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00:09Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're exploring Alexandria and beyond as we uncover the making
00:15of secrets, easter eggs, and more within one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time.
00:21Which is fact number 26, and I will not be accepting any questions at this time.
00:32Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest
00:37videos.
00:40Meaningful Names
00:53The creators of Final Fantasy IX were very deliberate when choosing the names for their main cast of characters.
01:00For example, Quina's full name, Quinaquen, in Japanese translate quite literally to eat and cannot eat.
01:07Amaranth's name was originally going to be Salamander, but due to the seven-character limitation in the menu screen, it
01:13was changed.
01:14His hair also coincidentally resembles the red plant, Amaranth.
01:18Aiko was also named after game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi's wife.
01:22Finally, thanks to Final Fantasy Dissidia, Zidane's name is actually pronounced Zidane, but we're going to keep calling him Zidane,
01:30now and forever.
01:41Confused Kidnapping
01:49During the planning stages of the attempted kidnapping of Princess Garnett at the start of the game, players need to
01:55listen to Baku's plan.
01:56When he asks the player who they're supposed to kidnap, rather than choosing the Princess Garnett option,
02:01and instead asking if they kidnap Queen Brawn a ridiculous 64 times, a hidden cutscene will occur.
02:08Ruby will rush into the room and scold Zidane for being so stubborn and not listening properly to the plan.
02:15Then, if players still choose the Queen Brawn option, even Baku will get confused and insult Queen Brawn before catching
02:21himself and telling Zidane to stop joking around.
02:32Location Specific
02:41Final Fantasy IX is one of the biggest and most vibrantly detailed entries on the PS1,
02:47and due to the scale of the game's development, teams were broken up and each location within the game was
02:52designed by a single person.
02:54For example, every area, side quest, and NPC interaction in Alexandria or Lindblom was created and planned by a single
03:02developer.
03:03Once the final narrative outline was finalized, each location and plans for it was brought to the rest of the
03:09team and altered to fit within the grand scheme of the game's narrative.
03:12This process sounds incredibly daunting, but was necessary to streamline the creative pipeline and complete the game in a timely
03:19manner,
03:20and had proven an effective strategy on previous titles such as Final Fantasy VI.
03:34Living NPCs
03:42The main creative forces behind Final Fantasy IX wanted the PS1 Swan Song entry to feel more alive and believable
03:49as a real world than any other entry to date.
03:52To accomplish this, they took extra care in designing the many NPCs that players interact with.
03:57Not only did every town and kingdom feel distinct with their own aesthetic, but they felt connected to one another
04:03with characters commenting on their travels from one location to another.
04:07To make these kingdoms and towns feel authentic, Final Fantasy IX is populated with more NPCs than both Final Fantasy
04:13VII and VIII combined.
04:16Another seemingly minor detail, nearly every NPC that players can interact with has their own name,
04:22making them feel like real people who live everyday lives within this fantastical world.
04:35Tetra Master
04:36Following the breakout success of Triple Triad in Final Fantasy VIII,
04:40Final Fantasy IX featured its own equally beloved collectible card game, Tetra Master.
04:45Created by one of the game's character designers, Tetra Master built on the foundation of Triple Triad and gave the
04:51card game greater depth and strategy.
04:53Players could not only upgrade their cards, but their rank within the game as well, based on how many cards
04:59they'd collected and how rare and powerful those cards were.
05:02By achieving a point total of 1,699, players would be granted the rank of Master.
05:08But if they attempted to raise their rank to 1,700, which was supposed to grant them the rank of
05:13Collector,
05:14the game would instead glitch and ask them if they'd like to discard a card.
05:18Thankfully, this glitch seems to have been fixed in subsequent re-releases.
05:22True Names
05:23Throughout the course of the game, players discover Garnet's tragic backstory as one of the last summoners of Medan Seri,
05:30whose mother tragically died escaping Garland's attack on their homeland.
05:34Garnet would then be adopted by Queen Brawn due to the striking resemblance to her recently deceased daughter and her
05:40past a distant and mysterious memory.
05:42Garnet would later adopt the name Dagger, but for dedicated players, you can find Dagger's real name hidden in the
05:49mural of Medan Seri.
05:50By following a series of specific actions, players can uncover both Dagger's name, Princess Sarah, and her mother's, Queen Jane.
05:58These names also have a deeper significance within Final Fantasy,
06:01as those are the same names of the princess and queen respectively in the original Final Fantasy game.
06:07International Development
06:15Final Fantasy IX
06:16Final Fantasy IX was the first major Final Fantasy game to be developed outside of Japan.
