didn't initially catch your eye.
I grew a fondness for characters that I would've just benched if the game let me.

As with many older RPGs, you may feel the need to refer to guides from time to time, but I certainly looked up a lot less this go around than with FF8.
You also don't need to play the card game at all, which is good, because it's a considerably worse card game than Triple Triad.

One tip for a smoother, more enjoyable experience: don't sell equipment, ever, and consider buying a couple of any piece of equipment you really like, because you can potentially combine equipment into better equipment via synthesis.

Final Fantasy IX is a classic, and well worth playing through multiple times. You can change the experience using Moguri Mod, add voice acting with Echo S-9, and so much more. It is definitely one of the best Final Fantasies in the series.

The best of the classic Final Fantasy games - arguably the *definitive* Classic Final Fantasy. And now, with the Memoria engine and the Moguri mod, basically a remaster in itself and perfect for the Steam Deck.

This is my favorite game. The story is top-notch, and with the Memoria Engine mods, this has a good visual feel. Great for retro turn-based JRPG.|
Lots of depth in its systems, less a few changes. Highly recommend.

the game in the series that introduced me to the franchise! the "love letter" to the original games. originally played on the PS1. the story is fleshed out and meaningful. gameplay can be meh at times as the game is not really challenging. That does not mean there are not hard fights in this game. characters are fun and enjoyable. overall 9/9. this is the title i hope they remake after 7.

I'm playing this w/ Whisky on my Mac Mini M4, and it's great! The graphics aren't as crunchy as I remember them. But the Chocobo Hot & Cold game is still as rage inducing as my childhood. I keep hearing rumors this will be rereleased with some updated graphics and I think I'd pick it up just to experience the story and the beautiful settings in a crisper modern setup. I think when my niece is old enough I'll get her a copy of this game so she too can know the joy (and rage) this game brought me.

I like the new Max Gil feature in the menu. also, the characters are extremely cool with PC graphics

The story was excellent and the characters were alot of fun. If you're a fan of turn based JRPGs, this won't disappoint.

Old school PS1 game, reminds me of being a kid playing this incredible story!
Probably the best story line i have ever played through.

I tried to play the game out of the box, but the combat takes way too much time. The intro animations for each battle and the excessively long attack and spell animations make for an unpleasant experience, to say the least. Not to mention that it keeps the ATB combat system, which is just inexplicable to me as I see it as one of the worst systems in gaming, and yet they stuck with it for six games in a row.

Luckily, you can download the Memoria mod and do away with all this tedium by removing intro animations and speeding up the attack animations, and even set the combat system to turn based. Highly recommended.

Other than that, the game is all about story, as has been the franchise's trend game after game. The broader plot is once more impossible to follow once it starts escalating into ambitious cosmic events, and it seems once more that with each game, they try to tell the story to end all stories and fail miserably.

This time, however, we're treated to one of the best casts I can remember in a game, with characters so likeable and dialogue so entertaining, that I never wished the game would move along faster, as I find myself doing with so many other story-focused RPGs.

Uematsu also one-ups himself once more and delivers another incredible soundtrack, continuing to hold the brunt of this franchise's weight on his shoulders.

Gluing the superb characters and the excellent soundtrack together, the art direction knocks it out of the park.

Altogether, FFIX is far from an example of video games' strengths as a medium, as it typically fails in the gameplay department, but it is so heartwarming and charming that, unlike many of its predecessors, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Combine this with the Memoria mod to play the best version of FF9 currently available.
https://sites.google.com/view/moguri-mod/install

One of the most heartbreaking stories in the franchise. Great game play, love the skill learning system and I love how everyone has a role in the party. The characters and their dynamic are very memorable.

If you want a classic RPG to put 60+ hours into, this is the game for you.

Great game! Loved every bit of it until it decided to reveal that cloud saves have to be done manually. Lost so much progress because of it. Just remember to periodically backup your save manually. I wish I knew that earlier.

Ive managed at least to defeat Ozma, it took me a while, good memories playing this on its time, I do appreciate the upgrades such as the Turbo mode, it will save you significant time specially if you are farming.

Beautiful story not a flawless Final Fantasy but definetly one of the best. I wish it lasted a bit more because In retrospective, its kind of very straightfoward and short, partially confusing and If you were a kid you would probably not appreciate the story as you do when you replay it as an adult.

Quina is OP BTW

Great game. Thankfully, the battle/equipment system not not as confusing as number 8.
but in terms of soundtrack, ff8 is better, more memorable for me.

I love the game, and it's much easier to see the sprite work with the upgraded models.

I just found out that "Continue" on the main menu, loads up the latest Autosave, not the latest save file... I was wondering why I had lost progress and I had to talk to Moogles all over again... WTF is Continue loading up older saves than the newest save?!

