Its hard to believe that its been 25 years since Final Fantasy IX was released for PlayStation back in 2000. Final Fantasy IX is a game that stood out from other entries of the series due to its pre-rendered backgrounds and its cartoonish art style. Final Fantasy IX is a game that often gets glossed over due to the popularity of other entries within the series including FFVII, FFX and FFX-2. Final Fantasy IX is not only recognized for its unique art direction its also remembered for having an active-time battle system. Square Enix using an active-time battle system was a departure from what we got in games like FFVII which featured traditional turn based combat gameplay which was common in older installments within the series. Final Fantasy IX was a game that stood out from previous entries like FFVII & FFVIII due to its steampunk theme. Final Fantasy VII & FFVII felt more modern which was not a bad thing especially considering how successful both those games ended up being on a commercial level. While Final Fantasy VII sold more than 10 million copies on the PS1 the sequel FFVIII sold around 8.6 million. Final Fantasy IX sold more than 5 million copies on the PS1 following its release in Summer 2000. Final Fantasy IX was a considered to be a solid entry within its series how the main character Zidane Tribal is not nearly as iconic as the likes of Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart or even the Gullwings.

However, many would argue that Final Fantasy IX was one of the better entries within the series prior to FFVII which was arguably where the franchise had peaked in popularity. Despite, not selling as much as its predecessor Final Fantasy IX is seeming regarded as a better entry especially considering the fact that Square Enix has big plans for the game in the future. There have been rumors about Final Fantasy IX getting an anime adaptation along with a remake for the PlayStation 5 sometime in the future. Final Fantasy IX is definitely a game that does not get the type of love that it deserves and a high definition remake is something that has been long overdue. Final Fantasy IX was arguably one of the most underrated installments within the entire series and is arguably miles ahead than anything Square Enix gave us within the past few years in relation to high profile RPGs.