06:20Instead, being developed almost entirely in Hawaii at Square's newly formed studio, Square USA,
06:27with the development team relocating to Hawaii to work on the game.
06:30Their reasoning behind this decision was they wanted Final Fantasy IX to have a more cinematic and international feel than
06:36previous entries,
06:37and the close proximity to the square picture studio allowed them to make use of that studio's resources more easily.
06:44Final Fantasy IX also pays direct homage to their Hawaii development studio with a tantalus theater troupe who are named
06:50after a volcano overlooking Honolulu.
07:04Jobless
07:13After the more realistic entries Final Fantasy VII and VIII,
07:17the developers of Final Fantasy IX wanted to return to the classic fantasy archetype of the series' past,
07:23and instead of continuing with the more realistic character designs,
07:27leaned hard into the super-deformed and over-exaggerated character designs.
07:31This decision led many to wonder if this title could even be considered a mainline Final Fantasy game given the
07:37drastic departure in design.
07:39The characters weren't the only dramatic change either.
07:42Early on in development, the team initially planned to bring back traditional job classes.
07:47Early concept art showcased job classes such as Viking and Witch and variations of the Dragoon class.
07:53However, as production continued, the main characters themselves became built around these classes rather than the other way around.
08:00Although, Garnet's Cloak at the start of the game is a direct reference to the original White Mage outfit from
08:05the earlier games.
08:12The Millennium Event
08:22In the year 2000, Square hosted a special showcase called the Millennium Event,
08:27in which they unveiled the future of Final Fantasy, showcasing Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy XI.
08:34Given Final Fantasy IX would release later the same year, its reveal was surprising considering the game's imminent release window.
08:41However, the development of Final Fantasy IX had already been announced years earlier in 1997,
08:47less than three months after shipping Final Fantasy VII,
08:50but was overshadowed by Square's subsequent announcement of Square Pictures and the upcoming Final Fantasy The Spirits Within film.
08:57This meant that Final Fantasy IX was announced long before Final Fantasy VIII had even formally begun development.
09:12Reflections
09:12One of the most prominent themes throughout Final Fantasy IX is that of Reflections.
09:17This can be seen in the numerous allusions to the series' past and what made the series so iconic.
09:23Final Fantasy IX was designed to be returned to the classic style of the original Final Fantasy games
09:28from the franchise's core themes of confronting one's morality,
09:31as well as the memories that shaped the characters and their identities and finding their purpose.
09:36Even the game's main theme, Melodies of Life, was designed to represent these reflective elements of the characters.
09:42The game's narrative was specifically designed so the player would reflect on their own decisions in life alongside the characters.
09:49Callbacks
09:59With Final Fantasy IX designed to be a celebration and tribute to the entire franchise up to the ninth entry,
10:05naturally, the team included callbacks and references to previous entries in the series.
10:10Within the opening of the game, both Cloud and Squall are referenced during the play in the characters' dialogue.
10:15Cloud also gets a separate nod when Zidane notices the buster sword in the Lindblom weapons shop
10:20and remarks how he knew a spiky-haired guy who used a sword like that.
10:25Alexandria Castle's design is a near-recreation of Castle Cornelia from the original Final Fantasy.
10:31However, one of the most bizarre references is found in Lindblom Castle
10:35when Zidane remarks how he doesn't have a medal to put in the fountain,
10:38which is a direct callback to the first Resident Evil game.
10:52A return to classic Final Fantasy
11:00The Final Fantasy series has always blended the line between fantasy and steampunk futurism,
11:07but after both Final Fantasy VII and VIII leaned more heavily into the modern futuristic aspects of the series,
11:14the developers wanted Final Fantasy IX to return to the series' classic fantasy-themed roots.
11:19To do this, they took many inspirations from not only past Final Fantasy games,
11:23but also from other works such as film and theater.
11:27Specifically, the team took heavy inspirations from Jim Henson's classic The Dark Crystal
11:31and the design of the world and its fairytale aesthetics.
11:35Another unsurprising influence was Shakespeare,
11:38which not only can be seen in the opening theater section,
11:41but also numerous character names, themes, and even some concepts
11:45such as star-crossed lovers Zidane and Princess Garnett
11:48lifted directly from Shakespeare's many works.
11:56More than a title.
11:57Like previous Final Fantasy games, the developers hid references to the numbered entry within the game.
12:03But for Final Fantasy IX, the inclusion of the number 9 is almost everywhere.
12:08For example, Zidane's birthday is September 9th, or 9-9.
12:12Only 9 of the airships in the game are given names.
12:16There are 9 knights of Pluto, which also at the time of the game's release,
12:19Pluto was the 9th planet in our solar system.