After playing all the ff7 remakes, and some of the older titles (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15), FF9 remains as (totally not objectively) the best Final Fantasy in the series. Its got the best music, story, and characters of any FF. Seriously, just go play it.

Still the greatest numerical Final Fantasy game ever made. No contest.

This is by far the best FF in the franchise. Its wholesome, It has everything that makes a FF game an FF game. Lovely story telling, likeable characters, plenty of side things to do, and the moogles are actually cute. Chocobo Hot and cold is a fun game, and you can get OP fast with out needing much help. If you like Final Fantasy, This game is a must play.

TLDR: Definitely a top tier contender of the FF franchise, both in story and progression. Not everything was properly revamped for PC, but a good effort was put in the character models so it holds up okay-ish.

Story: As Zidane the monkey boy, embark on a journey that at times seems a bit silly, at times overly serious. Characters are varied and over the top in a good way. For instance, while a character will literally ask you to stop by swamps to catch and eat frogs (in a mini game, if we can call it that), another will constantly remind you how mucha of a bum you are and wishes nothing but to have you arrested for kidnapping someone who actually wishes nothing but to be kidnapped. The cast manages to keep the adventure fun and mostly light hearted while every so often hitting you with a sad bomb. Though IMO, the journey is far better than the end.

Gameplay: It's the usual JRPG, HP, MP grinding to level both stats and abilities.
Abilities are acquired via equipping gear and gaining AP (Ability Points) and while some gear may offer more than one ability, some characters may or may not be able to both equip and or learn some specific abilities. So in a sense, many characters end up as dpsers, healers, etc. Balancing both grinding your abilities and your current team is important in this FF as you never quite know what's next. I'm sure some people have near soft locked themselves at some point.
Animations eventually end up being overly long since you'll find your rhythm sooner than later and always having to cast the same spells can get tedious.
Enemies also tend to use spells all the time, so yeah.
There's an odd ATE (Active Time Event) system that allows you to watch events taking place somewhere else by pressing a button.
You can play with mouse and kb, which is a nice feature, but I played with my controller anyway.
I enjoyed how many items were hidden throughout areas, it made exploration rewarding.
There's a trance system that reminds me of the limit breaks in FF7, but it is poorly made as it proccs as soon as it gauge fills up and gets used up by every action after (the gauge fills up by receiving dmg).
In the late game, enemies start having a turn at pretty much every turn you have, which is odd, not gonna mention the end boss.
Might be worth mentioning that I also had a power outage while playing, I was pleasantly surprised to know that there are some checkpoints between the manual saves.
Oh and guess what, there's a freaking card game in this FF too. How wonderful... It's nowhere near as terrible as FFVIII though...

Graphics: While the character models were obviously reworked, not everything received the same amount of love... Still, cities look nice and a lot of attention to details was obviously poured into this game initially.

Audio: Sound effects are redundant and not always enjoyable, attacking in melee is especially of poor sound quality. The music, however, is varied and interesting. World map , and cinematics both have terrible FPS counts.

I'm glad I finally played FFIX. It's a bit late in 2025, but for a game that looks kid friendly and easy, it ain't!

This is my favorite Final Fantasy. The mini games are awesome along with all the secret bosses and story and game play

One of the best Final Fantasy ever, a true masterpiece in atmosphere, music and exploration. I cannot wait for the remake <3

If you haven't done it yet, with Moguri mod, this becomes a true gem. Some of the dialogues will make you smile no matter what and the characters, especially Vivi they are so unique <3

I wish all the final fantasy where like this :)

I play it every couple of years and still hasn't lost its power :)

This nostalgic game was one of the best of its time. Haven't played this for about 25 years since the original play station. A strait forward story game that is good for a single play through and easy for any level of gamer or beginner to handle. There are puzzles, hidden items to find, games within the game, but only a few slightly different variations to finish the game. All in all, every person who likes good stories or games should give this one a try, since like most all Final Fantasy games, it has a great story to tell.

There's nothing for me to say you probably haven't already heard about this game. It's one of the best. This game oozes charm. It is so different than all the games before it and after it.

The main thing I would say is that this game would have been an absolute slog without the Moguri Mod. https://www.nexusmods.com/finalfantasy9/mods/32

It has taken everything that Square has neglected and made it better. It felt simultaneously nostalgic and modern at the same time. I really appreciated the FPS on Cinematics, Random Battle Transitions turned off, 100% Steal Rate and the upscaled backgrounds that look amazing compared to the unmodded set up.

Tetra Master was and still remains largely trash. It's a terribly designed game. Thankfully the Moguri Mod lets you replace it wholesale with Triple Triad.

