Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX is the ninth installment in the " Final Fantasy " series , released by Square in 2000 . It is directed by Hiroyuki Ito and co - produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi and . It is the third and last " Final Fantasy " in the main series to be produced for the PlayStation . Unlike " Final Fantasy VII " and " Final Fantasy VIII " , " Final Fantasy IX " was not immediately ported to the PC . A Steam version was released on the 14th of April 2016 . On April 2nd , 2010 , it was announced on Twitter that " Final Fantasy IX " would be added to the PlayStation Network , and was released for PSN on May 20th , 2010 for Japanese players , May 26th , 2010 for European and Australian players , and on June 15 , 2010 for North American players . After two " Final Fantasy " installments that featured an increasing sci - fi slant , " Final Fantasy IX " was intended to return the series , at least temporarily , to its more fantasy - oriented roots . The characters , who had been depicted in an increasingly realistic fashion in previous " Final Fantasy " games , were deliberately rendered more cartoonish . Among the most notable " Final Fantasy " traditions is the presence of black mages , represented foremost by the playable party member Vivi . " Final Fantasy IX " was announced and developed in tandem with " Final Fantasy X " and " Final Fantasy XI " . This three - pronged marketing effort was intended to provide gamers with the promise of three upcoming games of varied style and gameplay : an intentionally retro RPG in " Final Fantasy IX " , a smoother evolution in style and design in " Final Fantasy X " , and an online experience in " Final Fantasy XI " . On December 31 , 2015 Square Enix announced the game will be ported to iOS , Microsoft Windows via Steam , and Android . Gameplay . In the field , the player typically controls the main character , Zidane . When he passes a point of interest , a ! or ? bubble appears above his head , and the player can press to interact with the object . As the game progresses , different methods of traveling across the world become available , such as chocobo , boat and airship . Levels and abilities . Party members level up by accumulating experience points from regular enemies ; bosses yield no EXP . New abilities are learned by equipping an item that can teach it and gaining ability points to learn it permanently , reminiscent of the esper system in " Final Fantasy VI " . However , in " Final Fantasy IX " abilities can be used even before they have been learned . Abilities can be learned faster by equipping multiple pieces of equipment that teach the same ability ; e . g . Zidane will learn Long Reach twice as fast if he equips both Thief Hat and Protect Ring simultaneously . The effect is boosted further by using the Ability Up ability . There are two types of abilities : " Action " and " Support " . Action abilities include techniques like magic , weapon skills and calling eidolons . Support abilities have beneficial passive effects , such as resistance against status effect s and increased damage to certain enemy types . A limited amount of support abilities can be equipped at one time , governed by Magic Stones . Each support ability requires a certain number of Magic Stones , and more stones can be gained by leveling up . Many abilities can be learned by most of the cast , but some are exclusive . Battles . Following the tradition started by " Final Fantasy IV " , the game utilizes the Active Time Battle system . When a character ' s ATB gauge is filled , they can choose a command to execute . Normally , enemies attack whenever their turn is up , but the battle can be set to " Wait " mode , making the enemy unable to perform while players are choosing a spell or an item from the menu . In " Final Fantasy VII " and " Final Fantasy VIII " , the player was restricted to three - person parties . In " Final Fantasy IX " , this is changed to the classic four - person party . The game allows for two players to control members chosen by the player in the battle . Zidane is in the player ' s party most of the time . His Steal skill is very useful , since many pieces of equipment are available first as steals from bosses before being purchasable from vendors . Trance . Continuing the tradition started in " Final Fantasy VII " , the game incorporates Limit Breaks , although differently from earlier Limit Break systems . When a character sustains hits in battle , the Trance gauge is filled and when full , the character enters Trance . Trance changes the character ' s appearance , and gives them a new skill or set of skills only usable while they are in Trance . For example , if Zidane has learned the ability Flee for his Skills ability set , he gains the ability Free Energy for his Trance ability set , Dyne . Zidane is the only character to use new abilities in his Trance ; most characters ' abilities are enhanced , for example , Vivi gains Double Black , which allows him to cast two Blk Mag spells in succession , and while in Trance , Steiner ' s strength is boosted . Character classes . While not explicitly stated , each party member has a job based on previous " Final Fantasy " games . For example , Zidane is a Thief , Amarant is a cross between a Ninja and a Monk , and Quina is a Blue Mage . This is yet another return to tradition from the recent predecessors of " Final Fantasy IX " , in which characters were largely blank slates to be heavily customized by the player . In " Final Fantasy IX " the emphasis is on building an effective team of characters whose strengths and weaknesses balance one another . Active Time Events . Another new aspect of " Final Fantasy IX " are Active Time Events ( ATE ) . When an