Final Fantasy IX is in my opinion not only the best Final Fantasy game ever made, but it is criminally under appreciated. I'll explain why below.

Final Fantasy IX is one of the few titles after FF7 that feels like it has real heart. Many articles on this topic have addressed this fact, but the stories theme is "What is my purpose? Why am I here?"

Zidane struggles with this existential crisis. Of course Vivi, the Black Mage, struggles with it more than most. Princess Garnet struggles with wanting to be herself and live her life while balancing her duties as royalty. Steiner struggles with his duty and honor and how that conflicts with his direct orders. This theme plays out again and again with the various characters, and it truly is a deep and moving story.

The creators of this game poured their heart and soul into this game. There was no pandering in this game or fan service. This game personifies what Final Fantasy should be. The art of this game was unparalleled at the time of its release. If you do a Google search you can find the full resolution background images for many scenes, and they're absolutely breath taking for a game originally released on the PS1.

It is clear that this game, both in aesthetic and in its storytelling, was created with true passion from the developers. The combat system is smooth, fun, and engaging, without being overly convoluted like later titles in the series.

It lacks the cheesy J-RPG romance and soap operaness that titles like FFXIII, FFX, and even FFVII displayed.

This game is simply a masterpiece for any lovers of RPGs, and it's an absolute must buy for anyone with a love of JRPGs.

Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game.

Wow, what an amazing game!

Pros:
- The graphics are absolutely incredible. Full 4K, built from the ground up remake of one of the best stories in the series.
- SO MANY MINI GAMES! I literally can wander around for hours playing through hilarious side quests and minigames.
- The story is pretty awesome if you enjoy epic anime storylines or Yakuza crime films
- The combat is really fun and satisfying with amazing over-the-top animations

Cons:
- There are a lot of cut scenes, and some are very long. If you don't like the story, the cutscenes will feel like a lot, but on the bright side, you can skip them if you're not interested.

12/10 would pose shirtless for Poison the burly photographer again