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*Runs in panicking*
Here it is! Here it finally is!
I, uh... forgot to put the concluding touches on this... until someone reminded me, haha. At least it was left forgotten after I finished the game and story instead of in the middle of it?
"Prelude"
With the in-depth coverage of the story wrapped up, it's time for the conclusion. This will mainly consist of a summary of the story, a look at the characters and how they changed over the course of the game, the music, and a few other minor tidbits.
I wanted to stick as much as possible to my own words and content since this is my own retrospective, but because I feel like I've put way more than enough of my own effort into this, I don't think referencing some outside content a little would be leaning too much on it. Sometimes, it's just not worth reinventing the wheel when something else already covers what you want to say, and there's a few videos I've seen over time that perfectly cover some things, so I will be making a few references.
The first of which is...
Story
The vast majority of this retrospective covered the story. I wouldn't blame anyone for not following the entire thing, so here's a great summary of the story of the game if you want it in condensed form (it's still about an hour long).
There were a few things I wanted to cover in more detail, but I didn't want to sidetrack too much during the coverage of the story, so I'll do that now that I'm done.
For the first of those things, I'll pick up where we left off, and that is the final antagonist.
Necron, the Out-Of-Nowhere Antagonist?
While covering the story, I mentioned how the final boss, Necron, is sometimes said to have "come out of nowhere", or is sometimes said to be a poor example of the "man behind the curtain" concept.
While I understand why people have this impression, and while it does seem to come out of nowhere in the moment during your first experience playing the game, it does have an explanation. To understand what it is, we need to understand a certain concept that the game stops just shy of confirming but heavily implies. That concept is that eidolons are legends that then become reality.
Here's a few examples, which can be found at the eidolon wall in Madain Sari.
The "eidolons were created from the legends, and not the other way around" concept merely follows what is already the underlying way the game's universe works, and that is "everything is sourced from/traces back to the crystals".
The crystal of a planet is what bears life to that particular planet. Life comes from the crystal, lives its life, and then returns to that crystal when it dies. Over time of this process occurring, the crystal accumulates these collective experiences and memories of all the life it had created. Eventually, like a life form itself, the planetary crystal ages and begins to die, and when this happens, the planet itself also starts to die (this is what started happening to Terra and resulted in it assimilating other planets to survive, which... led to the events of the game itself after it failed to properly merge with Gaia). In addition to planets having crystals, there's also a universal crystal, and it is here that that these planetary crystals eventually return to. Think of it as a hierarchy of crystals which all trace back to one source. This is all described during the final exchange between Garland and Zidane, near the end of the game when you're in Memoria, before you enter the crystal world.
So... if you understand that a given crystal retains the collective memories of the lifeforms it bears over time, this explains the foundation of where eidolons may come from, and how they are supposedly "legends made into reality" instead of the other way around. It's not merely that they just exist and have legends spoke of them after the fact... but perhaps it's also the other way around.
Summoners are beings that are able to manifest these memories as the physical entities called eidolons.
By the way, note the part about Shiva's form depending on locale. If something is literally born of legend, and different cultures have different ideas of the same thing, well... its form might vary. So that's yet another sample of evidence of it working this way. If these were actual and natural beings, their appearance wouldn't vary. Yet, it supposedly does.
Speaking of which, remember in the Chocobo air garden where you come across an "edolon's grave", only to fight Ozma, which is essentially a shapeless ball? Yeah, Ozma is also theorized to be an eidolon! It's an all but forgotten one, hence it has no form.
So, wait a moment... how does this all have anything to do with Necron? My answer to that is "wait, you're still having to ask?" I'm suggesting that Necron is an eidolon, which was brought forth by Kuja's final actions of destroying the crystal of the universe!
When you meet Kuja at the universal crystal at the end of the game, he's speculated to be nearing the end of his finite lifespan and he is having a bit of an existential crisis. In response, he's unwilling to let a world exist without him, and he ultimately unleashes an attack on everything, which seemingly destroys the crystal, and thus all existence.
Only... this isn't what happens. Instead of existence just ending right then and there, you end up in this strange place (perhaps some sort of limbo while the fate of existence is determined) with Necron. The game calls this place the "Hill of Despair" in the one moment you're able to see your location while you are there.
Kuja's action alone was more than likely the "straw that broke the camel's back" as opposed to the sole thing that created Necron, but regardless, Necron was likely the accumulated manifestation of things like existential despair. A lot of the things Necron tells you, such as its purpose and that it will always exist, line up with all of this (because as long as life exists, so too will the things Necron represents, which is exactly why Necron states that it is eternal; that it will exist "as long as life and death exist"...).
If it's not an eidolon, then it's otherwise just a God that exists for the same purpose (the purpose of waiting for what it deems the validating opportunity to prove that existence deserves to be undone), but I very much like the eidolon theory better.
So while Necron specifically doesn't have any prior buildup, and while I'm not going to try and convince anyone who doesn't like late surprise introductions to like them... it actually fits into the game and its core themes incredibly well. There's another clue here, and that is the rumors of how Hades (the late optional boss) was at one point during production supposed to be the final antagonist, and again, that would work with this because the idea here is that it doesn't matter what name or form the final boss had. The important part was what that entity represented, which it could do regardless of those things.
As the cherry on top, while Final Fantasy IX itself justifies Necron's existence, it is also a game that was full of callbacks to prior titles in the series, and in a prior Final Fantasy title, something not too dissimilar to this happens in its finale too. Many games will often present multiple final boss fights (either as the same boss in different forms, or a different boss entirely). In Final Fantasy V (and spoiler warning for that one!), once you defeat Exdeath, you then fight Neo Exdeath, which is basically the actual Exdeath. I'm not going to cover Final Fantasy V here... but the important bit is that when this happens, these statements by Exdeath are given.
"All memories... dimensions... existence..."
"All that is shall be returned to nothing."
"Then I, too, can disappear... forever!"
Hm... while the motivations and origins of Necron and Exdeath may be a bit different, the thing they're both trying to do definitely sound similar!
And no, I don't think Necron being the final battle diminishes Kuja whatsoever.
The other things I wanted to cover were the characters themselves, and the music, so I'll move onto those.
Character Development
Now that the story has been told, I can cover the character development that occurred over the course of the game.
I'll start with the "primary four" and then the "secondary four", and for the most part, the latter four do have lesser focus.
Zidane
Unlike many of of the prior Final Fantasy installments, Final Fantasy IX brings a pretty upbeat and high spirited protagonist. On the surface, he appears willing to help almost anyone in need, often to an altruistic extent (despite ironically being in a band of thieves), and rarely do things completely get him down. For the most part, you know what you're getting with Zidane.
That's not to say he's got the depth of a puddle, or that he has no struggles or backstory.
During the middle of the game, when it appears like he might just be teasing Garnet again, it becomes apparent that the "bedtime story" he's telling her is actually a story about himself. The story he tells describes someone who doesn't even know their own origin or parents, and currently has a home with an adoptive family (Tantalus) and a rather abusive "father" (Baku). Despite not knowing his home, he's been presenting himself to everyone else as someone who has decided on a purpose for themself. So perhaps ironically for a main character, he undergoes less change over the course of the story than most other characters in the main cast. And despite not knowing his origins, he almost seems content to simply carve out his own home where he can best find it. In a game where the majority of the cast feels either alone, lost, and/or struggling to find their place in life, Zidane is one of the few who seems to have already had this figured out (even if he was still also searching for clues to his home or parents). In other words, he serves as the glue that brings the rest of the cast together, and he gives the other characters the push and motivation they need to find their place in life. And, fittingly, this all ends up coming together when Garland breaks his spirit, and the rest of the characters need to come together and return the favor; to show him he is not alone.
