Final Fantasy IX: RPG gold! (Switch)

While its predecessor may have been divisive, I think it's fair to say Final Fantasy IX was more or less universally loved.

I've seen it appear in many "best Final Fantasy games" lists, often at the top - and I couldn't agree more. 

This is a beautiful game with a lot to say and I thoroughly enjoyed re-playing through it on the Nintendo Switch recently.

Despite its age, I won't delve too deep into plot specifics in case you've not played it (and if you haven't, please do!!)

Final Fantasy IX revolves around a mostly likable cast of characters brought together in the typically unplanned RPG way.

As the game opens, the theater company Tantalus arrives in the great kingdom of Alexandria, as does somewhat shy black mage Vivi, who hopes to catch their production.

Something shady is afoot though, as we discover when Tantalus member and main character Zidane discusses with his comrades plans to kidnap Alexandria's Princess Garnet during the show.

Things don't quite go to plan and despite the best efforts of loyal knight Steiner, the kidnap plan sets into motion a grand journey for Zidane and co in which stakes continue to rise and even the most bitter dislikes gradually turn into solid friendships.

Once again, I won't go into too much detail but the story here is great. It's full of twists, turns, funny parts, serious parts, action packed parts...

And the sad parts - damn! Some parts are unexpectedly philosophical, emotionally heavy and introspective.

Thanks to its excellent writing, there are some stunning character development moments in this game and many of them cause you to really feel for some of your party members.

Gameplay is the solid, dependable turn based type you're probably familiar with from pre-XII entries in the series.

Your battle party can contain up to four members and each of the eight playable characters have their own strengths to bring to the table. 

The only one I have never been super excited about is Amarant, but since you can pick your party most of the time it isn't an issue.

The large world and locations of Final Fantasy IX were a joy to explore and to me nicely detailed and lived-in.

I believe (and I haven't played the PSX version for some years so I am just going on memory alone here) the graphics look a bit spruced up compared to the original version, which was very nice too.

And how can I end this fond review without mentioning the soundtrack? Like many other entries in this long-running series, it boasts many truly memorable tunes which absolutely fit the mood and visuals like a glove.

Overall this is a stunning game which is not so expensive to pick up on a variety of platforms these days. I'd say it is an essential RPG experience which is definitely worth your time and money.

Have you played Final Fantasy IX? Let me know your thoughts below!