<s>
is	O
a	O
2000	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
video	O
game	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
ninth	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
development	O
occurred	O
in	O
parallel	O
with	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VIII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Envisioned	O
by	O
developers	O
as	O
a	O
retrospective	O
for	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
it	O
departed	O
from	O
the	O
futuristic	O
settings	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VI	I-Application
,	O
VII	B-Application
,	O
and	O
VIII	B-Application
by	O
returning	O
to	O
the	O
medieval	O
style	O
of	O
the	O
earlier	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
it	O
draws	O
heavy	O
influence	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
and	O
features	O
allusions	O
to	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
introduced	O
new	O
features	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
despite	O
this	O
approach	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Active	O
Time	O
Event	O
"	O
cutscenes	O
,	O
"	O
Mognet	B-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
skill	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
was	O
the	O
last	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
series	O
whose	O
music	O
was	O
composed	O
solely	O
by	O
Nobuo	O
Uematsu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
was	O
released	O
to	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
and	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
selling	O
more	O
than	O
5.5	O
million	O
copies	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
by	O
March	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
re-released	O
in	O
2010	O
as	O
a	O
PS1	O
Classic	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Store	O
—	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
compatible	O
with	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
;	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
support	O
arrived	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
navigates	O
a	O
character	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
,	O
exploring	O
areas	O
and	O
interacting	O
with	O
non-player	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
aid	O
exploration	O
on	O
the	O
field	O
screen	O
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
introduces	O
the	O
"	O
field	O
icon	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
exclamation	O
mark	O
appearing	O
over	O
the	O
lead	O
character	O
's	O
head	O
,	O
indicating	O
a	O
point	O
of	O
interest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
extensive	O
optional	O
quest	O
involves	O
sending	O
and	O
receiving	O
letters	O
from	O
Moogles	O
and	O
other	O
non-playable	O
characters	O
via	O
Mognet	B-Application
,	O
an	O
in-game	O
postal	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
journey	O
between	O
field	O
screen	O
locations	O
on	O
the	O
world	O
map	O
,	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
representation	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IXs	O
world	O
presented	O
from	O
a	O
top-down	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
previous	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
players	O
enter	O
battles	O
caused	O
by	O
random	O
encounters	O
with	O
enemies	O
while	O
traveling	O
across	O
the	O
world	O
map	O
or	O
hostile	O
field	O
screens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
offers	O
a	O
new	O
approach	O
to	O
town	O
exploration	O
with	O
Active	O
Time	O
Events	O
(	O
ATE	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
speed	O
and	O
order	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
characters	O
and	O
enemies	O
take	O
their	O
turn	O
varies	O
according	O
to	O
their	O
agility	O
,	O
an	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
Active	O
Time	O
Battle	O
system	O
first	O
featured	O
in	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IV	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Character-specific	O
commands	O
change	O
when	O
the	O
character	O
goes	O
into	O
"	O
Trance	O
mode	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
activated	O
for	O
a	O
short	O
duration	O
when	O
the	O
character	O
sustains	O
a	O
specified	O
amount	O
of	O
damage	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Limit	O
Breaks	O
in	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Vivi	O
's	O
"	O
Black	O
Magic	O
"	O
command	O
changes	O
into	O
"	O
Double	O
Black	O
"	O
,	O
allowing	O
him	O
to	O
cast	O
two	O
magic	O
spells	B-Application
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Action	O
abilities	O
require	O
magic	B-Application
points	I-Application
to	O
use	O
and	O
include	O
magical	O
spells	B-Application
and	O
special	O
moves	O
used	O
in	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
primarily	O
in	O
a	O
world	O
named	O
Gaia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scattered	O
throughout	O
the	O
marshes	O
of	O
Gaia	O
are	O
the	O
Qu	O
:	O
large	O
,	O
frog-eating	O
,	O
and	O
seemingly	O
androgynous	O
humanoids	O
who	O
are	O
considered	O
great	O
gourmands	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
planning	O
for	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
began	O
in	O
July	O
1998	O
before	O
Square	O
had	O
finished	O
development	O
