That said, Square Enix hasn’t really done the best job of preserving the original experience. It’s available on a few platforms with an enhanced port, but many people are wondering when we’ll see a full remake. Over on YouTube, you can get an idea of what one would look like.
This Final Fantasy 9 Fan Remake Is Stunning
I Want To Go There
Titled Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project, this fan-made remake involves 50 “professional developers and artists” and recreates the streets of Alexandria, the most common location you see in homages and spin-offs involving FF9. Employing visuals reminiscent of a Dragon Quest game but still distinctively Final Fantasy, the footage shown showcases a grand intro fitting of Gaia’s majesty, followed by a sequence involving Vivi (referred to as Pointy-Hat Boy) walking the streets of the kingdom.
Here’s the full statement from the crew: “Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project is a passion project led by a team of over 50 professional developers and artists in the video game industry that aims to reimagine what the legendary game could look like if it was remade with modern graphical capabilities. Final Fantasy IX is near and dear to our hearts, and this non-profit love letter was created as a tribute to the masterpiece that is the 2000 original. We’d like to thank everyone who supported us over the years and motivated us to keep pushing through this massively ambitious project despite all the challenges. We hope you enjoy our reimagining of this classic game!”
It’s stunning, to say the least, and would work as a professional remake pretty much as-is. It also features full voice acting, and since this was crafted in 2023, it was way before the advent of popular AI tools. The music choice is also fantastic. Again, this could be officially released, and no one would bat an eye at its quality.
It’s An Older Project, But Still So Impressive
FF9 Is Timeless
Even though it’s a few years old, Final Fantasy 9 is timeless. It’s been in the conversation as the best Final Fantasy since its release, and after 26 years, it’s aged like fine wine. The fantasy setting is palatable and feels like classic Final Fantasy, and you can’t help but fall in love with the vast majority of the eclectic cast.
If we ever see an official Final Fantasy 9 remake, it’ll be something special. There are a lot of expectations riding on this particular entry, and fans will be looking at it under a microscope. It’s something Square Enix is no doubt keenly aware of, so it might be a while before we see this one get a full remake, especially when Final Fantasy 7 still needs to wrap up its remake trilogy.
- Released
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July 7, 2000
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
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Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
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Square Enix
- Engine
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Unity
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
Test