This is all why his breakdown near the end of the game has such a heavy impact. In an era where being brooding and moody and "emo" was "in", Zidane went against all this, and then when he did have a breakdown, it wasn't just forced to serve that purpose. No, it was a real breakdown, and that's precisely why that moment is often regarded not just as one of the best moments in Final Fantasy IX, but in the entire series (and in my mind, in all of gaming or perhaps even all of media at large).
This might sound like an exaggeration, but he's really shaped me as a person. Thinking "what would Zidane do?" has often helped me get through some tough and depressing periods in my life just by shifting my attitude and outlook on things.
Princess Garnet
If it isn't obvious, this is another character that is near and dear to me. I was coming of age during my first playthrough, which is the time in life before you start getting a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibilities, so you could say this is a time where you first start trying to find your place in life. It was easy to relate to her. She's the female lead (and the other two or potentially three female characters are a bit more limited in appeal in my mind), she's a Princess, and not only does she have an opportunity to go on an adventure (although for undesirable root reasons), but she embraces it. "I wish to be kidnapped right away" said to her would-be kidnapper is the most adorable and best minor early game twist ever! Ever! Add an increasingly lovable cast of characters... and it's a case of "yes please, sign me up for all that" so it's pretty easy to relate to her. Since she is the leading female protagonist, and since the others are a bit more specific in appeal (one is a rat, one is a child, and a potential one is Quina), then I figure this is the character most girls would have most associated with by default, at least among the main cast. Beatrix is another favorite, but she's not in the main cast.
A lot of people like to give her grief for one or two moments in the game, and you probably know at least one of them.
The first thing I often see criticized about her is her choice to return home not long after running away at the start of the game. However, this criticism ignores a lot of developments between the time of her running away and deciding to return. It also ignores that we, the player, are specifically shown one side of Queen Brahne, but unlike us, Garnet knows more of her mother than we're shown (and perhaps some backstory on Queen Brahne and perhaps even the King should have been shown later in the game as flashbacks to reinforce those things). Yes, Garnet may be naive to the full extent of her mother's current corruption and willingness to endanger her life, but that doesn't mean the choice to return home doesn't make sense within context. She never intended to leave home for good anyway, but rather to get help.
Once she left, she found out there were Black mages being manufactured, that they had a link to Alexandria, and that they were being used for war. She then found herself in Lindblum and, just like at home, she felt trapped. "I can't stand sitting around like this" and "I didn't come here to be protected" come to mind. Even if it was for her protection, and yes even if Garnet was being naive compared to the information we have as a player, the decision to return home doesn't warrant the criticism it gets.
The other thing people give her grief for is during her literal grief later in the game, where she randomly "can't concentrate" and loses turns in battle. I'm mixed on this one. Admittedly, it seems odd. The idea is that she is so grief stricken that she can't focus (and lost her voice) , but it comes off awkwardly when it only occurs randomly, and in battle. You'd think it would be an either-or, that either she is to distressed that she can't participate at all, or that it's not bothering her enough to lapse in battle so randomly.
Instead of those two things, my lone criticism with her character was how she completely forget her life before she was six years old. I don't mind her origin story, and if they wanted to go with the "amnesia" reasoning, I can even buy into that. In that case though, I think they should have had her younger than six (maybe three or something?) when the disaster in Madain Sari occurred. But that's an issue with a detail, not the concept itself, so I can more easily overlook it.
Other than that, I feel like a lot of people discredit how much Garnet changes over the course of the game. She is perhaps one of the characters that changes the most, who tests and questions herself the most (if in unhealthy ways at times, by blaming herself for things beyond her control), and goes through the most suffering and devastation.
Vivi
This little guy is the most adorable Black Mage ever and must be protected! Vivi probably doesn't need much introduction because he's a fan favorite, and for good reason.
He's basically one of the most identifiable instances of a character trying to find their place in life, and being that he's presented as a child and yet deals with the topic of death head on, it brings an aura of innocence that you want to protect!
First he learns that he was manufactured (though in hindsight, we learn that the Black mages are manufactured using Mist, which we later learn is the remnants of souls rejected from returning to the crystal by the Iifa tree, so... they possibly have actual souls).
Later he comes across other Black mages in Black Mage Village, and learns that they "suddenly became aware" (perhaps possible because they possibly have souls) and it is here that he learns that their life is finite, and that their lifespan is very short. The conversations he has with one Black mage in particular (and on two separate occasions) is pretty deep. The first time the Black mage answers him about what he feels in response to this knowledge is "fear?" but that "the joy of living with the other Black mages far outweighs the fear of death" and he then asks Vivi if this is also the case for him; he asks "doesn't traveling with his friends give your life purpose?" and this might be what spurs Vivi to continue on.
He then learns the purpose of why he was manufactured (to spread war). He rejects this purpose and presses on to defeat the Soul Cage despite that meaning it would prevent the birth of more fellow Black mages.
During the return to Black Mage Village, after finding out that most of the Black mages left with Kuja when he promised them a way to extend their life, he presses the other Black mage, saying that Kuja is manipulating them. When the Black mage says "maybe we are just puppets", Vivi rejects this. The other Black mage says he couldn't follow along with Kuja's promises because he felt like he was leaving something behind. Vivi basically proposes that this reason is that living their life with purpose is better than running away from their fear of death (or in this case, chasing a way to extend their life, even if it means being manipulated).
He learns what feelings are. When his "grandfather" was dying, he told Vivi not to be sad. Vivi took this to mean that it was wrong to feel sad. And it wasn't until Garnet cried when Queen Brahne was dying that he more fully accepted and understood his feelings. He reasons that they can't be "puppets" but that they must be "something more" if they have these feelings, and he turns all of this the other Black mage to return the favor of him having reminded Vivi earlier that they can have a purpose in life, despite their origins and limited lifespan.
Late in the game, he shifts to trying to help the Genomes understand themselves and find a place in life in their new home in Gaia too.
He finally finds his purpose, his place, in life, and he even goes up against the threat to end existence with his friends... and overcomes it. All of this is what makes his eventual death in the end hit that much harder. The game's core themes isn't merely about finding your place in life, but also that life is fragile and needs cherished while it exists. Vivi is the best representation of that concept.
Steiner
Oh, Steiner. Originally, it was easy to see him as the bumbling comedy relief that just got in the way of an adventure! It was easy to dislike him for being a roadblock to that. If you relate to either Garnet or Zidane early on, then he represents the roadblock to a would-be adventure, so it's easy to dislike him. He rejects to consider apparent realities simply because he is devoted to a fault.
Yet Steiner might be the character who changes the most over the course of the game.
Having devoted his life to serving the Queen and the Princess, he gets forced to ask questions of himself and make tough decisions when he is forced to choose between those two very things due to Queen Brahne's corruption putting Princess Garnet's life in danger.
At first, he believe he is just following orders and that his kingdom would do no wrong.
When they witness Alexandria's war banner flying on the other side of a gate where the apparent signs of recent a battle have occurred (though this is optional), he is enraged and posits that someone must be flying it falsely.
When the Black Waltzes keep trying to capture Garnet and declare it is under the orders of Queen Brahne, and when the Black mages are used for war, and he is imprisoned by Zorn and Thorn who also declare it was under the orders of Queen Brahne... he refuses to accept it.