on	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VIII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
last	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
Sakaguchi	O
envisioned	O
a	O
"	O
reflection	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
older	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leading	O
up	O
to	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Sakaguchi	O
called	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
his	O
favorite	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
game	I-Application
as	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
closest	O
to	O
 [ his ] 	O
ideal	O
view	O
of	O
what	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
should	O
be	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
conceptual	O
stage	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
made	O
it	O
clear	O
that	O
the	O
title	O
would	O
not	O
necessarily	O
be	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
,	O
as	O
its	O
break	O
from	O
the	O
realism	O
of	O
VII	B-Application
and	O
VIII	B-Application
may	O
have	O
alienated	O
audiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
1999	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
Square	O
had	O
confirmed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
indeed	O
be	O
titled	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
,	O
and	O
by	O
early	O
2000	O
,	O
they	O
had	O
almost	O
finished	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
developers	O
sought	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
environment	O
more	O
"	O
fantasy-oriented	O
"	O
than	O
its	O
PlayStation	B-Device
predecessors	O
by	O
reintroducing	O
a	O
medieval	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
website	O
says	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
world	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
culmination	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
by	O
blending	O
the	O
"	O
successful	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
past	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
fantasy	O
roots	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
newer	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
accomplish	O
this	O
and	O
satisfy	O
fans	O
who	O
had	O
become	O
used	O
to	O
the	O
realistic	O
designs	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VIII	I-Application
,	O
the	O
designers	O
stressed	O
creating	O
characters	O
with	O
whom	O
the	O
player	O
could	O
easily	O
relate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
previous	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
cutscenes	O
in	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
do	O
n't	O
use	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
for	O
the	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regular	O
series	O
composer	O
Nobuo	O
Uematsu	O
wrote	O
the	O
music	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uematsu	O
incorporated	O
several	O
motifs	O
from	O
older	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
games	I-Application
into	O
the	O
score	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
battle	O
music	O
intro	O
,	O
a	O
reworked	O
Volcano	O
Theme	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Pandemonium	O
theme	O
in	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tantalus	O
 '	O
band	O
plays	O
"	O
Rufus	O
 '	O
Welcoming	O
Ceremony	O
"	O
from	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
near	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uematsu	O
has	O
stated	O
on	O
several	O
occasions	O
that	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
is	O
his	O
favorite	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IXs	O
release	O
was	O
delayed	O
to	O
avoid	O
a	O
simultaneous	O
release	O
with	O
then-rival	O
Enix	O
's	O
Dragon	B-Device
Quest	I-Device
VII	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
American	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
at	O
the	O
Metreon	O
;	O
limited-edition	O
merchandise	O
was	O
included	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
fans	O
cosplayed	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
characters	O
in	O
celebration	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Canada	O
,	O
a	O
production	O
error	O
left	O
copies	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
without	O
an	O
English	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
instruction	O
manual	O
,	O
prompting	O
Square	O
to	O
ship	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
English	O
manual	O
to	O
Canadian	O
stores	O
several	O
days	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
IGN	O
awarded	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
dolls	O
and	O
figurines	O
for	O
prizes	O
in	O
several	O
of	O
their	O
contests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
Sony	O
's	O
Greatest	O
Hits	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
was	O
also	O
the	O
benchmark	O
of	O
Square	O
's	O
interactive	O
PlayOnline	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayOnline	O
was	O
initially	O
developed	O
to	O
interface	O
with	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X	O
but	O
became	O
a	O
strategy	O
site	O
for	O
IX	O
when	O
those	O
plans	O
fell	O
through	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blunder	O
made	O
GameSpy'''s	O
"	O
Top	O
5	O
Dumbest	O
Moments	O
in	O
Gaming	O
