I used to have a lot of free time, particularly when I was
in high school and college. I could play straight through 60 hour games after
my classes and still have plenty of time to go hang out with friends, get all
my schoolwork done, and go to work. Ever since graduation, however, I haven’t
seen quite so much free time. Sure, I can make it through games in the summers
thanks to my career as a teacher. But even with the luxury of summers off, I am
swamped with planning the next school year, attending professional development
seminars, and doing other school related jobs on my computer. I cannot spend
every ounce of my time trying to make it through massively sprawling open world
games with hours upon hours of content. I have an apartment to keep up with,
laundry to clean, food to cook, papers to grade, lessons to plan, relationships
to maintain, and a life to live.
Does this mean I don’t enjoy playing games anymore?
Absolutely not! I just need to pick and choose what games I play. It’s amazing
that as soon as you start to earn enough money to buy games, the time you have
to play them seems to decrease and the stockpile of games you haven’t yet
played builds up. Thanks to the inverse relationship of free time and net
income, I imagine the correlation looks something like this:
So I have found myself gravitating toward the following
types of games in an effort to continue this hobby without allowing it to
overwhelm the rest of my life.
1. Short games
If I can play a game, master its gameplay, enjoy the story,
and only spend ten hours of my life doing it, I am a very happy camper.
If I know a game is worth a huge investment of time because
I have played it before and enjoyed it, I will likely play it again.
Examples: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Persona, Skyrim
3. Games I can start and stop without having to remember
what happened last time
If I don’t have to stay committed to a game, I don’t have a
problem starting it up from time to time.
Examples: Theatrhythm, Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros.,
Towerfall Ascension, Audiosurf, Rockband, Little Big Planet
Of course, I've recently poured 93 hours into a game I still
haven’t finished (Persona Q). So while I say I appreciate short games and games
I don’t have to feel committed to, every now and then, I find myself pouring a
bunch of time into a monster of an RPG regardless. Oh well. Back to leveling
up.
As everyone knows, the Final Fantasy franchise has had its
ups and downs, its massive successes and its occasional flops. As such, I got
curious and started investigating which games are the most critically
acclaimed. I surfed through a few sites, but mainly spent my time digging
through metacritic scores. Interestingly, the game that tops Final Fantasy’s
list may surprise you.
No, it’s not Final Fantasy VII, despite it being so
revolutionary and well-known. No, it’s not Final Fantasy VI regardless of its deeper
subject matter and incredible story. No, it’s not Final Fantasy X with its
gorgeous graphics, immensely fun battle system, and charming story. In fact, there
are quite a few entries that I personally cherish, but the one that has topped
both the metacritic charts and my own subjective list is Final Fantasy IX. Yes,
the one with the weird art style and the protagonist with a tail.
I don’t claim to know all the components that went into
Final Fantasy IX’s stellar metacritic score, but below are some reasons that I
personally love the game.
1. The main character isn't moody, brooding, or
whiny
There is something immensely refreshing
about a character that is downright cheerful; between all the overpowered bad
boys, sullen heroes, and otherwise exaggerated protagonists, I believe a witty,
optimistic, baselessly confident good guy fills a void that I have been craving
lately. Zidane is that guy. He is the Nathan Drake of JRPGs. A little reckless,
always funny, certainly flirtatious, and never burdened with an overabundance
of gloominess. It also helps that he reminds me so much of my always-cheerful
husband.
The beauty of having a character
whose default disposition is happy is that when the character has a legitimate
crisis, the mood shift is more defined. There are a couple distinct
developments in Final Fantasy IX’s story that cause great distress to Zidane,
and as such, the contrast between his temporary emotional state and his typical
upbeat, mischievous attitude is stark. It is enough to make the player realize
that if this character is so upset,
clearly something is very, very wrong.
2.The music is fantastic
If you enjoy listening to video
game soundtracks, chances are good that at least one entry from the Final
Fantasy franchise has made your playlist. Let me assure you that the ninth game
in the series can certainly hold its own.
First there is the eloquently
simple “A Place to Call Home” (a.k.a. “The Place I’ll Return to Someday”). Then
you have the immensely catchy, energetic “Vamo’alla Flamenco” that plays both
during the staged sword fight in the first act and during the chocobo mini game
later on. There’s also the hauntingly understated “Freya’s Theme” (reiterated
in the track “A Face Unforgotten”) and the emotional peaks and valleys of “You
Are Not Alone”. I could go on for ages, but I will limit myself to two more
mentions: the twin themes of “Rose of May” and “Something to Protect.” All of
these will be posted below my list in case a desire to investigate happens to
be strong enough for you to listen.
3.The ability mechanics are addictive
Having complete control over what
skills my party learns and in what order is incredibly gratifying. Final
Fantasy IX gives you that kind of influence over your game. I love equipping
all the different weapons, armor, and accessories to immediately gain an
ability with which I can destroy my enemies. By the end of the game, your abundant
selection of abilities can give you a wide array of battle strategies, making
fighting have plenty of depth and multiple paths to victory.
4.The game has something important to say
Many JRPGs these days seem to get
caught up in the convoluted nature of the genre and don’t really end up saying
much of anything by the end of the experience. It is complex for the sake of
complexity. While the Final Fantasy series has never really seemed to suffer
from that problem (at least not until after X), I will say that IX has a very
different story than the surrounding entries.
This game focuses on the themes of
war, power, self-acceptance, sacrifice, loss, a sense of home and belonging, mortality,
and captivity. Okay, so every JRPG covers these themes. But Final Fantasy IX
does carry them out in a new and fresh way, and it does this well.
5.Love
Final Fantasy IX is a love story.
It carries some heavy themes just like VI, VII, and X, but it is also driven
mainly by romance. While the characters in every other game have a huge purpose
with love almost being a side mission of sorts, Zidane clearly is driven almost
wholly by his affection for the female lead. In fact, the player is given the
chance in game to select that as his motivating factor for everything he has
done up until that point. And honestly, it is the choice that makes the most
sense.
Believing that he cannot be with
Garnet completely demotivates Zidane, and when he eventually tries to take on
the group’s quest on his own, his solo mission results in massively negative
effects. Because Zidane is ineffective without Garnet, which is beautiful
really. It harkens back to what we all already know about man needing a helper
(רעֵ֫זֶ). It’s not that Zidane isn’t
skilled (it’s clear he is) or that he “needs her” or that she “completes him”
or anything tacky or misguided like that. But when she is with him, he becomes
a better version of himself. He is more selfless, more confident, more driven.
Now I’m sure anyone could argue
that Final Fantasy X is a love story on par with IX. But I would also argue
that the tones of these two stories are vastly different. I appreciate IX’s
lighthearted take on what love can accomplish.
Finally...
I recently found time to replay
the PlayStation classic in all its glory. Considering it was released 15 years
ago back in 2000, it has aged remarkably well to the point where the game felt
simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. I never once felt demotivated by
traditional RPG grinding, nor did the graphics hinder the experience in the
least. The mechanics remained quite solid, and the story still captivated me.
All these pieces of the puzzle come together to form a very complete,
satisfying game.
Here’s what I am trying to say
(unfortunately veiled behind pretty words and elaborate sentence structure): I
really enjoyed it to the point where thinking about it gives me a bittersweet,
melancholy feeling because I beat the game and miss playing it.