He believes himself to be noble, positing that "he would petition for a life sentence of Zidane's behalf" instead of being put to death for kidnapping Garnet, since he was the reason Garnet wasn't left behind in Dali (for... reasons, haha).
He originally tries to just bring Garnet back to the castle. And when she refuses, he does the next best thing and protects her while trying to get her to return.
It is here that he begins to shed his comic relief role (as Quina will soon pick it up).
His inner thoughts during their time in Treno are perhaps the first real look at this internal struggle occurring, and the first hint at him being more than someone who merely follows orders and always believes that he and his kingdom are without fault. Garnet and Steiner fall in with Marcus on their way back to the castle when they learn Marcus is stopping by Treno to get something to save Blank from petrification. As Garnet feels guilty for this having happened, she joins, despite them needing to break into property and steal something. This ends up workings out, as the location of this happens to be that of Doctor Tot, but before learning of that, Baku challenges Steiner by asking "always talking about your duty, haven't you got thoughts of your own?". Steiner then actually asks himself "what am I doing?" when realizing he is assisting criminals, although he reasons that he is just escorting the Princess, and he dismisses the idea that he has no thoughts of his own because he is a "lowly knight" and couldn't understand the Queen's thinking.
When Brahne imprisons Garnet, and once he sees the results of Garnet being endangered by Brahne, he then has his own existential crisis. It's not one he is happy about, but it's a huge moment of growth for him. The game does well with little details to show what characters are going through, such as how Steiner stops doing a victory pose after battle during this part (since he is fighting against Alexandria...). While initially helping them escape and protect the Princess, he realizes that Beatrix has turned against Brahne despite serving her for years, and that Freya is aiding them despite losing her home and people. It is here that he turns back to help them, and it here that he has a complete reversal from earlier on, solely entrusting the protection of Garnet (his sole responsibility!) to the very same person who originally kidnapped her and the one he wanted put to death for it!
After Brahne's death, he devotes himself to Garnet, the new Queen, and starts to form a closer bond with Beatrix. The part in Alexandria while it's under attack, and getting to protect Alexandria and Garnet with him and Beatrix, helps give him a more noble position going forward.
Later on, during Zidane's breakdown in Pandemonium, he tries to reason with him that he needs more of a chance whether to conclude if Zidane is a "good man for Her Highness" (and in the process, suggesting that he does), and finally, he declares that he sees him as an equal; as someone he entrusts Garnet with, as "a comrade in arms" that he will no abandon, and as someone he would give his life for, "you remember that"!
That's all a huge reversal from who he was at the start, even if he's still devoting his life to serving a particular kingdom.
During the end, when Beatrix is about to leave Alexandria over all the wrong she has committed in name of it, Steiner simultaneously professes his feelings for her and requests for her to stay to join him in protecting Garnet and Alexandria.
Freya
Freya is probably one of the best "secondary" main characters, and she seems to be a favorite of many. She's introduced somewhat early (around halfway through the first disc), but a recurring complaint of what might be her only shortcoming is that she's sort of dropped out of focus pretty early too.
As a player, you are introduced to her in Lindblum, although Zidane has already know her by that point. Their past isn't really explored, and shortly after leaving Lindblum, you arrive in Burmecia, which is her home.
You learn that she's looking for her lover, Sir Fratley, and left home years ago to find him. She returns when Burmecia is attacked, and when that falls, she and some of the party head to Cleyra a nearby settlement that has others of her race who splintered off from Burmecia when a infighting occurred over the jewel. Before Cleyra also falls, it is revealed that Sir Fratley is alive, but has forgotten who she is (and just about everything besides his name and faint callings that he used to be a dragon knight).
The complaint is that she is dropped from focus around here. There's scenes about her discussing with other Burmecians her plans to return and help them rebuild, but that's aside from the main story. With Burmecia and Cleyra having been progressed past, and Sir Fratley's fate having been revealed, there's not too much else they could have focused on with her. And while she's with the party, she remains being who she is (which is a pretty mature and logical thinking character), so I guess I always felt she was fine.
Near the end of the game, she does reunite with him despite him having forgotten her.
She ties into the main game's theme of finding your place in life with her struggle being "to be forgotten is worse than death", which refers to Fratley having forgotten her. Perhaps having shown some more scenes in the third or fourth disc, like a mini arc, of her and Sir Fratley showing how she gets him to be with her again, and deals with being forgotten, would go a ways here? Her main struggle is dealing with being forgotten, and she is shown both being devastated when it is revealed Fratley has forgotten her, but also being able to move on.
Eiko
Eiko is the second to last character introduced, joining you near the middle-end of the second disc. If Freya isn't the most developed secondary main character, then Eiko is. She doesn't really get much more screen time than Freya, but what time she has is probably more integral to parts of the main story and the main four characters.
As the only known remaining summoner, her internal theme is not wanting to be alone. Since Garnet and Zidane have a romance being developed, and since Garnet is also actually a summoner, she's used for multiples aspects of the story. She presents herself as liking Zidane, which, since she's just a child, is partly used to push Garnet's and Zidane's romance more, but also as a cover for her real struggle, which a desire for companionship. She mistakes this as a love for Zidane. The other way she's used to push the story for is to present Madain Sari and the summoner lore itself, and when Garnet's origin reveal is made, Eiko is used to both make the moment more powerful, and as a chance to give Eiko some growth against her own struggle of being alone (finding out Garnet is also a summoner and having met the party as an oppurtunity to leave the village makes her feel less alone). She also comes into play when Alexandria is attacked, joining with Garnet to summon Alexander.
In the end, she's adopted by Cid and Hilda (of Lindblum). Amusingly enough, this answers her own question to Garnet earlier...
"How come you got to be a princess?"
She got adopted and became one, just like you Eiko. You're not alone anymore.
Quina
Quina can either join the party right after Freya does (middle-end of disc one), or quite a bit later (early-mid disc two). This coincides with the fact that... Quina actually doesn't tie into the main story events at all. In fact, Quina is often getting separated and then showing back up conveniently.
Quina is definitely one of the game's, and maybe even the series', strangest characters. At first, the entire role of Quina seems to merely be one of comedy relief (right in time for Steiner to shed that role and start being more serious), and... that's honestly not far from what Quina's role is.
Yet there's something amusingly ironic that's probably very, very easy to overlook with Quina precisely because of how simple they are, and that is this; in a game where everyone is dealing with finding their place in life, Quina is probably the only one that has already found the answer to that. The only other character that is even close to that is Zidane, but even he hasn't quite figured it out. Yet, Quina has. Quina goes with the flow. When Quina is separated, or when Quina finds out she got paired with Zidane because they were "leftovers", none of that gets them down. Quina is simply content regardless of circumstances, and while their desires are simple (explore life's culinary offerings), they're ironically one of the game's furthest along characters insofar as the game's main theme of "finding one's place in life" goes.
I missed this when I was younger and on initial playthroughs. I would imagine most people do too, and never see past the comic relief role to notice this.
Amarant
Amarant is the last character to join you, and he does so shortly after Eiko, and right before the end of the second disc. Amarant seems to be a character that most people like the least out of the eight playable characters. Most people seem to rather have gotten Beatrix to play as.
I'm probably going to be a rare one among fans and disagree here, at least partially. Beatrix is definitely a character I like more than Amarant. But Beatrix is a holy Knight (formally referred to as a Paladin as a class where it shows up), which is basically a blend of a Knight and a White Mage. Steiner is a Knight, and while Freya is formally a dragoon, that's more or less a hybrid of a knight and some other things (with the Jump capability being the primary thing the class is traditionally known for). So, there's sort of two defensive/knight characters, and between Garnet and Eiko, there's also already two White mages.