Definitely use the moguri mod or you're missing out.

A beautiful masterpiece with some amazing art. I highly recommend picking this game up during a sale. Its worth using a game pad for the best experience.

My favorite Final Fantasy. Highly recommend to play with the Memoria and Moguri mods.

This is one of my favorite games of all time. The characters, story, music.. This game, in my opinion of course, is such a beautiful game.

This game running at 60fps with memoria mod is stunning to see

This is one of the first RPGs I ever played, and is still my favorite to this day. I love it so much, I've bought it multiple times for various consoles throughout the years. The gameplay, the story, even the graphics were outstanding for the era it came from!

If you like old school Final Fantasy/RPGs like I do, there's a very good chance you will like this love letter to all its predecessors. 💜

FFIX is a flawless combination of everything that makes a Final Fantasy game great.

Narrative, soundtrack, characters, combat, and setting are all phenomenal.

The characters in this game are some of the most well-written in any game I have ever played. Vivi Ornitier in particular is probably the best written character in the whole Final Fantasy series, and he is only the tritagonist of this game.

It has aged well for the most part. I played with the Memoria & Moguri mods which enhanced the experience dramatically, increasing FPS, unblurring backgrounds, as well as adding a bunch of convenient options such as boosting game speed, etc.

The 15 FPS FMV’s and grindy mini games showed their age when playing, but that is probably my only gripes with the game, which says a lot.

Hard to believe this came out in 2000. I would really like FFIX to be re-made by Square in the future, as the technology of today can really elevate this game to the next level.

A must-play for any RPG fan. The experience this game provides is truly timeless.

10/10.

A very nostalgic game from the final fantasy series, the control are still simple and the story is light but fun

Its a classic RPG with a great story and great graphics.

What an era. This game is really good though it is also a bit too childish for me.

What do modern games sometimes lack that some retro games can have? 1. Fun engaging gameplay. 2. A satisfying and thought provoking story. FFIX has both of these. The story isn't maudlin and it isn't too childish to have value to adults. The underlying theme is this: A satisfying and moral life is uncomplicated and can be discovered by being 'honest' or more accurately by being 'true to oneself'. The story is charming, inspiring, and thought provoking. In the past I've replayed the game just to experience the story again. Regarding #1, this is more complicated to explain so I will answer this second. First of all it has aged like a fine wine in terms of technology. The music and graphics were sufficient for immersion even before the re-release improvements. The idea of gaining abilities permanently through familiarity with items is deeply satisfying. It gives the sense of ownership of ability and development of character. This mechanic inspires us to explore the world to not only find treasure but to make it part of ourselves vicariously through the characters. Depending on how we play the game it feels like we can have completely different characters by the end of the story. There is a ton of optional content that is not boring in the slightest or fails to feel rewarding. My one exception here is the card game, which I was not a huge fan of. The level of difficulty is well balanced. At some point you have to find a way to progress, but you have options. You can use strategy, grind, or seek better items. There are a lot of fun surprises and workarounds as well as traps you can easily fall into. All in all the game is fun, memorable, and filled with replay value. Any player who can enjoy a turn based rpg has every reason to purchase and enjoy this game for countless hours. Are there issues? Well only one worth mentioning, lol. So... don't park your awesome upgraded chocobo too close to any town, Treno in particular. You may find yourself incapable of getting back on choco, which is a very frustrating way to lose progress.

This game perfectly epitomizes what Final Fantasy as a franchise is all about. It has some elements of the earlier games (combat akin to the first games, a medieval setting, characters having specific jobs) yet it comes after two of their most celebrated installments that offer a more modern perspective, setting and themes. The soundtrack is beautiful, extremely memorable, and in my opinion, the best one in the entire franchise (fight me!). The story and the characters are just amazing, though I agree that many of them deserve more screen time and development (Freya, i'm looking at you rn). If you ever wonder which game you should select as a gateway into the world of Final Fantasy, I highly recommend FF9, but starting with the cream of the crop can be a two-edged sword so be warned. :)

Solid game, great background art which can be enhanced even furhter by Moguri mod

Still to date my favorite FF. Loved the music, story and exploration.

Final Fantasy IX is such a great game that it perfectly establishes the mechanics of the Final Fantasy series, especially after the incident caused by its predecessor, VIII. It takes the best aspects of VII and turns them into the perfect formula by eliminating the frustrating experimental mechanics introduced by VIII. Although it didn’t sell well, IX became a game that must be experienced by every Final Fantasy and JRPG fan. It offers a simpler gameplay compared to both VII and VIII which makes it accessible to newcomers as well as loyal fans. However, there is one aspect that I feel like I should criticize and that is the fact that it actually doesn’t offer as much freedom as VII and that is the ability to determine which character is going to assume which role such as tank, mage, etc. Each character has pre-determined abilities that cannot be modified or changed, but it doesn’t cause any disturbances or obstacles in the game in any way. Just like in VII, you have a bunch of weapons, armor pieces, and several accessories that you can equip your characters with, and they all have unique abilities that you can teach the characters through farming AP. Unlike VIII, leveling up doesn’t punish you and it’s quite rewarding as it should.