12:22Including Alexander, Dagger has access to 9 Eidolon summons.
12:26While Iko only has access to 4, she does have 9 types of Eidolon attacks.
12:32There are 9 friendly monsters players can encounter, which require 9 ores to earn a reward.
12:37And within a chest in Alexandria early in the game,
12:40players can rob Grandma of her life savings, 9 Gil.
12:44Mind you, this is only a fraction of the references, but we have other entries to get to.
12:49Cut Content
12:50Like any Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy IX had its fair share of cut content during development.
12:56However, much of this content remained in the game, just locked off from a normal playthrough,
13:01and has since been discovered and re-implemented by dedicated fans and modders.
13:06One such instance involved an additional minigame for Vivi to take part in in Alexandria at the start of the
13:12game.
13:12Alongside the included Jump Rope minigame, players could also track down 3 balloons
13:17and return them to a little girl within a time limit.
13:20Another piece of cut material took place immediately after the airship crashes at the start of the game,
13:25and Zidane asked Baku to look for Garnett.
13:28In the cut segment, players could choose to listen to Baku and not pursue Garnett into the forest,
13:33and would instead be haunted by visions of Garnett in distress before finally setting out to find her.
13:39Excalibur 2
13:50Just like previous Final Fantasy games, the main characters can acquire ultimate versions of their weapons
13:55through various and oftentimes difficult parameters,
13:58but acquiring Steiner's ultimate weapon, Excalibur 2, is almost impossible.
14:03Unlike the other weapons that have specific quests, items to collect, or challenges to complete,
14:08obtaining Excalibur 2 is all about time management.
14:11Players need to reach the final dungeon, Gate to Space, and defeat the area's boss, the Lich,
14:17in under 12 hours or else the chest containing the weapon won't appear.
14:21This was nearly impossible in the base version of the game without the ability to skip cutscenes
14:26and the potential hazard of prolonged boss fights and random battles.
14:30Re-release enhancements have made it easier,
14:33but this is not a weapon you'll acquire on your first playthrough.
14:46Map Moogle
14:52While exploring the overworld, players are given the option to call a Moogle named Mooguo
14:57to save their game or use a tent to heal their party.
15:00However, if you call Mooguo and then send him away without using any of his services,
15:05the little fluffball will become increasingly annoyed with you.
15:08The more often you torment the poor Moogle, the more irate he becomes,
15:12even resulting in him threatening your party the more often you call him.
15:16In later editions, there's even an achievement tied to annoying poor Mooguo.
15:26Multiplayer
15:35This one is something I discovered completely by accident during my first playthrough with my
15:40friend. Although it's never stated anywhere in the game or even in the included manual or
15:45strategy guide, Final Fantasy IX features multiplayer. While not a very expansive option,
15:50Final Fantasy IX allows two players to take control of two of the party members in battle by adjusting the
15:55game settings in the menu and assigning specific members to different controllers. This feature
16:00was also available in some earlier titles such as FF4, 5, and 6, but outside of specific multiplayer
16:07offerings, it hasn't returned to the series again. It's also unknown why this feature was never
16:12advertised in any official capacity.
16:22Multiple Endings
16:32Character designs
16:33Character designs weren't the only thing that went through some massive changes during the development
16:37of Final Fantasy IX. Reportedly, the ending of the game was changed seven times over before the game's
16:43final release. However, one aspect of at least one of those cut endings remains in the game. Originally,
16:49the plan was for Hades to be the game's final boss instead of Necron. This is evidenced by the
16:54similarities to Hades' throne and the many eyes littered around the architecture of Terra as well
17:00as the arena of the game's climactic battle. It's unknown why Necron was swapped in for Hades,
17:05but at least Hades remains in the game as a hidden super boss so players can imagine what could have
17:10been.
17:17The Arc Eidolon
17:29Final Fantasy wasn't the first series that Final Fantasy maestro
17:33Hironobu Sakaguchi worked on. Years before the worldwide success of the Final Fantasy series,
17:38Sakaguchi worked on smaller titles, but one passion project,
17:42Cruise Chaser Blasty, stuck with him even in the later years of Final Fantasy.
17:46A science fiction RPG released in 1986 which focused on battles between different mechs.
17:52One such mech was the SPEX-07 Blasty, which in-game was a prototype mech that could transform.
18:00Paying homage to this early work, developers included the Arc Eidolon, which along with not only being the
18:06strongest and hardest Eidolon in the game to acquire, and the only one of Terra in origin,
18:11is also the only Eidolon capable of transformation just like in Cruise Chaser Blasty.
