Having already covered the music of Final Fantasy VI, VII and VIII, it’s finally time to talk about the most charming Final Fantasy title to date – Final Fantasy IX.
As a kid growing up with the original Nintendo Entertainment System, SNES, Game Boy and MS-DOS computer games, my childhood was spent in a time where dial-up internet was a thing, game guides were hard to come by, and blowing dust out of a game cartridge to get it working was common knowledge. It was a very different place back in the early 2000’s.
A Blast from the Past
Now, we have super fast internet, a plethora of information only a Google search away, and with the gaming scene edging ever closer to a digital-only market, game data restrictions are practically a thing of the past.
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Free from the limitations of a data disk, there’s no real limit to how much content a game can now have. The downside however, is that many games release with bugs, unfinished and solely reliant on a day one patch to fix.
I kind of miss the days when you could buy a game, slot it in and simply play it there and then. With console games, you knew what you were getting – a highly polished and complete title, all in one tidy little package.
Growing up with Final Fantasy
Outside of the PC format, my first disk-based console was the Dreamcast, a fantastic and revolutionary device for its time, and one I quickly fell in love with. Yet, it wasn’t the PS1 that my brother and I so desperately wanted.
At first glance that may come across as being ungrateful, but having played Final Fantasy 7 on PC previously, I just couldn’t help but wonder what the next game in the series would be like. How did it play? How was it different? Who are these new characters? These were just some of the questions going through my mind.
And so, roughly a year on, my brother and I were out in Hastings when my dad takes us to a marketplace we’d never seen before.
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This was St.Andrew’s Market, and with games lining the walls from floor to ceiling, we were in gamer heaven. Dino Crisis 1 and 2, Tekken 3, Final Fantasy 8 and 9 sitting on the shelves. They even had Fighting Force 2, Powerstone and Resident Evil: Code Veronica for the Dreamcast, along with many, many games for the Nintendo 64, SNES, NES and PC.
We ended up leaving the store with a pre-owned PSOne. My brother got Final Fantasy 8, I got Final Fantasy 9. The funny thing was, while FF9 may not have been the game I was looking for, it quickly became an all-time favourite, and one of the best games I never knew I wanted.
We’d go on to visit that store for a good few years. The owner was super friendly, always happy to chat and often gave us extra discount for our continued custom.
That man is no longer with us, but our interactions remain firmly locked in my childhood memories.
As soon as I got home, I remember firing up Final Fantasy IX for the very first time, as the beautifully haunting and mysteriously medieval menu theme completely caught me off-guard.
Main Menu Theme – The Place I’ll Return to Someday
Having proven himself five times over already, legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu had successfully composed another absolute banger of a soundtrack with Final Fantasy IX.
While not in my overall top 3, ‘The Place I’ll Return to Someday’ is the song that always springs to mind when I think of Final Fantasy IX. It oozes with charm, hits like a truck with the nostalgia, and is undoubtedly the most memorable theme of the game.
With that said, now you’ve had a taste of what’s to come, let’s get into what I believe to be the absolute top three tracks of Final Fantasy IX.
The Top 3 tracks of Final Fantasy IX
#1 You’re Not Alone
Zidane’s adventure is a wholesome one, and so it should come as no surprise that FF9 is widely considered to be the most charming experience of any Final Fantasy title to date, with a soundtrack that never ceases to impress.
At the time, I recall being a little put off by the visuals because I’ve never been a fan of the ‘Chibi’ aesthetic it was going for, and yet I fell in love with the game when I realised its design was more a uniquely stylised interpretation of a storybook brought to life than anything else.
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The overall themes of Final Fantasy IX encompass love, loss, hope and despair, and while the game flawlessly draws you in, immersing you in its rich and diverse world of unique characters, personalities and lore, there’s not a single track that evokes these feelings better than ‘You’re Not Alone’.
#2 Dark Messenger
If the last track masterfully conveys the overall themes of the game, then ‘Dark Messenger’ is the musical embodiment of the beginning of the end. Everything has lead up to this moment, and now, the fight with Kuja has come to a head and cannot be ignored any further.
With elements of horror, uncertainty, tension and an almost alien vibe, the party have truly stepped into unknown territory, with an almost incomprehenisble power stood before them, threatening their very existence and all that they’ve come to know and love in life.
In some ways, while Kuja’s trance theme isn’t the final fight of the game, it represents the ever-shifting power struggle between good and bad, and serves as the last hurdle to cross before the party can truly save the world.
The buildup from start to finish is truly unique and remains to be one of the best boss themes in Final Fantasy history.
#3 Festival of the Hunt
Speaking of alien and otherworldly, ‘Festival of the Hunt’ is right up there at the very top of that category.
As the name would suggest, it serves as the backing music for Final Fantasy 9’s sport hunting event – an annual festival where monsters are released onto the city streets of Lindblum, to be slain by would-be heroes from across the planet of Gaia. It’s a show of strength, power and courage, and a proving ground for all fighters looking to make a name for themselves.
While it may not be the best overall composition, or even that crucial to the overall plot and themes of the game, ‘Festival of the Hunt’ comes at a moment when the party could do with some much needed downtime.
With its punchy and upbeat notes, ‘Festival of the Hunt’ is an easy favourite and one of the catchier songs within the Final Fantasy series. It’s one of my all-time favourites, and the one track I regularly come back to.
Honourable Mention: Bran-Bal, The Soulless Village
It wouldn’t be right to type an FF9 article without mentioning ‘Bran-Bal, The Soulless Village‘.
Up to this point, we’ve had the almost ‘high seas adventure’ vibe from ‘You’re Not Alone’, the ominously mysterious ‘Dark Messenger’, and the fast-paced beats of ‘Festival of the Hunt’, but melancholic? Not so much.
Enter ‘Bran-Bal’ – an at first dreamy theme, with many deep and dark emotions hidden beneath the surface.
If you’ve played Final Fantasy IX, I’m sure a number of downtempo tracks will already spring to mind (Burmecia anyone?), but for me, there’s nothing quite like Bran-Bal.
Read More: The Music of Final Fantasy VIII – Drifting Through Greatness
At first, where the inexperienced would see nothing but sadness, depression and a general sense of uneasiness, Final Fantasy IX’s plot gives new meaning to this theme, instead creating an oxymoron of emotions ranging from sorrow and loss, to change, warmth and even a small glimmer of hope.
It’s different, that’s for sure, but a track I feel a deep connection to.
The final send off
As one of ‘The Big Three’, Final Fantasy IX upholds the unrivaled quality and polish we’ve come to love and expect from past Final Fantasy greats.
For a game initially released in the year 2000, the gameplay mechanics hold up surprisingly well, and while it may be a unique departure from the more quasi-realistic worlds of both FF7 and 8 visually, FF9 offers a truly unique and memorable experience.
With a ton of content, an incredible soundtrack, and the most lovable cast of characters to date, Final Fantasy IX is a worthy purchase, and a game well worth taking a chance on.