I like Beatrix, but I'd argue she has too much crossover with the party, and she's good specifically because she's such a tough enemy who switches sides, and then has some awesome moments (such as when her and Steiner team up to defend Alexandria).
Getting back to Amarant, while he's definitely not as integral as the main four characters, I think he's mostly fine. His problem isn't in the role he plays; it's that he might have needed a little more of his character and history shown. He's intentionally meant to be someone's a lone wolf and doesn't trust others and needs to be shown that "friendship is good", and the part in Ipsen's Castle does this well I think. His whole theme is basically that he's had to live with a "survival of the fittest" mindset, and he "finds his place" by learning there's more to life than that. At the very end, he retains his "cool" exterior, but he's shown being more outgoing and even defaults to presuming that Lani would want to return to Alexandria for the reunion. Both are things that contrast the loner he was earlier. Maybe they could have showed more of his past to reinforce why he was the way and to highlight what his struggle was about (all you get is how he once had a run in with Zidane where Zidane tricked him and it resulted in Amarant being a wanted man in Treno, which explains why Amarant has a grudge with Zidane, and the whole thing is more odd since Zidane forgets this...), but I think his role is actually fine. Lightly focused on, yes, but fine.
With the characters concluded, the last thing I'll move onto is the music.
Music
There's no overstating it; Final Fantasy IX wouldn't be the game it is without what is arguably Nobuo Uematsu's best music work. A great game is the sum of its parts. A JRPG might traditionally be great by having a well written story and good characters, and those are both already high strengths of Final Fantasy IX, but the music is so good here that I feel like the game would lose something without the music it has. Along with the story and characters, something else Final Fantasy IX also did very well was presenting its world, and this is part of what pushed it to greater heights in presentation. And what helped present the world... and the characters... and the story... and the moments, was the music. Nobuo Uematsu brought all of those things to life.
I said earlier that I wanted to stick to my own thoughts and content as much as possible, but that I will compliment it with some third part references if something exists and does a far better job than I ever could. This is one of those times...
I said a number of times while covering the story that something Final Fantasy IX does well is sort of "remixing" themes. It has tracks that sound related because they reuse certain themes, but they are yet different. I'm not an audio person, but I later found out there's a term for this; leitmotif. You go through the game hearing this recurring theme, and yet it's often different enough that you might only notice it subconsciously. It "feels" related but you might not even consciously realize "it's the same theme", or at least you might not realize how often it's the same theme. And then, at the end, when the credits roll, you get the version of that theme, Melodies of Life.
When you are first introduced to Beatrix, there's this overwhelming theme. It makes you feel like you are fighting impossible odds, and you are.
Later, when it begins to show Beatrix contemplating her actions, the theme changes. Now, it feels softer and almost sad.
Later again, when Alexandria is under attack and Steiner joins with her to defend it, a similar theme plays... only now it is faster paced, energized, and more upbeat.
That's merely one example; the music does a lot of that in this game and it carries the weight of conveying how a given location, character, or moment feels. And this is all done with the same few themes rearranged!
Again, a perfect third party reference exists for this, and it describes that the music sets vibes to help establish the feel of the game.
I could go on about the music all day. I listen to the OST all the time even to this day. I'll have to conclude some time, so the last thing I'll talk about in regards to the music will be listing some of my favorite tracks. These aren't in order of preference (if anything, I'll be listing them chronologically as the game presents them) because I'm not really sure I could narrow down any favorites due to how many I have and how close many of them are, but these are a few that are special to me.
The first I'll mention is "The Place I'll Return To Someday", which is the title screen music. Hearing this every time I started the game (or was sent back to the title screen from a game over, haha) while the FMV clips are played was magical. And fittingly, I always return to this place some day...
Speaking of early game, "The Skies of Alexandria" and "Vivi's Theme" are obvious mentions right out the gate. The former presents what I think is the best title screen in the series (Final Fantasy X's makes this hard though...), which is brilliantly placed not immediately at the start, and "Vivi's Theme" might double as Alexandria's theme, as it plays there. it's very fitting that theme plays during the first town you explore, and that it is as Vivi, as the theme conveys wonder, which represents how overwhelmed and in awe Vivi must feel, and how the player might feel exploring their first non-hostile location (well... for now, haha).
"Awakened Forest", which originally plays in Evil Forest but also later at Pinnacle Rocks, gets a mention for a reason I listed when covering the story. The way the game introduces and presents itself is fitting; it's like a play, and its first presentations are paced, slowly moving the player towards the broader gameplay while keeping a certain focus on the world, characters, and initial story that's about to kick it all off. After the opening gave us tastes of innocence, wonder, majesty, chaos, action, romance, loss, and twists... we're thrown into what is basically the first dungeon which will demonstrate how one of the three primary gameplay patterns play out (the other two being towns and the world map). You're in this fantasy forest with owls hooting and this music playing and this story having just kicked off and... nothing more needs to be said.
"Crossing Those Hills" is the main overworld theme (which gets replaced on the final disc) and while I don't have a favorite track, it might be the one I'll mention if I were forced to pick one. It just oozes a mood of fantasy and going on an adventure, and between world map locations and battles, this is what you'll hear a lot of, and that's not a bad thing. It's the best overworld music the series ever had. Oh, and yeah... the main Melodies of Life theme is in there, too.
The "Battle Theme" is also the best in the series in my mind. Unfortunately, the boss battle music can't make quite that same claim (I think the titles that flank it before and after chronologically both have better boss music), but it's still good here. The regular battle theme is simply the star of the show. And the fairy battle variant is magical too.
La, la la laaa... Oh, "Song of Memories". Where would I be without you? Melodies of Life might be most others' favorite rendition of the theme. I love Melodies of Life, because it plays during the end while you get a shown a summary of the FMVs during the credits, but... I have to place this one a hair higher. It plays at far too many strong moments. It plays ominously when Garnet sings in Lindblum while Vivi, Freya, Steiner, and Cid show the struggles they face. It plays in Madain Sari during the big reveal of Garnet's origins. And it plays at the end when Vivi's last thoughts are shown...
"Gurugu Volcano" (which is mistranslated in the official soundtrack and called "Gulug" in the game, and plays during Mount Gulug) is only heard for a short time while in a place you pass through and never return to, and it's a standout favorite of mine.
"Terra" is otherworldly, and that's obviously fitting.
"You're Not Alone" is the most obvious mention. Ask any Final Fantasy IX fan what music they like most and, along with Melodies of Life, this will be mentioned every time. It's not quite my absolute favorite... but it's what makes one of the most powerful moments in the entire series, let alone the game, what it is. It's hard not to recognize it.
"Assault of the Silver Dragons" plays as you are about to enter Memoria. This is basically the "everyone is coming together in one place to pull for the finale" moment, and there's even a comical dash of both Garnet's/Zidane's and Beatrix's/Steiner's relationships here.
"Place of Memories" is the perfect music to the final location of the game (the short crystal world portion aside). So many reveals here.
Last, but not least, is "Prelude", which was the title music of many of the classic installments, but instead plays at the very, very end here. Hence the title of my ending post here adopting the name in a similar fashion!
These are far from the only tracks that warrant a mention, but... I can't be here all day. If I mentioned all the tracks that actually deserved it, I'd at least be quadrupling my number of mentions.
Wrapping Up
For now, that will conclude things. There will be one more final post to actually wrap things up with a summary, but that's it for covering specific things in-depth.
