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''Final Fantasy IX'' (ファイナルファンタジーIX ''Fainaru Fantajī IX'') is a Computer Role-playing Game developed by Square Co., Ltd. in 2000 . It was published in Japan by Square, in North America by Square Electronic Arts , in continental Europe by Infogrames , and in the United Kingdom and Australia by Square Europe. It was the last original game in the '' Final Fantasy '' series to be produced for the PlayStation . This incarnation of the series was influenced heavily by the original '' Final Fantasy '', and many elements of the game subsequently have nostalgic qualities for long time fans of the series. GAMEPLAY Gameplay in ''Final Fantasy IX'' is based on the same formula as most RPGs. Playable characters fight to earn Experience Point s and levels, which increase their strength, speed, defensive capabilities, and other characteristics, all of which are described numerically for each individual character. Every character in ''Final Fantasy IX'' has unique abilities known only to that character (excluding Eiko and Dagger; they have different summons, but can learn most of the same White Magic.): Zidane can steal items from enemies, Freya can perform a jump attack with her spear, Quina has the ability to learn special attacks from monsters, and so on. New skills, both active and passive, are learned by equipping weapons and armor, each of which contain various skills. Each skill lists a certain number of Ability Points (AP); when the character has earned enough of them (through battle), they will learn the skill permanently; the skill is also available while the item itself is equipped. Changes The battle system in ''Final Fantasy IX'' is different in several ways from those of its PlayStation predecessors, '' Final Fantasy VII '' and '' Final Fantasy VIII ''. First, battle parties in ''Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Final Fantasy VIII'' consisted of only three characters at any one time. ''Final Fantasy IX'', however, returns to the precedent set by the pre-PlayStation installments, and allows for four characters to participate in battle at the same time. Next, most magic spells can be targeted at multiple enemies or characters simply by pressing the R1 or R2 button on the PlayStation Game Controller ; no special items, materia, etc. are needed to target all. Some spells can only target one enemy or character, while others will always multi-target. This system was first integrated into the battle system in '' Final Fantasy IV ''. Additionally, Eidolons ('' on Super NES. Aside from these minor changes, there are three significant additions to the general gameplay. Trance system A new system has been developed for ''Final Fantasy IX'' called the "Trance system". This system is similar to the Limit Break system from ''Final Fantasy VII''. Every time a character receives damage in battle, their 'Trance bar' fills up slightly. When the bar is completely full, the characters 'go into Trance', which means that they become more powerful and in some cases can use special attacks or abilities. However, there are differences between the Trance and the Limit Break. First, on average, it takes longer to fill the Trance bar than to achieve Limit Break status. Also, the "attack" command is not replaced by Trance Abilities; instead, one of the special abilities of the character is replaced with a souped-up version. For example, Vivi's ''Black Magic'' is replaced with ''Double Black Magic''. Next, each character involuntarily enters Trance as soon as the bar fills, whereas Limit Breaks can be employed whenever available, according to the player's preference. Moreover, every time a character attacks in Trance, the Trance bar goes down according to the power of that attack, unlike Limit Breaks which can be executed again upon the next turn, providing the opportunity presented itself. Finally, once the Trance bar is filled, it only lasts for that one battle, whereas in ''Final Fantasy VII'' the Limit Break is available over a number of battles as long as the conditions are met. This has been known to cause severe frustration when an enemy's dying attack causes a character's Trance bar to fill, as the potential attacks will be permanently lost when the battle ends a moment later. Active Time Events Another unique feature to the game is the Active Time Event (ATE). At specific points in the plot, the player is given the option of seeing events that are occurring at that very moment in time in different locations. ATEs can be activated by pressing the "Select" button when prompted. Although most of the events can be watched simply for fun, some ATEs allow for certain items to be gained. At one point in the game, the feature is required in order for the player to continue. Mognet the option to save, rest, or check Mognet Mail.]] Within the game, Mognet is a Postal System used by the Moogle s. As the player progresses through the game, he or she will find Moogles inhabiting most of the known world. When the player talks to a Moogle, they allow the player to save their game, restore life energy, or purchase items. The Moogle may also request that the player character act as a Courier by delivering a letter to another Moogle via Mognet. It is also possible (albeit less frequently) that the player may receive a letter from another character in the game. Later on in the game, it is revealed that the Moogles are only requesting that the player deliver letters because