To mark the twentieth anniversary of the game, the developers of Final Fantasy IX expressed themselves on their will to “Continue the story” told on PlayStation. Go find out if, after gauging the interest of players in this project, Square Enix would not give the green light to the detriment of a certain Final Fantasy XVI.
Time flies and Final Fantasy IX is already twenty years old. Thus released on July 7, 2020 in Japan, on the PlayStation first of the name, the title abandoned the realistic aspect of the eighth installment to try to give back to the old of the old an atmosphere similar to those of the Super Famicom episodes, more geared towards knights in armor and the faceless mages.
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Despite a character design that is not always happy and a choice of game design that we would qualify as questionable, Final Fantasy IX had brilliantly concluded the saga on 32 bits. On the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, RPG Site spoke with several members of the game team who are still part of Square Enix.
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“But Zidane he left”
Regarding the medieval aspect mentioned above, Toshiyuki Itahana, artist who officiated on the characters of Final Fantasy IX, point of inspiration more diverse than one might think:
“At first glance, Final Fantasy IX may seem like a medieval European game, but all of the art designers had very personal tastes. The collaboration between all their styles has created a unique exotic atmosphere that comes out of the mold of European fantasy ”.
Final Fantasy IX remains particularly appreciated among the players. Toshiyuki Itahana believes that this “Popularity in the long run” is explained by “The design and [le] style of the endearing characters that many people have appreciated as well [que par] the attraction of the fantasy world “.
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To this is added the story: “It’s a story about the meaning of life – which is a universal question for everyone who lives in this world, including myself. Characters of different races and different ways of thinking support each other, sometimes disagree, while they are all grappling with this issue. This kind of story will always have a resonance, I think “.
And if the means were given to Mr. Itahana and his colleagues to work on a faux-suite or even an official extension of Final Fantasy IX, they would surely not deprive themselves to make this project a reality.
“Final Fantasy IX is loved by the fans, but it is also very loved by us, the development team. I would be delighted if, respecting the wishes of the original development team, we could one day have the opportunity to continue the story of Final Fantasy IX, which has meant so much to all of us. ”.
Without Hironobu Sakaguchi at the controls, a creator of which one wonders if he will return to the console world one day, one can wonder if the idea deserves to be deepened.
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