Here it is! Here it finally is!
I, uh... forgot to put the concluding touches on this... until someone reminded me, haha. At least it was left forgotten after I finished the game and story instead of in the middle of it?
"Prelude"
With the in-depth coverage of the story wrapped up, it's time for the conclusion. This will mainly consist of a summary of the story, a look at the characters and how they changed over the course of the game, the music, and a few other minor tidbits.
I wanted to stick as much as possible to my own words and content since this is my own retrospective, but because I feel like I've put way more than enough of my own effort into this, I don't think referencing some outside content a little would be leaning too much on it. Sometimes, it's just not worth reinventing the wheel when something else already covers what you want to say, and there's a few videos I've seen over time that perfectly cover some things, so I will be making a few references.
The first of which is...
Story
The vast majority of this retrospective covered the story. I wouldn't blame anyone for not following the entire thing, so here's a great summary of the story of the game if you want it in condensed form (it's still about an hour long).
There were a few things I wanted to cover in more detail, but I didn't want to sidetrack too much during the coverage of the story, so I'll do that now that I'm done.
For the first of those things, I'll pick up where we left off, and that is the final antagonist.
Necron, the Out-Of-Nowhere Antagonist?
While covering the story, I mentioned how the final boss, Necron, is sometimes said to have "come out of nowhere", or is sometimes said to be a poor example of the "man behind the curtain" concept.
While I understand why people have this impression, and while it does seem to come out of nowhere in the moment during your first experience playing the game, it does have an explanation. To understand what it is, we need to understand a certain concept that the game stops just shy of confirming but heavily implies. That concept is that eidolons are legends that then become reality.
Here's a few examples, which can be found at the eidolon wall in Madain Sari.
The "eidolons were created from the legends, and not the other way around" concept merely follows what is already the underlying way the game's universe works, and that is "everything is sourced from/traces back to the crystals".
The crystal of a planet is what bears life to that particular planet. Life comes from the crystal, lives its life, and then returns to that crystal when it dies. Over time of this process occurring, the crystal accumulates these collective experiences and memories of all the life it had created. Eventually, like a life form itself, the planetary crystal ages and begins to die, and when this happens, the planet itself also starts to die (this is what started happening to Terra and resulted in it assimilating other planets to survive, which... led to the events of the game itself after it failed to properly merge with Gaia). In addition to planets having crystals, there's also a universal crystal, and it is here that that these planetary crystals eventually return to. Think of it as a hierarchy of crystals which all trace back to one source. This is all described during the final exchange between Garland and Zidane, near the end of the game when you're in Memoria, before you enter the crystal world.
So... if you understand that a given crystal retains the collective memories of the lifeforms it bears over time, this explains the foundation of where eidolons may come from, and how they are supposedly "legends made into reality" instead of the other way around. It's not merely that they just exist and have legends spoke of them after the fact... but perhaps it's also the other way around.
Summoners are beings that are able to manifest these memories as the physical entities called eidolons.
By the way, note the part about Shiva's form depending on locale. If something is literally born of legend, and different cultures have different ideas of the same thing, well... its form might vary. So that's yet another sample of evidence of it working this way. If these were actual and natural beings, their appearance wouldn't vary. Yet, it supposedly does.
Speaking of which, remember in the Chocobo air garden where you come across an "edolon's grave", only to fight Ozma, which is essentially a shapeless ball? Yeah, Ozma is also theorized to be an eidolon! It's an all but forgotten one, hence it has no form.
So, wait a moment... how does this all have anything to do with Necron? My answer to that is "wait, you're still having to ask?" I'm suggesting that Necron is an eidolon, which was brought forth by Kuja's final actions of destroying the crystal of the universe!
When you meet Kuja at the universal crystal at the end of the game, he's speculated to be nearing the end of his finite lifespan and he is having a bit of an existential crisis. In response, he's unwilling to let a world exist without him, and he ultimately unleashes an attack on everything, which seemingly destroys the crystal, and thus all existence.
Only... this isn't what happens. Instead of existence just ending right then and there, you end up in this strange place (perhaps some sort of limbo while the fate of existence is determined) with Necron. The game calls this place the "Hill of Despair" in the one moment you're able to see your location while you are there.
Kuja's action alone was more than likely the "straw that broke the camel's back" as opposed to the sole thing that created Necron, but regardless, Necron was likely the accumulated manifestation of things like existential despair. A lot of the things Necron tells you, such as its purpose and that it will always exist, line up with all of this (because as long as life exists, so too will the things Necron represents, which is exactly why Necron states that it is eternal; that it will exist "as long as life and death exist"...).
If it's not an eidolon, then it's otherwise just a God that exists for the same purpose (the purpose of waiting for what it deems the validating opportunity to prove that existence deserves to be undone), but I very much like the eidolon theory better.
So while Necron specifically doesn't have any prior buildup, and while I'm not going to try and convince anyone who doesn't like late surprise introductions to like them... it actually fits into the game and its core themes incredibly well. There's another clue here, and that is the rumors of how Hades (the late optional boss) was at one point during production supposed to be the final antagonist, and again, that would work with this because the idea here is that it doesn't matter what name or form the final boss had. The important part was what that entity represented, which it could do regardless of those things.
As the cherry on top, while Final Fantasy IX itself justifies Necron's existence, it is also a game that was full of callbacks to prior titles in the series, and in a prior Final Fantasy title, something not too dissimilar to this happens in its finale too. Many games will often present multiple final boss fights (either as the same boss in different forms, or a different boss entirely). In Final Fantasy V (and spoiler warning for that one!), once you defeat Exdeath, you then fight Neo Exdeath, which is basically the actual Exdeath. I'm not going to cover Final Fantasy V here... but the important bit is that when this happens, these statements by Exdeath are given.
"All memories... dimensions... existence..."
"All that is shall be returned to nothing."
"Then I, too, can disappear... forever!"
Hm... while the motivations and origins of Necron and Exdeath may be a bit different, the thing they're both trying to do definitely sound similar!
And no, I don't think Necron being the final battle diminishes Kuja whatsoever.
The other things I wanted to cover were the characters themselves, and the music, so I'll move onto those.
Character Development
Now that the story has been told, I can cover the character development that occurred over the course of the game.
I'll start with the "primary four" and then the "secondary four", and for the most part, the latter four do have lesser focus.
Zidane
Unlike many of of the prior Final Fantasy installments, Final Fantasy IX brings a pretty upbeat and high spirited protagonist. On the surface, he appears willing to help almost anyone in need, often to an altruistic extent (despite ironically being in a band of thieves), and rarely do things completely get him down. For the most part, you know what you're getting with Zidane.
That's not to say he's got the depth of a puddle, or that he has no struggles or backstory.
During the middle of the game, when it appears like he might just be teasing Garnet again, it becomes apparent that the "bedtime story" he's telling her is actually a story about himself. The story he tells describes someone who doesn't even know their own origin or parents, and currently has a home with an adoptive family (Tantalus) and a rather abusive "father" (Baku). Despite not knowing his home, he's been presenting himself to everyone else as someone who has decided on a purpose for themself. So perhaps ironically for a main character, he undergoes less change over the course of the story than most other characters in the main cast. And despite not knowing his origins, he almost seems content to simply carve out his own home where he can best find it. In a game where the majority of the cast feels either alone, lost, and/or struggling to find their place in life, Zidane is one of the few who seems to have already had this figured out (even if he was still also searching for clues to his home or parents). In other words, he serves as the glue that brings the rest of the cast together, and he gives the other characters the push and motivation they need to find their place in life. And, fittingly, this all ends up coming together when Garland breaks his spirit, and the rest of the characters need to come together and return the favor; to show him he is not alone.
