It was the last big role-playing game of its generation, and one that is very much worth playing today.
Proceedings begin during the celebration of Princess Garnet's 16th birthday. Protagonist Zidane, a happy-go-lucky thief with a furry tail, is part of the Tantalus theatre group performing at Alexandria castle. For reasons that remain unknown at the outset, Tantalus has been hired to kidnap the princess and flee from the castle. To their surprise, she is trying to escape from Alexandria. With her consent, Zidane and the rest of the group "kidnap" her and escape to the neighbouring city of Lindblum. The real adventure begins here, and in the next forty hours you'll uncover the plots of a corrupted monarch, the mystery behind a magical mist that clouds the land, and why Zidane has a tail.
In the grand scheme of things Final Fantasy IX is still a relatively recent entry to the series, but it draws on the roots of the franchise to great effect. The industrialised and futuristic themes of the two games preceding it have been banished in favour of the classic fantasy-medieval setting that has worked so well in the past. As you traipse around town and dawdle through dungeons, you'll feel as though you're playing through a fairy-tale. Despite this light-hearted and accessible tone, the overarching story is not undermined. After all, saving the world is a serious business.
Completing Final Fantasy IX's old-skool feel is the combat and skills system. This is classic ATB (active time battle) that has been the bedrock of the genre for so long; the time bar builds up, you perform an action when it fills, and then it resets for the process to repeat. The ability system shares a similar simplicity to the ATB. Each piece of equipment has certain skills assigned to it. When you accumulate enough ability points (by battling monsters), you'll be able to use these skills without having to equip the weapon. It's a natural process; equip one sword, learn all its skills, and buy a new one to learn new skills.
Many of the attacks feature dazzling light-shows and extravagant animations that have been falling out of fashion recently. Even after all these years, the searing flames of Firaga and the majesty of summoning Bahamut, King of Dragons, are a joy to behold. Environments such as the aforementioned Alexandria and Lindblum Castles are crafted masterfully, and there are some truly inspired designs like the Black Mage forest and the ever-raining realm of Burmecia. Naturally, the music that accompanies these places is just right. Nobuo Uematsu's work here is an example of why the series has a reputation for quality soundtracks.
Plenty of side-quests are scattered throughout this epic four-disk adventure, most notably the chocobo treasure hunting and the Mognet mail service. Although they're optional, these quests will reward you with strong equipment and plenty of gold. As well as that, they're fun and will add hours to the game. So many games are plagued with bolt-on mini-games that haven't been thought through at all. You can't say that about Final Fantasy IX.
The obscurity that plagues Final Fantasy IX is one of the greater disappointments in gaming. Fans of the genre shouldn't allow themselves to miss out on a great like this. Sure, it may be dwarfed in terms of technology by the super-engineered games of today, but don't let jaggy edges put you off this fantastic game.