When one thinks of the RPG genre, the first name that comes to mind is Final Fantasy. In 20 years, the series went from an obscure title from a company on the brink of extinction to one of the most decorated franchises in video game history. Each iteration and spin off has introduced gamers to new worlds, characters and stories that have the ability to hook gamers time and time again. With the next game in the series, Final Fantasy XIII, quickly approaching, let's take a look back at the evolution of the series that put RPG's and Square on the map.

What else was there to prove? Both the Playstation and Final Fantasy brands had enjoyed tremendous success thanks to the positive fan reaction of the seventh and eighth games. With the Playstation’s life span winding down and the release of the PS2 on the horizon, Final Fantasy had to do something special to properly send off the Sony’s first system. While it’s true that the risks Square took by siding with the new console in town paid off, there were still some fans who felt the newer games were sorely missing the fantasy elements rooted in the beginnings of the series. Fortunately, one of those people was Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the franchise. What would be born is Final Fantasy IX, the perfect fusion of the stunning graphics made possible with the Playstation and the medieval setting that the franchise started with. The end result was one of the most beloved, not to mention critically acclaimed entries that served as a fitting goodbye to not only Sony’s console, but many of the features that had been apart of the series for over a decade.

Unlike the often serious Cloud and Squall from the previous games, players are introduced right off the bat to the adventurous thief Zidane. Considering that him and his travelling thieves are on their way to kidnap Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, who is part of the royal family of Alexandria at the start of the game, he might not seem like the hero you’d expect at first glance. Over the course of the adventure, Garnet and Zidane work together to fight off Brahne, queen of Alexandria and Garnet’s mother. After becoming power hungry, she gains the ambition to conquer their world of Gaia, but Zidane isn’t alone to combat this threat. Many memorable characters make up the party in this ninth game, from Steiner, Garnet’s loyal knight, Vivi, the black mage with a mysterious origin, and Quina… the he/she… thing that’s always hungry and absorbs enemy skills by eating them. Through various trials and tribulations, gamers get the chance to explore the world of Gaia with one of the most varied parties in the series, but these new faces bring back much familiarity that had been lost in recent Final Fantasy titles.

What’s instantly noticeable is that each character fits a particular mold. Garnet is a white mage and summoner, Zidane is a thief, Steiner is a knight… doesn’t this sound a bit familiar? Following the theme of returning to the roots of the franchise, each character has a set class with abilities that are unique to them. While there is a level of customization through a system similar to FFVI where players can distribute special abilities among the group by equipping weapons and armor, many class specific abilities were locked in for certain members, giving them unique purposes. Four member parties and two player co-op also returned since being scrapped in VII and VIII. Even Yoshitaka Amano, the character designer for FFI-VI returned as the primary artist, (which was apparent based off of the chibi-like character designs that resembled every previous game littered throughout the adventure, from the return of the character Garland, to the Buster Sword being visible in one of the weapons shops, the game was like an encyclopedia especially for the fans who had been around since the beginning. Even though many older features found their way back into IX, that’s not to say it didn’t have a few new tricks to keep gamers on their toes.

Final Fantasy IX couldn’t be as acclaimed as it is without new features, which it brought plenty of. The focus on mini games from VIII was expanded with modes such as treasure hunting and Tetra Masters. Finding a chocobo and traveling through specific parts of the environment allowed Zidane to dig for treasure, sometimes allowing him to find some pretty useful equipment. Tetra Masters was a card game that was much more accessible than Triple Triad in VIII. Many of the cards bared the likenesses of characters from past games on top of the new monsters and characters in this game, and progress wasn’t as deeply rooted the card game as before. The game was rather enjoyable, which is proof in the fact that it was brought back as apart of FFXI through the PlayOnline service years later, (with its own subscription fee.) The most enduring mini quest was Mognet, where through a network of Moogle NPC’s, you could unlock side missions by delivering letters to the different characters. This feature has been used in various Final Fantasy titles since, such as Crystal Chronicles, the DS remake of FFIII and a form of the feature in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. The story was told with the help of a unique perspective by introducing the active time events throughout the game. Players had the option at certain points to view the story from another character’s perspective, often giving lots of extra backstory. As far as combat, the limit break system became the Trance System, where characters would transform and gain special abilities after taking a certain amount of damage. Most notably, having certain characters in the party at certain times allowed them to perform special abilities, such as Steiner and Vivi being able to combine black magic with the knight’s attacks for additional damage. These team attacks haven’t been used since in the main series, but an expanded version can be seen in the sequel to FFIV, The After Years. Overall, the game had a great blend of old and new to make it stand out.

Fans of this ninth game would argue that it creates some of the strongest emotional attachments in the series, and they wouldn’t be far off. Characters like Vivi and his tragic attempt to find his true purpose ends up being one of the most remembered parts of the story. Garnet and her relationship with her mother and Steiner’s on again off again affection for the Queen’s guard, Beatrix are some more highlights of the tale as well. Zidane’s undying will to protect what’s important to him while always keeping a smile on his face made him a polar opposite of what fans had expected from a Final Fantasy protagonist, but was someone we could easily get behind. Once his origins are discovered and his connections with the main antagonist, Kuja, are revealed, the “sibling” rivalry that develops threatens to destroy the world. As a matter of fact, Kuja becomes the villain closest to destroying the world besides Kefka, (who actually succeeded,) after he shatters the crystal that sustains life on the planet. It’s not until Zidane and company defeat Necron, an otherworldly being whose purpose is to return the world to nothingness, that the world is restored. While the ending is extremely touching, there’s still a threat that goes unanswered, which leads many to believe that we’ll eventually get a sequel. In the end, the game served to create a unique story and a lovable cast. Besides, could Cloud or Squall ever chase after a run away Coke cap? I didn’t think so.

Ask any gamer who is willing to give the game a shot despite its unique style, and many of them will agree that Final Fantasy IX is one of the finest examples of how an RPG should be done. The blend of old and new with the new cast of characters makes the game a treasured entry in the series. It’s no wonder why the creator of the series has named it his favorite game in the Final Fantasy franchise and that this game has the highest review average compared to all other Final Fantasies to date. Unfortunately, IX also marked the end of an era, because not only was this the last game that Sakaguchi had a hands on involvement in, but it would also be the last time many of the traditions of the series would be seen.