This is all why his breakdown near the end of the game has such a heavy impact. In an era where being brooding and moody and "emo" was "in", Zidane went against all this, and then when he did have a breakdown, it wasn't just forced to serve that purpose. No, it was a real breakdown, and that's precisely why that moment is often regarded not just as one of the best moments in Final Fantasy IX, but in the entire series (and in my mind, in all of gaming or perhaps even all of media at large).
This might sound like an exaggeration, but he's really shaped me as a person. Thinking "what would Zidane do?" has often helped me get through some tough and depressing periods in my life just by shifting my attitude and outlook on things.
Princess Garnet
If it isn't obvious, this is another character that is near and dear to me. I was coming of age during my first playthrough, which is the time in life before you start getting a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibilities, so you could say this is a time where you first start trying to find your place in life. It was easy to relate to her. She's the female lead (and the other two or potentially three female characters are a bit more limited in appeal in my mind), she's a Princess, and not only does she have an opportunity to go on an adventure (although for undesirable root reasons), but she embraces it. "I wish to be kidnapped right away" said to her would-be kidnapper is the most adorable and best minor early game twist ever! Ever! Add an increasingly lovable cast of characters... and it's a case of "yes please, sign me up for all that" so it's pretty easy to relate to her. Since she is the leading female protagonist, and since the others are a bit more specific in appeal (one is a rat, one is a child, and a potential one is Quina), then I figure this is the character most girls would have most associated with by default, at least among the main cast. Beatrix is another favorite, but she's not in the main cast.
A lot of people like to give her grief for one or two moments in the game, and you probably know at least one of them.
The first thing I often see criticized about her is her choice to return home not long after running away at the start of the game. However, this criticism ignores a lot of developments between the time of her running away and deciding to return. It also ignores that we, the player, are specifically shown one side of Queen Brahne, but unlike us, Garnet knows more of her mother than we're shown (and perhaps some backstory on Queen Brahne and perhaps even the King should have been shown later in the game as flashbacks to reinforce those things). Yes, Garnet may be naive to the full extent of her mother's current corruption and willingness to endanger her life, but that doesn't mean the choice to return home doesn't make sense within context. She never intended to leave home for good anyway, but rather to get help.
Once she left, she found out there were Black mages being manufactured, that they had a link to Alexandria, and that they were being used for war. She then found herself in Lindblum and, just like at home, she felt trapped. "I can't stand sitting around like this" and "I didn't come here to be protected" come to mind. Even if it was for her protection, and yes even if Garnet was being naive compared to the information we have as a player, the decision to return home doesn't warrant the criticism it gets.
The other thing people give her grief for is during her literal grief later in the game, where she randomly "can't concentrate" and loses turns in battle. I'm mixed on this one. Admittedly, it seems odd. The idea is that she is so grief stricken that she can't focus (and lost her voice) , but it comes off awkwardly when it only occurs randomly, and in battle. You'd think it would be an either-or, that either she is to distressed that she can't participate at all, or that it's not bothering her enough to lapse in battle so randomly.
Instead of those two things, my lone criticism with her character was how she completely forget her life before she was six years old. I don't mind her origin story, and if they wanted to go with the "amnesia" reasoning, I can even buy into that. In that case though, I think they should have had her younger than six (maybe three or something?) when the disaster in Madain Sari occurred. But that's an issue with a detail, not the concept itself, so I can more easily overlook it.
Other than that, I feel like a lot of people discredit how much Garnet changes over the course of the game. She is perhaps one of the characters that changes the most, who tests and questions herself the most (if in unhealthy ways at times, by blaming herself for things beyond her control), and goes through the most suffering and devastation.
Vivi
This little guy is the most adorable Black Mage ever and must be protected! Vivi probably doesn't need much introduction because he's a fan favorite, and for good reason.
He's basically one of the most identifiable instances of a character trying to find their place in life, and being that he's presented as a child and yet deals with the topic of death head on, it brings an aura of innocence that you want to protect!
First he learns that he was manufactured (though in hindsight, we learn that the Black mages are manufactured using Mist, which we later learn is the remnants of souls rejected from returning to the crystal by the Iifa tree, so... they possibly have actual souls).
Later he comes across other Black mages in Black Mage Village, and learns that they "suddenly became aware" (perhaps possible because they possibly have souls) and it is here that he learns that their life is finite, and that their lifespan is very short. The conversations he has with one Black mage in particular (and on two separate occasions) is pretty deep. The first time the Black mage answers him about what he feels in response to this knowledge is "fear?" but that "the joy of living with the other Black mages far outweighs the fear of death" and he then asks Vivi if this is also the case for him; he asks "doesn't traveling with his friends give your life purpose?" and this might be what spurs Vivi to continue on.
He then learns the purpose of why he was manufactured (to spread war). He rejects this purpose and presses on to defeat the Soul Cage despite that meaning it would prevent the birth of more fellow Black mages.
During the return to Black Mage Village, after finding out that most of the Black mages left with Kuja when he promised them a way to extend their life, he presses the other Black mage, saying that Kuja is manipulating them. When the Black mage says "maybe we are just puppets", Vivi rejects this. The other Black mage says he couldn't follow along with Kuja's promises because he felt like he was leaving something behind. Vivi basically proposes that this reason is that living their life with purpose is better than running away from their fear of death (or in this case, chasing a way to extend their life, even if it means being manipulated).
He learns what feelings are. When his "grandfather" was dying, he told Vivi not to be sad. Vivi took this to mean that it was wrong to feel sad. And it wasn't until Garnet cried when Queen Brahne was dying that he more fully accepted and understood his feelings. He reasons that they can't be "puppets" but that they must be "something more" if they have these feelings, and he turns all of this the other Black mage to return the favor of him having reminded Vivi earlier that they can have a purpose in life, despite their origins and limited lifespan.
Late in the game, he shifts to trying to help the Genomes understand themselves and find a place in life in their new home in Gaia too.
He finally finds his purpose, his place, in life, and he even goes up against the threat to end existence with his friends... and overcomes it. All of this is what makes his eventual death in the end hit that much harder. The game's core themes isn't merely about finding your place in life, but also that life is fragile and needs cherished while it exists. Vivi is the best representation of that concept.
Steiner
Oh, Steiner. Originally, it was easy to see him as the bumbling comedy relief that just got in the way of an adventure! It was easy to dislike him for being a roadblock to that. If you relate to either Garnet or Zidane early on, then he represents the roadblock to a would-be adventure, so it's easy to dislike him. He rejects to consider apparent realities simply because he is devoted to a fault.
Yet Steiner might be the character who changes the most over the course of the game.
Having devoted his life to serving the Queen and the Princess, he gets forced to ask questions of himself and make tough decisions when he is forced to choose between those two very things due to Queen Brahne's corruption putting Princess Garnet's life in danger.
At first, he believe he is just following orders and that his kingdom would do no wrong.
When they witness Alexandria's war banner flying on the other side of a gate where the apparent signs of recent a battle have occurred (though this is optional), he is enraged and posits that someone must be flying it falsely.
When the Black Waltzes keep trying to capture Garnet and declare it is under the orders of Queen Brahne, and when the Black mages are used for war, and he is imprisoned by Zorn and Thorn who also declare it was under the orders of Queen Brahne... he refuses to accept it.
