Final Fantasy IX

The great thing about the game is that you get to control each character at some point, sometimes more than once. You get to open up the menu of each character and check their level, HP, and MP. Also, you get to see their stats to know what they're good at.

On the same menu, you can change their gear to what you see fit. Each character has a command window so you can familiarize yourself with what they could do. This old-style still feels so great and appealing, even after so many years; it pays homage to all the wonderful classics that we know and love, bringing you back to your childhood days.

 I love that each character has a story; I'm going to talk about the main ones that you start off with. You got Zidane, the main protagonist of the story and it's the first character you play with.

This guy can be a bit different, but you can't judge him too quickly. He loves his friends and considers them family, even later in the story when he loses himself and doubts himself, he snaps right back thanks to his friends. He helps people because he wants to, without the need for a reason.

Vivi...I can't tell you how much I love this little guy and his pointy hat; he doesn't understand a lot of things and you can consider him a child, most of the time. But this magic-wielding little rascal still melts people's hearts.

He just wants to have fun and do some exploration, doing cool things and learning things from the rest, he's even an amazing addition to one of the characters to boost their abilities in fights.

Steiner, who is the captain of the guard, was such a knucklehead at the start, a tin head that keeps jumping around and seriously had anger issues. However later on, you'll realize that he just shows complete devotion and loyalty to his princess; he will show the same thing later to the rest of the team, too.

He has an amazing duo with Vivi, when he powers his sword attacks to blast enemies with magic spells. His protective instincts save a lot of people.

Dagger/Princes Garnet seems to be a lost soul that just doesn't understand what she's supposed to do. She keeps having flashbacks over and over, which hinders her ability to think and see things clearly. I liked the love emotions she had for Zidane, and her story was heartbreaking, but extremely riveting at the same time.

You still have several characters like Eiko, Quina, Freya, and Amarant that play a major role in the story and have a lot of things for you to solve, later on.

 The music of this game still rings in my head to this very day; it doesn't get old and it's probably one of the reasons why this game is so epic. Every fight scene, moment, confrontation, character, area, and airship has a theme.

Another thing I love about this game is the mini-games, whether it's the Tetra card game or the Chocobo hot and gold game. I found it very enjoyable and very engaging. I spent countless hours on them and I feel like they're as good as the main storyline too.

Also, they can be of good use to you at some point, because you can be stronger and faster. Your card game skills will play a role in the story 3 or 4 times, and when you level up your Chocobo, you can swim through the ocean and fly! Hunting for treasures has been my favorite, because you can get a lot of powerful gear and other valuable items too.

I tend to level up most of my characters to the highest level possible; it takes so much time, but I really love having them all powerful, with maxed out spells and abilities. It can make a huge difference in most fights; I think it's a great feature in the game to grind this out.

 The fighting sequence of the game has its ups and downs; it’s purely based on RNG and luck. If you're trying to get that nice critical hit, have someone hit Trance, or get Zidane to steal something off your opponent, then you might spend some time to get it done right. Always remember to find a Moogle and save your game before any major fight, because you never know what could happen.

Overall, the story is perfect, the emotional and nostalgic feelings you'd get are still happening, and even though the graphics aren't impeccable, it's still an amazing game to enjoy and beat. I think I finished it like 5 or 6 times over the years and it never got boring for me.

I'd give this game a solid 10/10. If you've never played it before and want a piece of how the classic Final Fantasy games were like, then I strongly advise you to get this game pronto!