The characters have chibi looks and the setting may seem more cartoony which could lead to misunderstanding that it’s not as serious as the previous titles, but don’t let the appearances deceive you since it’s one of the most powerful and emotional Final Fantasy stories that can give you teary eyes in the end. The protagonist Zidane is a cheerful and goofy guy unlike Squall and Cloud, thus, he ended up being my favorite protagonist of the PSX era of Final Fantasy games. It was nice to see a caring, cheerful, and confident guy instead of an edgelord for a change, furthermore; it truly feels like a “fantasy” game due to its setting being in a fictional medieval era. The story mostly revolves around Zidane’s love interest Dagger and his black mage pal Vivi whereas Steiner, Dagger’s loyal knight, gives Zidane a tough time throughout the game due to the status difference between Zidane and Princess Dagger. Of course, there are more characters, but the story mainly focuses on Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi, therefore; I’d prefer to say nothing more about the rest of the cast. However, all of their backstories are being explored as the game progresses and Zidane finds a meaning to his life through his friends which makes the story quite deep and complex rather than a straight shot to the goal.

Another distinguishing feature of IX is the ability to use 4 characters simultaneously unlike VII and VIII. The card game Tetra Master is also quite interesting, but it’s not as engaging as Triple Triad in my opinion. It also doesn’t offer you any real reward except for a few achievements, so going after every single card out there would be meaningless unless you’re a completionist. Speaking of the completionist side of the game, it’s a bit irritating due to how easy it is to miss stuff such as ATEs, treasures, and time-limited mini-games, thus, it’s recommended to follow a guide strictly if you’re aiming for a 100% completion rate. Moogle letters are also quite easy to miss and yes, moogles play a huge role in Final Fantasy IX instead of cameo appearances. I mean, it’s only natural that they got a bigger role in this given its setting. And who can forget chocobos? They return with an interesting mini-game that leads to the toughest boss fight in the game if you have time to invest in it and yes, chocobo progression is very similar to the one in VII. Speaking of time investment, there is an achievement that requires you to kill 10.000 enemies yet again, but at least in-game boosters and cheats are more efficient this time around which could help you a lot or you could simply use another save file to avoid hours of grinding. The soundtrack on the other hand is memorable and quite emotional as always thanks to Nobuo Uematsu, who never disappoints. I don’t know if it’s already in the works or not, but Square Enix should definitely remake IX next!

TL;DR

Despite the spotlight always being on Final Fantasy VII and X, Final Fantasy IX often goes unmentioned, and I don't understand why. This is a peak PS1 game, with its charming art style and design that have aged remarkably well compared to VII and VIII, making it a visually appealing game even today.

I don't want to say much more because I believe it’s a game that’s best experienced with minimal prior knowledge. It's truly worth playing. Having experienced it, it's become one of my favourite Final Fantasy games.

Get Memoria mod, and Moguri. Unlock framerate. Be very happy!

One of the best games, with a perfect story and themes so profound and reflective that they'll stay with you for years. I love how the story and its characters convey themes of existentialism, defying fate, and the cycle of life and death. These themes are beautifully explored through the characters of Zidane, Vivi, and Kuja.

As for the combat, I was quite tired of the ATB system after playing through all the Final Fantasy games—I would have much preferred a conditional turn-based system at that point. However, in this game, inputting commands and dealing high damage to enemies still felt satisfying.

Aside from a few moments, the game maintains a strong pace in its story structure and world exploration. It does a great job of guiding players on where to go next, and the side content never feels mandatory.

The music is phenomenal, once again composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. While I only had a few personal favorites, most of the soundtrack perfectly fits the mood and tone of each scene, including moments where the absence of music is used effectively.

By the endgame, things get tough—I had to grind for a while just to survive the final boss. Thankfully, mods helped with that. Speaking of mods, I have to say that the Moguri Mod made the experience of playing this masterpiece even better. It streamlines the game in a way that I think would enhance the experience for everyone, not just me.

FF IX is my favorite final fantasy, and it was awesome to replay it with the Moguri mod. As always, fans do what companies wont. Especially squeenix. The only thing they're good for these days is milking their old IP back from when they used to make good games.

Recommend this game b/c its amazing and if you play with mods. If not just emulate it, eff SE.