Final Fantasy Legacy: Final Fantasy IX

Format: PS, Jap:July 2000, US: Autumn 2000, Size: 4 CD's

FFIX Characters:

	Zidane Tribal 'You don't need a reason to help people.' A 16 year old member of the thieves guild, Zidane has a weakness for the ladies but otherwise leads a carefree existence. His strange tail will no doubt play an important role in the game. Zidane CG Zidane Amano Sketch
	VIVI Ornitier 'How do you prove that you exist ... ? Maybe we don't exist ...' The 9 year old is a throwback to the traditional Mysidian pointy-hatted black mages from way back in the FF series. He has no self confidence and sometimes wonders if he even exists in this world. Set to play a key role in the games plot. VIVI CG VIVI Amano Sketch
	Garnet Til Alexandros 'Someday I will be queen, but I will always be myself.' A princess of the royal house of Alexandria. Garnet has led an untroubled lifestyle and therefore seems to be somewhat spoilt and self-centred. Garnet CG Garnet still (from ad) Garnet Amano Art
	Adelbert Steiner 'Having sworn fealty, must I spend my life in servitude?' A hard-headed 33 year old royal knight who loyally serves Princess Garnet as her personal escort. An experienced fighter adept in the use of weapons and armour. Steiner CG Steiner Amano Art
	Quina Quen 'I do what I want! You have problem?!' A mysterious character with a comical appearance, Quina is a chef who cares for nothing except eating. Quina CG Quina Amano Art
	Salamander Coral 'The only dependable thing about the future is uncertainty.' A lone wolf tough guy, Salamander places his faith in his own strength and willpower. He doesn't carry a weapon so he must be a martial artist or black belt (FFIX's Tifa/Zell). Salamander CG Salamander Amano Art
	Freija Crescent "To be forgotten is worse than death." Posessing rat like features, Freija is a valiant and graceful warrior. However, her past problems seem to weigh heavily on her conscience. Freija's weapon, a spear and trident marks her as belonging to the Dragoon class. Freija CG Freija Amano Art Freija Design Sketch
	Eiko Carol 'I don't wanna be alone anymore ... ' An extremely intelligent 6 year old child prodigy, Eiko tends to spend her time in the forest in the company of moogles. The small horn on her forehead and her staff would sugest that she belongs to the Caller/Summoner class, in the style of the young Rydia from FFIV. Eiko CG Eiko Amano Art

Gameplay Details:
Final Fantasay IX is a return to the FF games of old: Super deformed 'cutesy' characters, dragons, castles, mages and crystals. The crystals (elemental?) as well as being in the logo, are going to be an integral part of the plot. The game will feature a total of 8 party members, with the possibility of extra part time members.

Jobs and classes in this game are similar to FFIV and VI, in that they are predetermined. So far each character seems to clearly belong to a traditional class:
Zidane = Thief, VIVI = Black Mage, Garnet = Summoner/White Mage, Steiner = Knight, Quina= Blue Mage (time/status magic) Salamander = Black Belt/Fighter, Freija = Dragoon and Eiko = Summoner.

Items will be managed as they were before, with 4 slots: Weapon, Armour, Shield and Accessory. Items will also bestow the wielder with new abilities once equipped. These abilities will vary according to which character equips the item, and furthermore, once the user has used the ability enough, they will learn the ability for themselves and thus be able to relinquish the item to another member of the party.

Apparently, every land mass in the game is actually floating in the air. Obviously airships will feature as an important means of transport between locations (there HAS to be a Cid in this game!). The floating landmasses seem to be reminiscent of some of the earlier Final Fantasies, like FFI's floating fortress artwork and some people might remember that the initial world in FF3j (NES) was actually merely a floating island above a much larger world.

The giant angel/alexander creature which also appears in one of the screenshots is apparently in charge of protecting a castle which holds one of the fabled 'Crystals'.

With the japanese release only a month away, expect a flood of news regarding this game over the next few weeks...

Final Fantasy IX Coke Commercial:
In a surprising move, Square decided to release the first high quality CG footage from FFIX via the medium of a 30 second Coca-Cola commercial that is airing in Japan. The ad shows Zidane chasing through the streets after a bouncing coke lid, followed by Eiko Carol, who is shown for the first time here. VIVI and Steiner also appear briefly.

Desktop Backgrounds:

VIVI (800x600)
Dragon/Castle (1024x768)
The Prima Vista (800x600)
Chocobo Helicopter (800x600)

Added 11th June:
The Prima Vista: 800x600 and 1024x768
Zidane with Logo: 800x600 and 1024x768

Discuss Final Fantasy IX in the MESSAGE FORUMS

Most of the stuff on this page was sourced from the Gaming Intelligence Agency (what would we do without them!), give them a visit at www.thegia.com.

Other Souces: www.playonline.com, Final Fantasy IX Info and Final Fantasy Worlds Apart

Screenshots:

Who's the one with wings?

Don't mess with VIVI!

YESS! There are Moogles!

The Prima Vista

VIVI's Butt.