History Videogame / FinalFantasyIX

Released not too long after the Platform/PlayStation2 hit shelves, this was the [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment final]] ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game of the original [=PlayStation=] cycle, and of the 20th century, except in Europe where it was the first ''Final Fantasy'' game in the 21st century[[note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century#Start_and_end_of_centuries (thank the Romans for not knowing what a zero was)]] [[/note]]. The game saw an UpdatedRerelease on UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]], and UsefulNotes/{{Android|Games}} in 2016. A Platform/PlayStation4 port was released in September 2017. It then made its way to the Platform/NintendoSwitch and Platform/XboxOne on February 13, 2019, making it the first new mainline ''Final Fantasy'' for Nintendo platforms since 1994's ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem.[[note]]This is ignoring the Pocket Edition version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' and the mainline sequel ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears''.[[/note]]

Released not too long after the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 hit shelves, this was the [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment final]] ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game of the original [=PlayStation=] cycle, and of the 20th century, except in Europe where it was the first ''Final Fantasy'' game in the 21st century[[note]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century#Start_and_end_of_centuries (thank the Romans for not knowing what a zero was)]] [[/note]]. The game saw an UpdatedRerelease on UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]], and UsefulNotes/{{Android|Games}} in 2016. A UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 port was released in September 2017. It then made its way to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/XboxOne on February 13, 2019, making it the first new mainline ''Final Fantasy'' for Nintendo platforms since 1994's ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem.[[note]]This is ignoring the Pocket Edition version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' and the mainline sequel ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears''.[[/note]]

Released not too long after the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 hit shelves, this was the [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment final]] ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game of the original [=PlayStation=] cycle, and of the 20th century, except in Europe where it was the first ''Final Fantasy'' game in the 21st century (thank the Romans for not knowing what a zero was). The game saw an UpdatedRerelease on UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]], and UsefulNotes/{{Android|Games}} in 2016. A UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 port was released in September 2017. It then made its way to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/XboxOne on February 13, 2019, making it the first new mainline ''Final Fantasy'' for Nintendo platforms since 1994's ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem.[[note]]This is ignoring the Pocket Edition version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' and the mainline sequel ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears''.[[/note]]

Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and Series composer Nobuo Uematsu have stated at one point stated that they consider this game to be their quintessential ''Final Fantasy'', with Sakaguchi stating that it was an amalgam of all the key elements he'd been shooting for.

Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has at one point stated that he considers this game to be the quintessential ''Final Fantasy'', it being an amalgam of all the key elements he'd been shooting for.

The game was a critical success and is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, with the highest Metascore in the series, 94, slightly higher than ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''[='s=] 92. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has at one point stated that he considers this game to be the quintessential ''Final Fantasy'', it being an amalgam of all the key elements he'd been shooting for.

The game was a critical success and is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, with the highest Metascore in the series, 94, slightly surpassing ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''[='s=] 92. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has at one point stated that he considers this game to be the quintessential ''Final Fantasy'', it being an amalgam of all the key elements he'd been shooting for.

Though seemingly-hard on the surface, this game was designed with newcomers in mind: There is no penalty for leveling-up (unlike in ''VIII''), acquired skills can never be lost again, chocobos are easy to come by (along with [[WarpWhistle encounter-free travel]]), and optional events are just that: optional. The plot, too, is less opaque than that of ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII VII]]'' and ''VIII'' (though the [[WizardsFromOuterSpace now-obligatory space aliens]] still make an appearance), while still including some wonderfully-surreal elements. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has at one point stated that he considers this game to be the quintessential ''Final Fantasy'', it being an amalgam of all the key elements he'd been shooting for.

In September 2021, in one of the biggest video game industry leaks, Nvidia's [=GeForce=] Now service leaked the existence of a ''Final Fantasy IX'' remake. Square Enix hasn't formally announced it yet as of 2023 but considering all other titles in the leak were eventually revealed[[note]]including Square Enix's own ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIV'' and ''[[VideoGame/ChronoCross Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition]]''[[/note]], it's considered to be a matter of time.

In September 2021, in one of the biggest video game industry leaks, Nvidia's [=GeForce=] Now service leaked the existence of a ''Final Fantasy IX'' remake. Square Enix hasn't formally announced it yet as of 2023 but considering all other titles in the leak were eventually revealed[[note]]including Square Enix's own VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIV and [[VideoGame/ChronoCross Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition]][[/note]], it's considered to be a matter of time.

In September 2021, in one of the biggest video game industry leaks, Nvidia's [=GeForce=] Now service leaked the existence of a Final Fantasy IX remake. Square Enix hasn't formally announced it yet as of 2023 but considering all other titles in the leak were eventually revealed[[note]]including Square Enix's own VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIV and [[VideoGame/ChronoCross Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition]][[/note]], it's considered to be a matter of time.