What I Would Like Out Of A Final Fantasy IX Remake

If you've been keeping up with Final Fantasy's mobile game sphere, you might have noticed there's a lot of emphasis on FFIX lately these past few months. Brave Exvius had a IX collab, War of The Visions had a IX collab, even Ever Crisis which is based solely on VII had a IX collab, and all relatively in the same time frame as well. Because the Nvidia GeForce leaks back in 2023 stated that the IX Remake was still in production, people took these collabs as Square's subtle hint that they were getting prepared to announce that a Remake was really going to happen.

That being said, while it's only just a rumor as of now that's said to be announced this summer, I wanted to do a little thought experiment and think about what I'd personally want a Final Fantasy IX remake to look like.

Graphics

This might ruffle a few feathers, but I would like to see a IX Remake on the same scale as the VII one. I know that a lot of people are attached to the chibi style of the original and while I don't have an issue with it, I think it would be great to see the story of IX on a grander scale. Even if they were to make new and updated models but keep them in the same chibi style and make new environments, I feel like it wouldn't be that much different from playing the original. I'd still buy it if this is the route Square decided to go with, but given how much technology has advanced these past decades since the original came out, I think it's only fair that we get fancy full scale models and 3D environments instead of glorified Lego sets.

Gameplay

I don't really have any particular preference on how I expect the gameplay to look like for a IX Remake; I'm mostly a story person and can usually handle most types of gameplay. I think it would be fine if the gameplay turned out to be something like Remake 1, but I think I would prefer seeing a new kind of gameplay instead. XVI's gameplay is really fun also, I think it would be fun to try to see something like that but also have the ability to switch party in the middle of battle. I also wouldn't mind seeing a gameplay loop similar to Honkai Star Rail's or Persona/Shin Megami Tensei either. All of these games to me are proof that turn based combat never died, it's just a matter of knowing how to execute it properly and with Square Enix's repertoire, I'm sure they could pull off something like that.

Music

I think music is a very important part of a game's experience. I think a fully remade OST using orchestral instruments, electronic instruments, whatever else they wanted would be great to see. I really like the Dissidia NT version of Dark Messenger, so having the whole OST be made in a similar style would be really fun! I also think an option to have the original OST play in the background would be fun as well for those who prefer it.

Story

I'll be talking about spoilers here, so if you haven't played IX for yourself yet, feel free to skip the rest of this post.

I'll it it's been a while since I've played IX so this might change in the future when I give it a replay, but I don't think any major changes need to be made to the game's story overall. However, I am of the mind that some of the game's characters could do with some fleshing out or even be removed entirely. I'll start with the person most important to me and say that I'd like to see more of Kuja. Yes, bias is obviously involved here, but besides that, I recall the plot thread that he was the reason behind Brahne's changing behavior which I would have genuinely liked to see. Throughout the game it's inferred that Kuja is a manipulative bastard, so I think it would have been really cool to see how exactly he goes about getting into someone's head. To have it all be voice acted with Kuja's usual dramatic flair would really expand upon the evil we already know he has. I'd also like for the game to delve more into his insecurities as a character. It's implied that Kuja is outwardly fancy and lives in luxury as a way to cover up his feelings of inadequacy from being kicked off of Terra by Garland and I think that would really help to make the ending of IX where he dies even more impactful (not like it already isn't, but hopefully you get my meaning).

Other characters I'd like to see more of is Garland. He's a key piece in pushing Kuja towards his insanity (and then getting pushed himself PFF) towards the end of the game, but I don't actually recall seeing all that much of him besides when you get to Terra. If I correctly, he also plays a part in Zidane's depression arc, so it would be interesting to know more about him because in my opinion he feels just a *little* too shallow. This same logic applies to Freya. I feel like she's a really interesting character, but besides what we see in Burmecia and knowing about her dead husband, there's not much else about her and I feel like she deserves better than that.

I cannot say the same for Amarant, however. Again, keep in mind, I have not played IX in a long time, but what was the point of his inclusion in the story? I feel like he did nothing and added nothing to the story. The fact that I 9 times out of 10 don't even that he exists speaks volumes to me about his impact; that there *is* none. So for him, I see two options: either add some character development, or remove him completely. Honestly, between all of the characters in the main cast, we have Zidane, Vivi, Garnet, Steiner, Quina, Eiko, and Freya, I think adding Amarant on top of that is too much so I believe it would be best if Amarant was removed. Too many characters fighting for screen time isn't really ideal.

And those are my thoughts on what I would like to see out of a IX Remake! And what about you? What are your thoughts? Leave your comments on what you would like to see out of a IX Remake, I'd love to hear them!