The way forward for fantasy

Do not forget that massive previous GeForce NOW leak from 2021? The one which supposedly revealed an inventory of in-development initiatives at varied AAA studios? I’ve been eager about that leak for simply over a 12 months now. Extra particularly, I’ve been eager about one title on that listing: a remake of Ultimate Fantasy IX.

Lately, one other, a lot much less respected rumor surfaced on 4chan (the thread has since been deleted, however its contents are cataloged on Reddit), suggesting that the Ultimate Fantasy IX remake’s announcement is imminent. I’m undecided whether or not or not I consider that rumor, nevertheless it bought me pondering the prospect of this FFIX remake once more. Can we want a remake of Ultimate Fantasy IX at this level?

Nicely, the quick reply is, no, we don’t. The lengthy reply is, no, we don’t… however I definitely wouldn’t say no to at least one.

A private favourite

Ultimate Fantasy IX is considered one of my favourite Ultimate Fantasy video games. I performed it for the primary time inside the final couple of years, and it holds up astonishingly nicely. It’s out there on fashionable platforms for affordable, it doesn’t make any egregiously dated design choices, it appears to be like and sounds wonderful – I’d go as far as to say it’s the most effective video games you possibly can play on current-generation consoles and fashionable PCs. It’s decidedly not in want of a remake.

However I wish to put Ultimate Fantasy IX in perspective. It was the final Ultimate Fantasy sport on the unique PlayStation, and that’s an fascinating place for it to be. Ultimate Fantasy VII and Ultimate Fantasy VIII had been each video games about impolite dudes with numerous ‘tude, badass main males in cool jackets occupying distinctly cool worlds.

Ultimate Fantasy IX was – I say this with all the love on the earth – dorky. Steiner’s armor just isn’t an epic tactical swimsuit of some sort, it’s only a massive slab of molded steel. One of many social gathering members is a straight-up princess from a far-off kingdom. The place different Ultimate Fantasy video games of the time had been so desperate to push right into a sci-fi future, FFIX was content material to relax out with the vaguely European high-fantasy aesthetics of its NES ancestors.

FFIX can also be uncommonly chill. Even when it inches into the realm of sci-fi in its weirdly introspective ultimate act, its characters are much less self-serious than these present in different FF video games of the time. Its tragedies are softer, its colours extra vibrant. It simply has a pleasant, cozy vibe about it.

Why does that matter?

I feel that we’re at the moment in one other “badass” period of Ultimate Fantasy. The final two numbered FF video games each occupy the identical normal area; one is a couple of bachelor social gathering with a cool flying Cadillac and the opposite is a literal remake(-ish) of Ultimate Fantasy VII. They’re each fairly good at representing “chilled-out” Ultimate Fantasy (FFXV particularly could be very vibey), however they’re simply not fairly on the best wavelength.

The forthcoming Ultimate Fantasy XVI appears to be like prefer it’ll embrace excessive fantasy, however with a lot much less of the comfortable downtime present in Ultimate Fantasy IX and rather more little brother dying and god-fighting. Ultimate Fantasy XIV is… hear, I don’t wish to make anybody mad, so I’m not going to go in-depth on my Ultimate Fantasy XIV ideas. It’s high-quality. It’s fairly good. Eric Van Allen actually likes it, and he’s manner smarter than me.

I’m determined for a brand new Ultimate Fantasy sport that looks like Ultimate Fantasy IX. Ideally, I’d like that to be a brand new sport (Chained Echoes is nearly scratching the itch), however I’d additionally welcome the prospect to simply chill with my previous FFIX social gathering once more. I just like the badass Ultimate Fantasy video games lots, however they solely symbolize half of what I really like in regards to the collection. Clearly I can simply play different video games – the aforementioned Chained Echoes is nice, and I’ve dipped out and in of Atelier Ryza – however I like Ultimate Fantasy for its tonal range.

I’d like to see extra of the issues I really like about these video games represented by the fashionable Ultimate Fantasy panorama. A Ultimate Fantasy VII Remake for after I wish to disappear into a really cool world with very fascinating storytelling prospers, and a Ultimate Fantasy IX Remake for after I need the online game equal of a blanket and a cup of tea.

However my enthusiasm for a Ultimate Fantasy IX remake is nearly solely contingent on one title.

Hey, what’s Ito been as much as?

Hiroyuki Ito is likely one of the finest Ultimate Fantasy administrators of all time. He directed Ultimate Fantasy VI, which many think about to be the only finest entry within the collection. He designed the battle system in Ultimate Fantasy VIII, which is definitely good, and I’m keen to struggle about it. He directed Ultimate Fantasy IX, a sport that I like a lot that I’m writing about it proper now! He directed Ultimate Fantasy XII, one other prime contender for “finest within the collection.”

After which, he… kinda disappeared. For about fifteen years after the discharge of Ultimate Fantasy XII, Ito didn’t have a single director credit score. His sole design credit score was on Deadman’s Cross, a middlingly-received PlayStation Vita deckbuilder. Ito wouldn’t make his triumphant return to the director’s chair till 2021’s Dungeon Encounters. And guess what? Dungeon Encounters owns.

I firmly consider that Hiroyuki Ito’s most up-to-date sport is the very best factor he’s ever labored on. It’s a stripped-down, combat-forward JRPG with virtually no written plot, and it’s higher than any Ultimate Fantasy sport. Ito, the unique designer of the Lively Time Battle system, whittles it all the way down to its barest components and finds an unsurprising secret: this man is so good at making video video games. Dungeon Encounters is endlessly participating and stylish in its simplicity, and it’s sufficient to display to me that Ito is best now than he’s ever been.

If the Ultimate Fantasy IX remake exists, and if Hiroyuki Ito is concerned, I’ll put my preorder cash the place my mouth is. If not… nicely, like I stated, Ultimate Fantasy IX holds up rather well, so I can at all times play that once more. Actually, I would go play it once more anyway.