He believes himself to be noble, positing that "he would petition for a life sentence of Zidane's behalf" instead of being put to death for kidnapping Garnet, since he was the reason Garnet wasn't left behind in Dali (for... reasons, haha).
He originally tries to just bring Garnet back to the castle. And when she refuses, he does the next best thing and protects her while trying to get her to return.
It is here that he begins to shed his comic relief role (as Quina will soon pick it up).
His inner thoughts during their time in Treno are perhaps the first real look at this internal struggle occurring, and the first hint at him being more than someone who merely follows orders and always believes that he and his kingdom are without fault. Garnet and Steiner fall in with Marcus on their way back to the castle when they learn Marcus is stopping by Treno to get something to save Blank from petrification. As Garnet feels guilty for this having happened, she joins, despite them needing to break into property and steal something. This ends up workings out, as the location of this happens to be that of Doctor Tot, but before learning of that, Baku challenges Steiner by asking "always talking about your duty, haven't you got thoughts of your own?". Steiner then actually asks himself "what am I doing?" when realizing he is assisting criminals, although he reasons that he is just escorting the Princess, and he dismisses the idea that he has no thoughts of his own because he is a "lowly knight" and couldn't understand the Queen's thinking.
When Brahne imprisons Garnet, and once he sees the results of Garnet being endangered by Brahne, he then has his own existential crisis. It's not one he is happy about, but it's a huge moment of growth for him. The game does well with little details to show what characters are going through, such as how Steiner stops doing a victory pose after battle during this part (since he is fighting against Alexandria...). While initially helping them escape and protect the Princess, he realizes that Beatrix has turned against Brahne despite serving her for years, and that Freya is aiding them despite losing her home and people. It is here that he turns back to help them, and it here that he has a complete reversal from earlier on, solely entrusting the protection of Garnet (his sole responsibility!) to the very same person who originally kidnapped her and the one he wanted put to death for it!
After Brahne's death, he devotes himself to Garnet, the new Queen, and starts to form a closer bond with Beatrix. The part in Alexandria while it's under attack, and getting to protect Alexandria and Garnet with him and Beatrix, helps give him a more noble position going forward.
Later on, during Zidane's breakdown in Pandemonium, he tries to reason with him that he needs more of a chance whether to conclude if Zidane is a "good man for Her Highness" (and in the process, suggesting that he does), and finally, he declares that he sees him as an equal; as someone he entrusts Garnet with, as "a comrade in arms" that he will no abandon, and as someone he would give his life for, "you remember that"!
That's all a huge reversal from who he was at the start, even if he's still devoting his life to serving a particular kingdom.
During the end, when Beatrix is about to leave Alexandria over all the wrong she has committed in name of it, Steiner simultaneously professes his feelings for her and requests for her to stay to join him in protecting Garnet and Alexandria.
Freya
Freya is probably one of the best "secondary" main characters, and she seems to be a favorite of many. She's introduced somewhat early (around halfway through the first disc), but a recurring complaint of what might be her only shortcoming is that she's sort of dropped out of focus pretty early too.
As a player, you are introduced to her in Lindblum, although Zidane has already know her by that point. Their past isn't really explored, and shortly after leaving Lindblum, you arrive in Burmecia, which is her home.
You learn that she's looking for her lover, Sir Fratley, and left home years ago to find him. She returns when Burmecia is attacked, and when that falls, she and some of the party head to Cleyra a nearby settlement that has others of her race who splintered off from Burmecia when a infighting occurred over the jewel. Before Cleyra also falls, it is revealed that Sir Fratley is alive, but has forgotten who she is (and just about everything besides his name and faint callings that he used to be a dragon knight).
The complaint is that she is dropped from focus around here. There's scenes about her discussing with other Burmecians her plans to return and help them rebuild, but that's aside from the main story. With Burmecia and Cleyra having been progressed past, and Sir Fratley's fate having been revealed, there's not too much else they could have focused on with her. And while she's with the party, she remains being who she is (which is a pretty mature and logical thinking character), so I guess I always felt she was fine.
Near the end of the game, she does reunite with him despite him having forgotten her.
She ties into the main game's theme of finding your place in life with her struggle being "to be forgotten is worse than death", which refers to Fratley having forgotten her. Perhaps having shown some more scenes in the third or fourth disc, like a mini arc, of her and Sir Fratley showing how she gets him to be with her again, and deals with being forgotten, would go a ways here? Her main struggle is dealing with being forgotten, and she is shown both being devastated when it is revealed Fratley has forgotten her, but also being able to move on.
Eiko
Eiko is the second to last character introduced, joining you near the middle-end of the second disc. If Freya isn't the most developed secondary main character, then Eiko is. She doesn't really get much more screen time than Freya, but what time she has is probably more integral to parts of the main story and the main four characters.
As the only known remaining summoner, her internal theme is not wanting to be alone. Since Garnet and Zidane have a romance being developed, and since Garnet is also actually a summoner, she's used for multiples aspects of the story. She presents herself as liking Zidane, which, since she's just a child, is partly used to push Garnet's and Zidane's romance more, but also as a cover for her real struggle, which a desire for companionship. She mistakes this as a love for Zidane. The other way she's used to push the story for is to present Madain Sari and the summoner lore itself, and when Garnet's origin reveal is made, Eiko is used to both make the moment more powerful, and as a chance to give Eiko some growth against her own struggle of being alone (finding out Garnet is also a summoner and having met the party as an oppurtunity to leave the village makes her feel less alone). She also comes into play when Alexandria is attacked, joining with Garnet to summon Alexander.
In the end, she's adopted by Cid and Hilda (of Lindblum). Amusingly enough, this answers her own question to Garnet earlier...
"How come you got to be a princess?"
She got adopted and became one, just like you Eiko. You're not alone anymore.
Quina
Quina can either join the party right after Freya does (middle-end of disc one), or quite a bit later (early-mid disc two). This coincides with the fact that... Quina actually doesn't tie into the main story events at all. In fact, Quina is often getting separated and then showing back up conveniently.
Quina is definitely one of the game's, and maybe even the series', strangest characters. At first, the entire role of Quina seems to merely be one of comedy relief (right in time for Steiner to shed that role and start being more serious), and... that's honestly not far from what Quina's role is.
Yet there's something amusingly ironic that's probably very, very easy to overlook with Quina precisely because of how simple they are, and that is this; in a game where everyone is dealing with finding their place in life, Quina is probably the only one that has already found the answer to that. The only other character that is even close to that is Zidane, but even he hasn't quite figured it out. Yet, Quina has. Quina goes with the flow. When Quina is separated, or when Quina finds out she got paired with Zidane because they were "leftovers", none of that gets them down. Quina is simply content regardless of circumstances, and while their desires are simple (explore life's culinary offerings), they're ironically one of the game's furthest along characters insofar as the game's main theme of "finding one's place in life" goes.
I missed this when I was younger and on initial playthroughs. I would imagine most people do too, and never see past the comic relief role to notice this.
Amarant
Amarant is the last character to join you, and he does so shortly after Eiko, and right before the end of the second disc. Amarant seems to be a character that most people like the least out of the eight playable characters. Most people seem to rather have gotten Beatrix to play as.
I'm probably going to be a rare one among fans and disagree here, at least partially. Beatrix is definitely a character I like more than Amarant. But Beatrix is a holy Knight (formally referred to as a Paladin as a class where it shows up), which is basically a blend of a Knight and a White Mage. Steiner is a Knight, and while Freya is formally a dragoon, that's more or less a hybrid of a knight and some other things (with the Jump capability being the primary thing the class is traditionally known for). So, there's sort of two defensive/knight characters, and between Garnet and Eiko, there's also already two White mages.