18:17Placed side by side, the similarities are unmistakable.
18:32Soundtrack record
18:44Final Fantasy games have long had historic and iconic soundtracks, but for the time,
18:49Final Fantasy IX was the series' biggest one ever produced. For an entire year, composer
18:55Noboyu Uematsu composed the score, which even led him to take a trip to old European castles to
19:00become inspired by their architecture. Given the game's more cinematic focus, specific tracks were
19:06only used once during cutscenes, something that had never been done in a Final Fantasy game before,
19:11and with Uematsu originally composing well over 150 different tracks for Final Fantasy IX,
19:17far exceeding the previous record of Final Fantasy VII's 85 tracks, but this naturally had to be scaled back
19:23to fit within the game's four-disc release, with 110 tracks making it into the final game.
19:40The first remake
19:49These days, fans are still waiting for the long-rumored and often-leaked remake of Final Fantasy IX,
19:55but if Square had followed through with their initial plans back in 2001, we would have gotten
20:00it already. Mere months after the release of Final Fantasy X, Square announced remakes of Final Fantasy
20:05VII, VIII, and IX designed to take advantage of the additional power and DVD space of the then-new
20:11PlayStation 2 hardware. Each game was planned to release separately and featured updated graphics
20:17and sound design. While this was incredibly shocking, considering none of the games were even a decade old by this
20:22point, Square also never mentioned these remakes again, as they were likely cancelled before development
20:28began, and Square thought it better to memory-hole the entire announcements, rather than publicly retract
20:34their statement.
20:35I don't even know your name! My name's Puff.
20:38My name's Vevey.
20:40Vevey, huh? You've got a funny name.
20:43Pleased to meet you.
20:46A Second Card Game
20:47Just because the credits roll doesn't mean that Final Fantasy IX doesn't have any more secrets left
20:52to discover. In addition to Tetra Master, players can unlock a second card game during the game's
20:58credits. By inputting a series of specific button prompts, players can play a game of blackjack
21:03against an AI. Just like the real world, the game is incredibly hard and cheats like crazy,
21:08meaning it's incredibly easy to lose. However, if you want to keep at it like the addict you are,
21:14simply input the button combination again to replay a second time.
21:18The Nero Family
21:19One of the most infamous sidequests in any Final Fantasy game, the Nero Family sidequest went
21:25undiscovered for 13 years by Western audiences. By talking to specific members of the Nero Family
21:31in the theater district of Lindblom on Disc 4, Benero will tell the player the rest of their family
21:36is missing. From here, every time there is a major boss fight or story event, the player needs to
21:42travel back to Lindblom where they will encounter a new member of the family exiting the Tantalus
21:46Hideout. Players need to do this nine separate times to encounter every member of the Nero Family,
21:52and your reward for all this effort is a simple Protect Ring. This quest was only ever mentioned
21:57in Japan's Final Fantasy IX Ultimania Guide, which is why it went overlooked by Western audiences for
22:03over a decade. Thunderslash fizzles out.
22:14Throughout their playthrough, players can learn various arts that are some of the most powerful
22:18attacks within the game. However, what should be one of Steiner's most powerful attacks is hindered
22:23by a surprising glitch. Within the game, Steiner's Thunderslash ability is assigned an accuracy of zero,
22:30which meant the attack would rarely, if ever, be effective. Digging deeper, fans discovered that
22:36within the game code, Thunderslash had been inaccurately assigned as a gravity spell, rendering
22:41the attack almost completely useless. The only times Thunderslash is even remotely effective is if
22:48Steiner's level and magic stat was higher than the enemy, and even then, the enemy's magic evasion
22:54stat would need to be incredibly low. Somehow, despite numerous re-releases over the years,
22:59this glitch has never been fixed.
23:04No strategy.
23:13Strategy guides have long been a part of the Final Fantasy series as much as Chocobos and
23:18World Ending Disasters, but the Final Fantasy IX guidebook is without a doubt the worst strategy
23:24guide ever created for the series. While the guide does offer some basic strategies,
23:29and a walkthrough for the game, Square made the unprecedented decision to tie this strategy
23:34guide to their PlayOnline service. On every page of the guide are codes players were meant
23:39to enter on the PlayOnline website to reveal the solution of the game's many puzzles and
23:44quests. Besides this making the guide all but useless, this decision was also highly criticized
23:50for prioritizing an online service during a time when most homes didn't have access to the internet.
23:56Thankfully, fans have since made proper strategy guides, but this was an enormous blunder for Square's
24:02biggest franchise.
24:11What's your favorite Final Fantasy game and why? Share your picks in the comments.
24:17Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from MojoPlays,
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