10 Reasons To Replay Final Fantasy IX After 20 Years
9. The Soundtrack Is Top-Tier
Nobuo Uematsu outdid himself on this one. Final Fantasy’s long-term composer might be best known for VII’s soundtrack (One Winged Angel frequently fills concert halls across the world), but his talent can be seen across many other releases.
The world of Gaia is brought to life in IX by his jolly melodies and epic themes. In royal courts are light lilts that conjure thoughts of chivalry, whereas out in the world we hear epic harmonies to put hairs on end.
Like in other games, we hear leitmotifs assigned to locations and characters that we grow to know as the game progresses. Perhaps the most memorable of these is Roses of May, a melancholy piano piece associated with the character of Beatrix. Different arrangements of the piece appear throughout the story, and as the character develops.
The more you play it, the more you realise how effective these pieces of music are in illuminating the characters and story. And the more you realise how much of a bloody genius Uematsu is.
On a side note, Zorn and Thorn’s bouncy, jester-y theme is impossible to get out of your head.