Final Fantasy IX For iOS And Android Review

Final Fantasy IX is arguably the culmination of the Final Fantasy series, boasting the highest score of all the games on Metacritic, and while more likely feel nostalgic about Final Fantasy VII it would be impossible to say that FFIX can be skipped if you’re a fan of the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy IX has been well reviewed over the years, and it would be pointless for me to give an in-depth review of the actual game. If you’re looking for that, you can head here, here, or here. Instead, I’ll be focusing on the port over to mobile devices, how the game translates, and how easy it is to play on a mobile device.

Installation and Setup

Before going into detail about the game, it’s important to note that it will take up a whopping 4GB of space on your device, however in order to install it you’ll need 8GB free. It is better to make sure that you’re either downloading over Wi-Fi or you have unlimited data – otherwise you’ll be using up your data pretty quick. Installing the game doesn’t take too long, however the game does take a few minutes to “initiate” after it’s opened for the first time. Of course, all of this is to be expected considering how big of a game it really is.

Once you’re able to access the game you’ll learn how to use the controls and a little about the premise of the game. You’ll also input your name for your character.

Controls

The controls in FFIX for mobile are actually extremely easy to use. Instead of simply plastering controls over the top of the display, users can drag their finger across any area of the screen or tap anywhere on the screen to cause movement. When the user finds themselves near something they can interact with, then controls to talk to someone, or return to exploring will appear on the screen. Other controls will also appear when they’re required – something that makes the game quite easy to navigate.

Graphics

FFIX isn’t a game to be played for the graphics, but there are still things to say about them nonetheless. A part of the mobile version of the game is “high definition movies and character models,” and it certainly lives up to its name – sure, it’s obviously animated, and you would be forgiven for thinking that the graphics are exactly the same between this version and the original. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, as it falls inline with the charm and nostalgia surrounding the game.

Of course, the graphics also couldn’t get much better because of how big the game already is. For such a large and long game, technically “great” graphics would seriously increase how large the files associated with the game are – and besides, this is the Final Fantasy IX we know and love, we don’t want it messed with too much.

The Rest

The mobile version of the game also offers a number of other cool features, including autosave, achievements, and a number of “game boosters,” also known as cheats. These cheats will enable you to speed up time in the game so you can get through it quicker, cut out characters in the game, and ensure that when you hit enemies you do 9,999 damage. The goal of this is basically to ensure that the game, which would otherwise take over a full day to complete, is easier for casual gamers to enjoy as well.

Conclusions

Final Fantasy IX is a classic game, and one of the things I appreciate most is that it hasn’t been changed too much for this release. Changes to the game have been more to enable for better gameplay on a mobile device, rather than to change how the game works or operates. The game is quite easy to control, and while it takes up a lot of space on your device, fans of the Final Fantasy series should definitely consider buying the game. Of course, the only downside is the $17 it costs to buy it, far more than most other apps on the Google Play Store, but again, this is a small price to pay for the nostalgia.