I like Beatrix, but I'd argue she has too much crossover with the party, and she's good specifically because she's such a tough enemy who switches sides, and then has some awesome moments (such as when her and Steiner team up to defend Alexandria).
Getting back to Amarant, while he's definitely not as integral as the main four characters, I think he's mostly fine. His problem isn't in the role he plays; it's that he might have needed a little more of his character and history shown. He's intentionally meant to be someone's a lone wolf and doesn't trust others and needs to be shown that "friendship is good", and the part in Ipsen's Castle does this well I think. His whole theme is basically that he's had to live with a "survival of the fittest" mindset, and he "finds his place" by learning there's more to life than that. At the very end, he retains his "cool" exterior, but he's shown being more outgoing and even defaults to presuming that Lani would want to return to Alexandria for the reunion. Both are things that contrast the loner he was earlier. Maybe they could have showed more of his past to reinforce why he was the way and to highlight what his struggle was about (all you get is how he once had a run in with Zidane where Zidane tricked him and it resulted in Amarant being a wanted man in Treno, which explains why Amarant has a grudge with Zidane, and the whole thing is more odd since Zidane forgets this...), but I think his role is actually fine. Lightly focused on, yes, but fine.
With the characters concluded, the last thing I'll move onto is the music.
Music
There's no overstating it; Final Fantasy IX wouldn't be the game it is without what is arguably Nobuo Uematsu's best music work. A great game is the sum of its parts. A JRPG might traditionally be great by having a well written story and good characters, and those are both already high strengths of Final Fantasy IX, but the music is so good here that I feel like the game would lose something without the music it has. Along with the story and characters, something else Final Fantasy IX also did very well was presenting its world, and this is part of what pushed it to greater heights in presentation. And what helped present the world... and the characters... and the story... and the moments, was the music. Nobuo Uematsu brought all of those things to life.
I said earlier that I wanted to stick to my own thoughts and content as much as possible, but that I will compliment it with some third part references if something exists and does a far better job than I ever could. This is one of those times...
I said a number of times while covering the story that something Final Fantasy IX does well is sort of "remixing" themes. It has tracks that sound related because they reuse certain themes, but they are yet different. I'm not an audio person, but I later found out there's a term for this; leitmotif. You go through the game hearing this recurring theme, and yet it's often different enough that you might only notice it subconsciously. It "feels" related but you might not even consciously realize "it's the same theme", or at least you might not realize how often it's the same theme. And then, at the end, when the credits roll, you get the version of that theme, Melodies of Life.
When you are first introduced to Beatrix, there's this overwhelming theme. It makes you feel like you are fighting impossible odds, and you are.
Later, when it begins to show Beatrix contemplating her actions, the theme changes. Now, it feels softer and almost sad.
Later again, when Alexandria is under attack and Steiner joins with her to defend it, a similar theme plays... only now it is faster paced, energized, and more upbeat.
That's merely one example; the music does a lot of that in this game and it carries the weight of conveying how a given location, character, or moment feels. And this is all done with the same few themes rearranged!
Again, a perfect third party reference exists for this, and it describes that the music sets vibes to help establish the feel of the game.
I could go on about the music all day. I listen to the OST all the time even to this day. I'll have to conclude some time, so the last thing I'll talk about in regards to the music will be listing some of my favorite tracks. These aren't in order of preference (if anything, I'll be listing them chronologically as the game presents them) because I'm not really sure I could narrow down any favorites due to how many I have and how close many of them are, but these are a few that are special to me.
The first I'll mention is "The Place I'll Return To Someday", which is the title screen music. Hearing this every time I started the game (or was sent back to the title screen from a game over, haha) while the FMV clips are played was magical. And fittingly, I always return to this place some day...
Speaking of early game, "The Skies of Alexandria" and "Vivi's Theme" are obvious mentions right out the gate. The former presents what I think is the best title screen in the series (Final Fantasy X's makes this hard though...), which is brilliantly placed not immediately at the start, and "Vivi's Theme" might double as Alexandria's theme, as it plays there. it's very fitting that theme plays during the first town you explore, and that it is as Vivi, as the theme conveys wonder, which represents how overwhelmed and in awe Vivi must feel, and how the player might feel exploring their first non-hostile location (well... for now, haha).
"Awakened Forest", which originally plays in Evil Forest but also later at Pinnacle Rocks, gets a mention for a reason I listed when covering the story. The way the game introduces and presents itself is fitting; it's like a play, and its first presentations are paced, slowly moving the player towards the broader gameplay while keeping a certain focus on the world, characters, and initial story that's about to kick it all off. After the opening gave us tastes of innocence, wonder, majesty, chaos, action, romance, loss, and twists... we're thrown into what is basically the first dungeon which will demonstrate how one of the three primary gameplay patterns play out (the other two being towns and the world map). You're in this fantasy forest with owls hooting and this music playing and this story having just kicked off and... nothing more needs to be said.
"Crossing Those Hills" is the main overworld theme (which gets replaced on the final disc) and while I don't have a favorite track, it might be the one I'll mention if I were forced to pick one. It just oozes a mood of fantasy and going on an adventure, and between world map locations and battles, this is what you'll hear a lot of, and that's not a bad thing. It's the best overworld music the series ever had. Oh, and yeah... the main Melodies of Life theme is in there, too.
The "Battle Theme" is also the best in the series in my mind. Unfortunately, the boss battle music can't make quite that same claim (I think the titles that flank it before and after chronologically both have better boss music), but it's still good here. The regular battle theme is simply the star of the show. And the fairy battle variant is magical too.
La, la la laaa... Oh, "Song of Memories". Where would I be without you? Melodies of Life might be most others' favorite rendition of the theme. I love Melodies of Life, because it plays during the end while you get a shown a summary of the FMVs during the credits, but... I have to place this one a hair higher. It plays at far too many strong moments. It plays ominously when Garnet sings in Lindblum while Vivi, Freya, Steiner, and Cid show the struggles they face. It plays in Madain Sari during the big reveal of Garnet's origins. And it plays at the end when Vivi's last thoughts are shown...
"Gurugu Volcano" (which is mistranslated in the official soundtrack and called "Gulug" in the game, and plays during Mount Gulug) is only heard for a short time while in a place you pass through and never return to, and it's a standout favorite of mine.
"Terra" is otherworldly, and that's obviously fitting.
"You're Not Alone" is the most obvious mention. Ask any Final Fantasy IX fan what music they like most and, along with Melodies of Life, this will be mentioned every time. It's not quite my absolute favorite... but it's what makes one of the most powerful moments in the entire series, let alone the game, what it is. It's hard not to recognize it.
"Assault of the Silver Dragons" plays as you are about to enter Memoria. This is basically the "everyone is coming together in one place to pull for the finale" moment, and there's even a comical dash of both Garnet's/Zidane's and Beatrix's/Steiner's relationships here.
"Place of Memories" is the perfect music to the final location of the game (the short crystal world portion aside). So many reveals here.
Last, but not least, is "Prelude", which was the title music of many of the classic installments, but instead plays at the very, very end here. Hence the title of my ending post here adopting the name in a similar fashion!
These are far from the only tracks that warrant a mention, but... I can't be here all day. If I mentioned all the tracks that actually deserved it, I'd at least be quadrupling my number of mentions.
Wrapping Up
For now, that will conclude things. There will be one more final post to actually wrap things up with a summary, but that's it for covering specific things in-depth.
