10 Reasons Why Final Fantasy IX Is The Best Game Of The Series

First times with anything can feel awkward. Often people don't know what they're getting into and botch their own enjoyment. But with past experiences in mind, people learn how to better handle themselves and their enjoyment. People often need that rookie experience, which can be full of first-time mistakes, as a foundation for them to build more nuanced ways of playing the game.

Starting again doesn't hurt so much when you know what you missed. IX hides secrets all around its beautiful pre-rendered stages, letting you inspect every corner, seeing what treasure might come out. Rather than things getting lost in the shuffle, replays allow you to slow down for a more thorough experience.

Like any great game, IX offers a litany of side-quests and mini-games to distract from the looming apocalypse. Chocobos return after having left a mark on VII, but the game also has an oddity of the RPG genre, a friendly encounter. Yes, enemies simply want to trade items or quiz you on your knowledge of Gaia's history. Taking the time to seek out these encounters and ace them will yield even more hidden gems and fortune to spice up the experience.

A common criticism of games like IX is that they are made to sell guide books. What people making those criticisms often forget, is that this is the 2020s. The information in those guidebooks is now totally free online. Playing IX again with today's knowledge in our palms is like reading an annotated edition of an iconic novel; it contextualizes and enhances the experience in ways people could never anticipate on their first run.