One of the classic PlayStation games to be included in Sony's PlayStation Now November lineup is Square Enix's Final Fantasy 9. After having being ported into other platforms such as the PC, Switch, Xbox, and mobile, the RPG title will be made available on the PlayStation subscription service. To celebrate the occasion, one of Square Enix's game designers, Kazuhiko Aoki, looks back on being part of the FF9 production team, and the changes that had to be made to the game due to the limits of the original PlayStation system.

Final Fantasy 9 is one of three RPG titles in the series that Square Enix produced and published for the original PlayStation. Though most of the community has likely heard more about FF7 and FF8, Final Fantasy 9 has grown a dedicated fanbase over the years, due to it being quite different from the previous titles. This dedication can be seen in original content circulating online such as character cosplay, real-life production of in-game weapons, and even a Final Fantasy 9 remake being developed by a hardcore group of fans.

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As the event director of Final Fantasy 9, Aoki shared his experience of developing the game in a recent PlayStation blog post. He stated that the biggest problems the team encountered involved the data limits of the original PlayStation. The team had to constantly figure out how they could fit the entirety of Final Fantasy 9 within the storage space of a CD-ROM. The game had become so big that it had come to a point where the team had to calculate the data every day, just to make sure they did not go over the limit. This meant that certain Final Fantasy 9 features and gameplay had to be changed so the game could fit into four discs.

ff9 character art

Aoki specifically mentioned that the team had to minimize the game's shrine fights, where the Final Fantasy 9 characters had to split up into parties. The original intent was for the player to battle with each party, but the team decided to just include Zidane and Quina's battle. Nevertheless, Aoki seemed to have enjoyed working on the title, given that FF9 aimed to go back to the fantasy roots of the series, and had a more stylized approach for characters.

With rumors that a Final Fantasy 9 remake is in the works, the game's fans are likely filled with excitement at the possibility of playing through the title on modern platforms. Hopefully Square Enix provides official news in the near future.

Final Fantasy 9 is available now on PC, PS1, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices.

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Source: PlayStation Blog