ATE window appears the player can press to see what the other characters are doing . Although watching an ATE might not always affect the main storyline , sometimes , when the notification text appears gray , the player will have to watch an ATE automatically . The player might gain items or gil by watching the ATEs . Sometimes , multiple choices for ATEs are given , and if one is picked , the other might not be able to be activated , meaning the player has to wait for a second playthrough to see it . Mognet . Within the game , Mognet is a postal system operated by moogles . As the player progresses they will find moogles inhabiting most of the known world . When the player talks to a moogle , they allow the player to save their game , restore life energy via Tents , or purchase items with Mogshop . The moogle may also request that the player character act as a courier by delivering a letter to another moogle . It is also possible ( albeit less frequently ) that the player receives a letter from someone else . Later on it is revealed the moogles are requesting the player to deliver letters because Mognet Central , where the letters are usually sorted , is having mechanical problems , and as a result , deliveries have become sporadic . The player may help the moogles restore Mognet Central ' s functionality in a sidequest . Minigames and sidequests . " Final Fantasy IX " has two main side quests that span a lot of the game : the Tetra Master card game that can be played with almost any NPC , and Chocobo Hot and Cold . The player can obtain their first Tetra Master deck and tutorial on how to play at the start of the game , and then keep challenging NPCs for games . New cards are also obtained as drops from enemies . The player must go out of their way to obtain the rarest cards in the game if they want to complete their deck . Chocobo Hot and Cold can be played once the player meets up with Choco in Chocobo ' s Forest . There are different venues where the player can play the minigame to have Choco dig up random treasures and chocograph s that can be used to dig up treasures on the world map . By discovering more chocographs the player can level up their chocobo to reach new areas with ever better treasures . Many of the game ' s ultimate equipment can only be obtained from these treasures . Other minigames include frog catching where Quina must catch frogs on Qu ' s Marsh es for rewards , the jump rope game Vivi and Eiko can play in Alexandria and the footrace game against Hippaul . The game has numerous sidequests from collecting rare key items , to encountering the friendly enemies and Ragtime Mouse on the field in random battles . Notoriously , the game had a sidequest that remained largely unknown and unnoted in guides for years until being discovered from the game ' s " Ultimania " guide , the Nero family sidequest in Lindblum . Synopsis . Setting . The world of Gaia is divided into four continents , the most populated one being the Mist Continent . Most of the sentient races have settled above the Mist that covers the bottom of the continent . Mist , its origins unknown , is a noxious gas that mutates flora and fauna alike into monsters , and hardens the hearts of men inciting strife among them . As sunlight penetrates the Mist poorly , the surface of the continent is left in perpetual shadow where monsters lurk . Thus , most people elect to live on the plateaus above the Mist and cross the lands in Mist - powered airships rather than on foot . There are four major kingdoms on the continent : Alexandria , reigned by Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI ; the industrious Lindblum , governed by Regent Cid Fabool IX ; the nation of the Dragon Knights Burmecia , reigned by the King of Burmecia ; and the mysterious Cleyra hidden inside a perpetual sandstorm . Lindblum is the most technologically advanced nation of the four , and the inventor of Mist - powered airships that halted the wars that had plagued the continent for centuries . Though shrouded in Mist and thus full of ferocious monsters , Mist Continent is the most lush continent on Gaia , the others being barren . The other continents are rarely traveled to , as they are free of Mist and thus out of the reach of airships . Outer Continent is an arid wasteland to the north , connected to the Mist Continent by the Fossil Roo , but only the dwarves are known to live there . Lost Continent , to the northwest , is almost entirely covered in ice , but houses the volcanic Mount Gulug and the religious center of Esto Gaza that reveres the legends of a Shimmering Island off the coast of the continent . The Forgotten Continent is a a large land in the west where the sun sets , with mysterious ruins scattering its landscape . Story . Queen Brahne of Alexandria begins her conquest of the Mist Continent while her daughter Princess Garnet escapes the kingdom with a thief from a theater troupe , Zidane Tribal . They discover Brahne is building an army of black mages with the aid of a mysterious man called Kuja and try to stop her , but after Garnet falls into Brahne ' s hands the latter extracts the mythical entities of unimaginable power from her : eidolons . The discarded Garnet escapes with Zidane and his friends ' help . Learning Kuja is the one who supplies Brahne with the technology to manufacture black mages the party tracks him down at the Outer Continent . They meet a young summoner girl , the last of the tribe of summoners , and learn Garnet hails from the village of Madain Sari that lies in ruins with Eiko and Garnet the last summoners in the world . They investigate the colossal Iifa Tree that towers over the landscape and discover it exists to stop the souls of Gaian beings from returning to the crystal at the planet ' s core , a process that is depriving the planet of Gaia of its life energy . When Kuja enslaves the eidolon Bahamut Brahne summons against him the queen perishes while apologizing to Garnet . As Garnet succeeds the throne of Alexandria the Alexandrian armies withdraw from the kingdoms they had conquered . Kuja demolishes Alexandria with Bahamut , but Garnet and Eiko join to summon the most powerful eidolon in living memory — Alexander — who obliterates Bahamut . When Kuja calls forth the airship " Invincible " to enslave Alexander , his plans are foiled by his master Garland who destroys Alexander and Kuja is left without an eidolon . Kuja schemes to overthrow Garland to rule both Gaia and the mysterious world of Terra from where they hail from . When Zidane and his friends pursue him Kuja learns of the power of Trance , a powerful surge of emotions that momentarily enhances ones inner capabilities . Now knowing of the world of Terra , Zidane and his friends open a portal there , and discover Terra is a dead planet that exists on the inside of Gaia from where Garland , Kuja and Zidane himself originate . Upon learning of his true origin as Garland ' s " angel of death " created to incite destruction on Gaia so that the world of Terra can one day assimilate it , Zidane suffers a mental breakdown . His friends help him come round and they confront Garland who is killed by Kuja who has entered Trance by absorbing the souls held within the " Invincible " . Upon learning Garland placed a limit on his life and that he will soon die , Kuja goes berserk and decides to destroy the world . The party follows Kuja to the depths of Memoria made manifest by the the memories held by the lives lived on Gaia , whose souls manifest as Mist as they are expelled by the Iifa Tree via its roots . They travel back in time to find the crystal that is the origin of the universe . They stop Kuja and face Necron , the embodiment of death itself whom they convince that despite Kuja ' s actions life doesn ' t yearn for death . Returning to Gaia with Kuja ' s teleportation spell , the others depart but Zidane stays behind to look for Kuja . Kuja perishes and Zidane is not heard from again until some time later when everyone gathers in Alexandria to watch the play " I Want to Be Your Canary " . An actor in the play casts off his cloak revealing a returning Zidane , and he is reunited with Queen Garnet while all their friends watch on from the audience . Themes . The main theme of " Final Fantasy IX " is the meaning of life and death , mainly represented through the characters of Vivi and Kuja , although the other characters follow this arc as well . Vivi struggles to understand his purpose in life after learning he is an artificial being made in a factory for the purpose of war , and has to confront the reality of possessing a fixed lifespan . Kuja knows of his purpose since birth , but comes to rebel against his life as a tool for Garland . Despite being similar to the black mages he helps Queen Brahne produce , he does not feel empathy toward them , instead viewing them as inferior dolls ; Kuja denies his origins and thus hides his identity as a Genome . While Vivi comes to learn the purpose of life is to simply live it , as the experiences he accumulates throughout his journeys become memories that will return to the planet ' s crystal at his death thus contributing to the circle of life , Kuja is driven mad upon learning of his mortality and impending death . Rejecting the point of life entirely if one is doomed to die , Kuja tries to destroy the origin of all life , the crystal . His will to end all life summons Necron , a being who wants to take the world to the Zero World where nothing can exist , to release Kuja and all other beings of the world from the suffering of existence . The word " Necron " means " death " , and thus gives the final battle a symbolic meaning . In the end , life triumphs over death when Zidane and his friends prove to Necron they want to live despite the knowledge they will die one day . Life and death and the circle of life play a key role in many aspects of " Final Fantasy IX " , with the Iifa Tree being the symbolic tree of life — a prominent symbol across many cultures — and Terra being a dying world populated by dormant souls and soulless vessels , Genomes , whose lives remain incomplete if they are not assigned a soul like Kuja and Zidane did . Terra ' s struggle to continue existing despite its time being up by exploiting other planets goes against the circle of life , and in this way Kuja ' s fear of death and non - existence is the same as the Terrans ' . In the end Kuja accepts his mortality , but as the continuation of memory is a strong theme in " Final Fantasy IX " , his memory lives on , and in a final soliloquy Mikoto comments how Kuja ' s example gives hope to all remaining Genomes of how they can decide to be something more than tools and carve their own path in life . Vivi is implied of having died in a final message that plays during the ending , and ends his farewell by saying his memories are now part of the sky , an allusion to the circle of life . Another major theme in " Final Fantasy IX " is to pay homage to the earlier installments of the " Final Fantasy " series , especially from the Nintendo era ; " Final Fantasy IX " was meant to capture the " essence " of " Final Fantasy " , and the theme of crystals that had been present since the beginning of the series is brought back , the crystal now representing the life force of the universe . The game world was designed with traditional " Final Fantasy " world in mind , and the game makes numerous allusions to previous games . Music . " Final Fantasy IX " is the last " Final Fantasy " game with music composed exclusively by Nobuo Uematsu . It was his most prolific score , as the original soundtrack has 110 tracks , and an additional soundtrack was released with 42 more . Years after its release , Uematsu has stated that both the score and the game itself are his favorite of all his projects . Much of the music revolves around the themes of the J - pop ballad , " Melodies of Life " , composed by Uematsu and performed by Emiko Shiratori . The song is sung in Japanese for the game ' s Japanese release , and in English for the game ' s North American and European releases . Release . Microsoft Windows ( via Steam ) and mobile . On December 31 , 2015 Square Enix announced on the " Final Fantasy Portal App " that " Final Fantasy IX " is coming to PC , iOS , and Android . A new microsite for the game was published stating that the game will require iOS 7 . 