This is the throwback Final Fantasy. After humongous hits from FF 7 and FF 8, both of which were set in a kind of pseudo-modern-fantasy world, this goes straight back to the medieval settings like the classic Final Fantasies. Each character is unique in both the writing and gameplay.
It's a shame many people derided this one. Then again, a lot of gamers started on the series with 7 or 8, so this one felt "weird" to them. The unique characters may have felt restrictive compared to 7 and 8, where you could basically make any character capable of anything just by equipping the right things. In this one, Vivi does black magic, Quina eats stuff, Freya jumps, and you don't get a choice in the matter. This can be seen as both good and bad, depending on your preference.
The characters are great fun. While I don't love all of them, I know each of them has their place and they all develop well throughout the story.
The story itself is, once again, deeper than it seems at first glance, and it can go from cheerfully optimism to heartbreaking. It's amazing and varied. The world is once again unique, expansive and full of things worth exploring.
There's just one thing I don't like about the gameplay. The limit breaks. Unlike the ones that came before, it's hard to use them strategically. The limit breaks begin as soon as you fill the limit meter, so you can't save them for when you need them. This is incredibly frustrating when one weak enemy taps you at the end of the fight, you go into Trance, and completely waste it. Very annoying.
Other than that, though, the battle system is pretty standard fare, but still fun. Especially with the unique characters aspect - you really need to put more thought into balancing out your team and making sure they work well together.
Graphics-wise, this is the best of the Playstation era. And not just because it came last (though that helps). FF 7 was definitely limited, it was their first try at 3D graphics of any sort. FF 8 was too ambitious, and tried a "realistic" look when the hardware wasn't capable of handling it, so it really doesn't age well. FF 9 found a good balance - like FF 6, it knew the limitations of the hardware and designed a visual style that matched the capabilities of the system. I think it's aged pretty well.
Overall, one of the better Final Fantasies, I would say. And an excellent throwback to the 8-bit and 16-bit era.
The Final Fantasy for people who played Final Fantasy before 7.
This is the throwback Final Fantasy. After humongous hits from FF 7 and FF 8, both of which were set in a kind of pseudo-modern-fantasy world, this goes straight back to the medieval settings like the classic Final Fantasies. Each character is unique in both the writing and gameplay.
It's a shame many people derided this one. Then again, a lot of gamers started on the series with 7 or 8, so this one felt "weird" to them. The unique characters may have felt restrictive compared to 7 and 8, where you could basically make any character capable of anything just by equipping the right things. In this one, Vivi does black magic, Quina eats stuff, Freya jumps, and you don't get a choice in the matter. This can be seen as both good and bad, depending on your preference.
The characters are great fun. While I don't love all of them, I know each of them has their place and they all develop well throughout the story.
The story itself is, once again, deeper than it seems at first glance, and it can go from cheerfully optimism to heartbreaking. It's amazing and varied. The world is once again unique, expansive and full of things worth exploring.
There's just one thing I don't like about the gameplay. The limit breaks. Unlike the ones that came before, it's hard to use them strategically. The limit breaks begin as soon as you fill the limit meter, so you can't save them for when you need them. This is incredibly frustrating when one weak enemy taps you at the end of the fight, you go into Trance, and completely waste it. Very annoying.
Other than that, though, the battle system is pretty standard fare, but still fun. Especially with the unique characters aspect - you really need to put more thought into balancing out your team and making sure they work well together.
Graphics-wise, this is the best of the Playstation era. And not just because it came last (though that helps). FF 7 was definitely limited, it was their first try at 3D graphics of any sort. FF 8 was too ambitious, and tried a "realistic" look when the hardware wasn't capable of handling it, so it really doesn't age well. FF 9 found a good balance - like FF 6, it knew the limitations of the hardware and designed a visual style that matched the capabilities of the system. I think it's aged pretty well.
Overall, one of the better Final Fantasies, I would say. And an excellent throwback to the 8-bit and 16-bit era.