The future of fantasy
Remember that big oldGeForce NOW leakfrom 2021? The one that supposedly revealed a list of in-development projects at various AAA studios? I’ve been thinking about that leak for just over a year now. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about one title on that list: a remake ofFinal Fantasy IX.
Recently, another, much less reputable rumor surfaced on 4chan (the thread has since been deleted, but its contents arecataloged on Reddit), suggesting that theFinal Fantasy IXremake’s announcement is imminent. I’m not sure whether or not I believe that rumor, but it got me pondering the prospect of thisFFIXremake again. Do weneeda remake ofFinal Fantasy IXat this point?
Well, the short answer is, no, we don’t. The long answer is, no, we don’t… but I certainly wouldn’t say no to one.
A personal favorite
Final Fantasy IXis one of my favoriteFinal Fantasygames. I played it for the first time within the last couple of years, and it holds up astonishingly well. It’s available on modern platforms for cheap, it doesn’t make any egregiously dated design decisions, it looks and sounds amazing – I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best games you may play on current-generation consoles and modern PCs. It is decidedly not in need of a remake.
But I want to putFinal Fantasy IXin perspective. It was the lastFinal Fantasygame on the original PlayStation, and that’s an interesting place for it to be.Final Fantasy VIIandFinal Fantasy VIIIwere both games about rude dudes with lots of ‘tude, badass leading men in cool jackets occupying distinctly cool worlds.
Final Fantasy IXwas – I say this with all the affection in the world – dorky. Steiner’s armor is not an epic tactical suit of some kind, it’s just a big slab of molded metal. One of the party members is a straight-up princess from a far-off kingdom. Where otherFinal Fantasygames of the time were so eager to push into a sci-fi future,FFIXwas content to chill out with the vaguely European high-fantasy aesthetics of its NES ancestors.
FFIXis also uncommonly chill. Even when it inches into the realm of sci-fi in its weirdly introspective final act, its characters are less self-serious than those found in otherFFgames of the time. Its tragedies are softer, its colors more vibrant. It just has a nice, cozy vibe about it.
Why does that matter?
I think that we’re currently in another “badass” era ofFinal Fantasy. The last two numberedFFgames both occupy the same general space; one is about a bachelor party with a cool flying Cadillac and the other is a literal remake(-ish) ofFinal Fantasy VII. They’re both pretty good at representing “chilled-out”Final Fantasy(FFXVin particular is very vibey), but they’re just not quite on the right wavelength.
The forthcomingFinal Fantasy XVIlooks like it’ll embrace high fantasy, but with much less of the cozy downtime found inFinal Fantasy IXand much more little brother death and god-fighting.Final Fantasy XIVis… listen, I don’t want to make anyone mad, so I’m not going to go in-depth on myFinal Fantasy XIVthoughts. It’sfine. It’spretty good.Eric Van Allen really likes it, and he’s way smarter than me.
I am desperate for a newFinal Fantasygame that feels likeFinal Fantasy IX. Ideally, I’d like that to be a new game (Chained Echoesis almost scratching the itch), but I would also welcome the chance to just chill with my oldFFIXparty again. I like the badassFinal Fantasygames a lot, but they only represent half of what I love about the series. Obviously I can just play other games – the aforementionedChained Echoesis great, and I’ve dipped in and out ofAtelier Ryza– but I adoreFinal Fantasyfor its tonal diversity.
I’d love to see more of the things I love about these games represented by the modernFinal Fantasylandscape. AFinal Fantasy VII Remakefor when I want to disappear into a very cool world with very interesting storytelling flourishes, and aFinal Fantasy IX Remakefor when I want the video game equivalent of a blanket and a cup of tea.
But my enthusiasm for aFinal Fantasy IXremake is almost entirely contingent on one name.
Hey, what’s Ito been up to?
Hiroyuki Ito is one of the bestFinal Fantasydirectors of all time. He directedFinal Fantasy VI, which many consider to be the single best entry in the series. He designed the battle system inFinal Fantasy VIII, which is actually good, and I’m willing to fight about it. He directedFinal Fantasy IX, a game that I like so much that I’m writing about it right now! He directedFinal Fantasy XII, another top contender for “best in the series.”
And then, he… kinda disappeared. For about fifteen years after the release ofFinal Fantasy XII, Ito didn’t have a single director credit. His sole design credit was onDeadman’s Cross, a middlingly-received PlayStation Vita deckbuilder. Ito wouldn’t make his triumphant return to the director’s chair until 2021’sDungeon Encounters. And guess what?Dungeon Encountersowns.
I firmly believe that Hiroyuki Ito’s most recent game is the best thing he’s ever worked on. It’s a stripped-down, combat-forward JRPG with almost no written plot, and it’s better than anyFinal Fantasygame. Ito, the original designer of the Active Time Battle system, whittles it down to its barest elements and unearths an unsurprising secret: this guy is so good at making video games.Dungeon Encountersis endlessly engaging and elegant in its simplicity, and it’s enough to demonstrate to me that Ito is better now than he’s ever been.
If theFinal Fantasy IXremake exists, and if Hiroyuki Ito is involved, I will put my preorder money where my mouth is. If not… well, like I said,Final Fantasy IXholds up really well, so I can always play that again. In fact, I might go play it again anyway.