Mognet Central, where Moogle letters are usually sorted, is having mechanical problems, and as a result, letter deliveries have become sporadic. It is later revealed that the malfunctions are caused by the letter carrier Artemicion, who decorated his coat with the oil used to lubricate Mognet's machines, causing them to break down. The player may optionally help the Moogles restore Mognet Central's functionality as a Side-quest , but only if all the Moogle letters have been delivered. STORY Queen Brahne of Alexandria is trying to increase her domain, and war is brewing among the neighboring kingdoms on the Mist Continent . Something more than Brahne's lust for power is driving the once-peaceful nation of Alexandria to conquest. Princess Garnet , adopted daughter of Queen Brahne, is unhappy in her position and plagued by nightmares of a sea voyage; a flight from a terrible eye in the heavens. Vivi Ornitier , childlike and alone, yearns to know his history and why he exists. All are brought together on a seemingly innocent night of entertainment in Alexandria, one that will spin events out of control and lead to the truth of their lives and others. Regent Cid of Lindblum is worried about how these troubling events will impact Princess Garnet, so he dispatches the Tantalus group to Alexandria. Undercover as a theater group, Tantalus "kidnaps" Garnet, much to her satisfaction. During the operation, Vivi and Garnet's guardian, Adelbert Steiner , becomes involved. The plan soon backfires, and Tantalus member Zidane Tribal is left in charge of the kidnapping. When Zidane, Garnet, Steiner, and Vivi reach Lindblum, Brahne begins her advancement into the Burmecia region, home of Zidane's friend Freya Crescent . Soon after, Alexandria sweeps through Cleyra and the previously mentioned Lindblum, stealing powerful eidolons for use in future invasions. Zidane and his friends, accompanied by Quina Quen , attempt to stop the attacks, while Garnet unsuccessfully tries to negotiate with her mother. It is soon discovered that Brahne's sudden shift in attitude is being manipulated by a man named Kuja , who has his own plans for world domination. Meanwhile, Zidane and his allies encounter Eiko Carol and Amarant Coral during their adventures. After Brahne's downfall, Zidane and his allies chase Kuja and observe his antics, which culminate in a journey to the parallel world of Terra . At Terra, all will learn the truth behind Kuja's inferior relationship to Zidane. When the truth is revealed by Garland , Kuja is no longer satisfied with world domination; his depression turns into rage, and he hatches a plot to destroy the source of all existence: the Crystal. Upon reaching the Crystal World, Zidane and his friends face Kuja in battle, where Kuja seemingly destroys everyone with Ultima. Surviving, the heroes find themselves in the presence of Necron, a powerful entity who also wishes to destroy the Crystal and return the world to what it was before existence. Upon defeating Necron, Zidane stays behind to find Kuja. The others believe Zidane dead, and Garnet, now the reigning queen of Alexandria, attempts to cope with her new life. In the closing moments of the game, Zidane appears before Garnet during a performance of a play in Alexandria. The queen runs through the crowd of people, and leaps into his arms. Allusions ''Final Fantasy IX'' was intended, in many ways, to be a salute to the history of the series, and as such, it is filled with allusions and references to previous games. One of the most apparent is the similarity of the character Vivi to the Black Mage from the original '' Final Fantasy ''. Despite the high quality of the translation overall, care was not taken to ensure that all of the various names and references matched up to those used in the previous English-language releases. Because of this, many of the references with which the game abounds are completely missed by the non-Japanese audience. Some examples are included below.
PLAYABLE CHARACTERS See Also: List of Final Fantasy IX characters
LOCATIONS See Also: List of Final Fantasy IX locations The world of ''Final Fantasy IX'' (Gaia) is divided into four continents: Mist Continent, which takes up most of the map, '''Forgotten Continent''', a large land in the west where the sun sets, '''Lost Continent''', to the northwest, almost entirely covered in ice, and '''Outer Continent''', an arid desert wasteland to the North. The Mist Continent is comprised of four nations: Alexandria to the east, Lindblum to the south, Burmecia to the north, and Cleyra to the west. The first three nations are all prominent, while Cleyra serves as a hidden sanctuary. MUSICAL SCORE ''Final Fantasy IX'' is the last ''Final Fantasy'' game with music composed exclusively by Nobuo Uematsu . It was also his most prolific score, as the original Soundtrack for the game had a whopping 110 tracks, and an additional soundtrack was released with 42 more new tracks. Many people speculate that the reason why Uematsu no longer composed game soundtracks on his own after this game was that he was simply overworked. Much of the music in the game revolve around the themes of the J-pop Ballad , '' Melodies Of Life '', which was composed by Uematsu and performed by Emiko Shiratori . The song itself was sung in Japanese for the Japanese release of the game, and in English for the North American and European releases of the game. CRITICISMS AND SALES
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