"	O
list	O
,	O
and	O
Square	O
dropped	O
the	O
idea	O
for	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
under	O
development	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Square	O
Enix	O
re-released	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
25th	O
Anniversary	O
Ultimate	O
Box	O
Japanese	O
package	O
in	O
December	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remastered	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
in	O
February	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	O
port	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
February	O
13	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
other	O
regions	O
a	O
day	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
top-seller	O
in	O
JapanDengeki	O
PlayStation	B-Device
sales	O
chart	O
,	O
October	O
2000	O
,	O
published	O
in	O
Official	O
UK	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Magazine	O
issue	O
63	O
.	O
and	O
America	O
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
did	O
not	O
sell	O
as	O
many	O
copies	O
as	O
VII	B-Application
or	O
VIII	B-Application
in	O
either	O
Japan	O
or	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
version	O
sold	O
over	O
5.5	O
million	O
copies	O
by	O
March	O
2016.The	O
challenges	O
of	O
porting	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
to	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
VentureBeat	O
(	O
March	O
6	O
,	O
2016	O
)	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IX	I-Application
was	O
released	O
to	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
both	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
abroad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
achieved	O
a	O
94/100	O
on	O
the	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
making	O
it	O
their	O
highest-scoring	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Francesca	O
Reyes	O
of	O
Next	O
Generation	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
an	O
imaginative	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
roots	O
of	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
that	O
hits	O
the	O
RPG	O
mark	O
dead-on	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
approved	O
of	O
the	O
simple	O
learning	O
curve	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
ability	O
system	O
is	O
not	O
as	O
complex	O
as	O
in	O
VII	B-Application
or	O
VIII	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
IGN	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
characters	O
were	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
in	O
other	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
the	O
characters	O
were	O
still	O
engaging	O
and	O
sympathetic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
Square	O
primarily	O
built	O
the	O
storyline	O
upon	O
elements	O
found	O
in	O
previous	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
installments	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
evil	O
empires	O
and	O
enigmatic	O
villains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RPGFan	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
music	O
was	O
"	O
uninspired	O
and	O
dull	O
"	O
compared	O
to	O
previous	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
titles	O
and	O
criticized	O
composer	O
Uematsu	O
for	O
reusing	O
some	O
tracks	O
from	O
past	O
iterations	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Still	O
,	O
reviewers	O
have	O
concluded	O
that	O
this	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
elements	O
are	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
overall	O
effort	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
nostalgic	O
game	O
for	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
older	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
minigame	O
"	O
Tetra	O
Master	O
"	O
was	O
seen	O
by	O
GameSpot	O
as	O
inferior	O
and	O
confusing	O
compared	O
to	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VIIIs	I-Application
minigame	O
"	O
Triple	B-Application
Triad	I-Application
"	O
as	O
the	O
rules	O
are	O
vaguely	O
explained	O
and	O
offered	O
few	O
rewards	O
despite	O
its	O
expansive	O
nature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LegacyFinal	O
Fantasy	O
IX	O
was	O
voted	O
the	O
4th	O
best	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
a	O
poll	O
by	O
Japan	O
's	O
national	O
broadcasting	O
organization	O
NHK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
named	O
it	O
the	O
14th	O
best	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
,	O
calling	O
it	O
an	O
"	O
incredible	O
"	O
way	O
to	O
close	O
out	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
's	O
first	O
nine	O
games	O
and	O
complimented	O
its	O
reverence	O
for	O
those	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rock	O
Paper	O
Shotgun	O
named	O
the	O
title	O
their	O
4th	O
best	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
praising	O
the	O
cast	O
and	O
its	O
eclectic	O
group	O
of	O
heroes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
overshadowed	O
during	O
its	O
initial	O
release	O
by	O
other	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
titles	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
been	O
recognized	O
for	O
its	O
mature	O
themes	O
,	O
including	O
mortality	O
and	O
handling	O
death	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
a	O
JRPG	O
masterpiece	O
.	O
</s>
