Fourteen Days: Final Fantasy IX

Square Enix Edition

There is something about the term “boss fight” that implies a cacophony of raucous musical phrases smashed together to create an epic climax. Works like Nobuo Uematsu’s “Dancing Mad” and “One-Winged Angel” come to mind immediately.

But occasionally, the player is allowed to experience an epic boss confrontation to something a little softer. The effect of these moments is a unique emotional event that boldly stands apart from the rest of the game. It’s a beautiful thing when executed well.

Below are some examples of these quieter, more delicate musical works along with a brief description of their contexts. Keep in mind I limited myself to Square Enix games. There are some moderate spoilers below as well, so be warned.

1. Kingdom Hearts II
“The Other Promise”

Adapted from Roxas’s Theme

For fans of the Kingdom Hearts series, the opening hours of Kingdom Hearts II are both infamously tedious and undeniably melancholy. Instead of playing as the chipper series hero (Sora) the player must work through the struggles of Twilight Town as the troubled and confused youth, Roxas. Despite all his sincere efforts to understand his muddled memories and puzzling circumstances, Roxas never seems to catch a break. His friends become frustrated by his bizarre behavior. His life becomes uncertain and broken. His freewill is largely an illusion. He ends up rejoining Sora, which results in both his own self-sacrifice and loss of everything else he cares about.

When Sora reawakens (and fans rejoice), he is blissfully unaware of the tragedy that recently befell his Nobody counterpart. Roxas inhabits Sora silently, occasionally influencing Sora’s feelings but otherwise remaining a passive component of Sora’s heart.

Eventually, Sora reaches the world of the Nobodies, a.k.a. The World That Never Was. Once there, he is confronted by Roxas and their keyblades clash—presumably inside Sora’s heart. It is at this moment that many gamers would expect an energetic flood of boisterous music. But instead, this happens:

Roxas isn’t really my favorite Kingdom Hearts character. He’s not the strongest or the most interesting. He’s not even the most tragic. But the game’s approach to this fight builds his character into something simply beautiful. Each aspect of the conflict—the visuals, the mechanics, and especially the music—takes all the unresolved feelings of one character and confronts the player. Everything about this moment conveys Roxas’s frustration and defiance. It eventually communicates his acceptance just as effectively. It’s a fantastically well executed song choice. Well done, Yoko Shimomura.

2. Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core
"The Price of Freedom"

Crisis Core is another game where a melancholy sense of loss is balanced with upbeat humor and optimism.

For the sake of giving readers a point of reference, here is one of the themes you hear a lot of in Crisis Core:

Notice the choice of electric guitar as opposed to the typical RPG orchestra. This game’s music feels strong and epic, but not in a grand and noble Ocarina of Time sort of way. It’s significantly more personal and grungy.

Toward the end of this portable gem, main character Zack is forced to abandon his livelihood and risk everything to save his buddy, Cloud. What results is a never-ending conflict set to this unforgettable tune:

For more information (and huge spoilers) regarding why this game is a masterpiece, read this.

3. Final Fantasy IX
"Sword of Doubt"

Part of Final Fantasy IX’s charm resides in its clever opening plot. Main character Zidane is part of a band of thieves hired to kidnap the neighboring country’s princess. Unexpectedly, she wants to be kidnapped. She leaves with the hero to be swept away midst dangerous terrain and formidable foes.

One such danger presents itself in the form of General Beatrix of the Alexandrian army. Beatrix boasts amazing strength, having once bested 100 enemies single-handedly. Of all her character traits, her power is surpassed only by her determined willingness to be the perfect soldier.

Zidane et al take on Beatrix in the ruins of Bermecia, a dark, rainy, abandoned city. During the encounter, this is played:

Interestingly, this piece--which is relatively tame for a boss fight--is actually a vamped up version of Beatrix's theme. This translates well for the game's story, in which you discover that Beatrix is actually a much gentler person than she appears during this battle.

4. Chrono Cross

"People Imprisoned by Destiny"

It’s been a long time since I have beaten Chrono Cross. I started replaying it two or three years ago, but I had to put it down due to the increased number of wonderful new games flooding the market. But I will say that revisiting that game was such a pleasant experience. Its battle system is brilliant, its story is intricate, but best of all, its soundtrack is ear candy.

Now keep in mind, I haven’t played the final boss battle of Chrono Cross in probably twelve years or so. Yet it is one of my most vivid video game memories, mainly because of this soothing track bursting with a sense of finality:

I’m certain there are many more amazing works out there in this particular category. Feel free to comment regarding your favorites!

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.