Final Fantasy IX Has Gone Multiplatform

There was a surprise announcement during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct: Final Fantasy IX was available that very moment! Yes, one of the most beloved titles in the Final Fantasy series can now be played on Switch….as well as XBox One and Windows 10.

In case you’ve never played one of the PC or mobile ports of 90s-era Final Fantasy titles, don’t go in expecting the exact same Final Fantasy IX in emulation. Square has a tendency to tinker with these, especially the ones that premiered on the Playstation. The fonts and dialogue balloons are larger. The character models are now HD, but that’s easy enough to accomplisg. What isn’t are the backgrounds, because the art assets were not saved and the environments remain blurry (they should talk to this guy).

As with the PC and mobile versions of FF9, you have the option of flicking on a Fast Forward mode from the Pause menu, which helps a lot when powering through a tedious battle or grind session. There are also cheat options that give you a ton of cash or make you invincible, but don’t be THAT person.

The multiplatform re-release of Final Fantasy IX will be followed by Final Fantasy VII next month, and after that, Final Fantasy X and X-2 in April. The PS2 Final Fantasies will be getting physical releases, however X-2 has been cut from the Switch card and replaced with a download code (but not in Japan, so if you care about such things…import).