0 or Android 4 . 1 or later . A teaser trailer was released on Square Enix ' s YouTube channel , showing the game with improved graphics , anti - aliasing filtering , new menu , new battle user interfaces , new message dialogue windows , new sprites for Tetra Master cards , high - definition movies , and improved character models . Achievements , auto - save , and speed - boost option are implemented . The player can now skip cutscenes , disable pre - battle fly - bys , and play in high speed mode ( doubles all movement speeds , both in and out of battle ) . The " boosters " available are always full ATB / Trance / HP / MP , 9999 damage , no random encounters , Master abilities ( equipping an item automatically unlocks its abilities permanently ) , and characters ' levels and Magic Stones and the party ' s gil can be maxed out . The game has the original music . Kouichiro Sakamoto directed the mobile version to commemorate the game ' s 15th anniversary . He wanted to include features to shorten the playtime , and thus random encounters can be turned off . When " Final Fantasy VII " and " Final Fantasy VIII " were rereleased for the PC they had high - speed mode and boost features that were received well , so there were no objections to adding these features to " Final Fantasy IX " as well . The movies have been up - converted and the character models have been refined with textures in higher resolution . The backgrounds for most of the maps have been replaced by hi - res versions of the 2D data used in the original PlayStation version , but because the screen resolution on recent smartphones is so high , it can be hard to tell the backgrounds have been replaced . The developers didn ' t want the player to change their memories of the original game ; the PlayStation images seem blocky now , but at the time players were impressed by them , and the developers didn ' t want the players ' memories of the original game to look better than the port . The team at Silicon Studio in Thailand developed the " Final Fantasy IX " port for Square Enix , and put forth ideas for the touch screen interface used for the mobile version . The team vacillated whether to make it one tap to confirm or two taps to move and confirm , but ultimately ended up with the two - tap method , which results in fewer mistakes . If it was a new game , the developers could limit which data to show , but the game being a port , they couldn ' t just delete data that was shown in the original . It was also a challenge to make enough space for buttons that would be playable on a small screen , and to ensure the player ' s fingers wouldn ' t obscure relevant parts of the screen when playing . The port has two patterns of moving a character , but with the virtual controller the corners of the map would be obstructed by the player ' s fingers . Implementing a feature that lets the player tap where they want to go and automatically move simplifies controls and lessens the time the player ' s fingers cover up the screen . Because the battle screen covers the user interface when entering battle , there is a function that turns off all user interface displays while touching anything other than the commands . Steam Trading Cards . Eight Steam trading cards will be released along with the game . Fan patches . Steam user Albeoris released his fan patch called " Memoria " for the PC version . It is a game engine modification patch features new functions such as increasing battle pace even further , an option to remove ATB system and play the game in turned - base mode , adding Beatrix and all the other guest characters to the party as a full - time playable characters , and save / load anywhere . Reception . According to Metacritic , " Final Fantasy IX " is the most critically acclaimed " Final Fantasy " game to date . It is also the favorite " Final Fantasy " game of series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi . At the PlayStation Awards 2001 held on 11 June 2001 , " Final Fantasy IX " was awarded the " Double Platinum Prize " . It also swept the PlayStation User Awards at the same event , beating " Dragon Quest VII " to walk away with the awards " Best Graphics " , " Best Scenario " , " Best Characters " , and " Best Sound " . The results of these User Awards were obtained by polling PlayStation users nationwide . Allusions . " Final Fantasy IX " was intended , in many ways , to be a salute to the series ' history , and as such , is filled with allusions to previous games . One of the most apparent is the similarity of the character Vivi to the black mage from the original " Final Fantasy " . Despite the overall high quality of the translation , care was not taken to ensure all of the various names and references matched to those used in the previous English - language releases . Thus , many of the references with which the game abounds are missed by the non - Japanese audience . Examples are listed in the main article .