The 10 Best From The Final Fantasy IX Soundtrack
Legacy Final Fantasy fans had reason to rejoice at Tokyo Game Show when the PS1 classic Final Fantasy IX was surprisingly added to the PlayStation 4’s online store. The medieval tale of thieves, mages, and whatever the heck Quina is has been unleashed for a brand new generation of players, and if they’re anything like me it’s the music that will draw them in and keep them hooked. FInal Fantasy IX’s soundtrack is one of longtime FF composer Nobuo Uematsu’s best, and here are ten reasons why.
I could have easily linked to the entire soundtrack and set you, readers, loose, but the ten below are in my opinion the best of the best. First, however, let’s take in some Honorable Mentions:
Vivi’s Theme
This is one of the first songs we hear after the game starts, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of the early themes of the game. It’s whimsical and upbeat while also invoking clumsiness and bewilderment, and it’s hard to describe Vivi in that first scene any better. Vivi’s Theme sets the table for an epic meal of music as soon as the opening credits end.
Hunter’s Chance
The Festival of the Hunt is one of the key moments of Final Fantasy IX, a contest centered around releasing monsters in the city streets and turning glory-seeking hunters on them. This track captures the tension and action of the moment wonderfully, making for a perfect background to the monster-slaying session going on around it. This is easily one of my favorite moments of the entire game, thanks in part to the great song playing with it.
Place of Memory
Place of Memory is heard late in the game in the penultimate dungeon, an area that I don’t want to spoil here, but it’s a song that has stuck with me since I’ve first heard it. Everything that’s happened up to then is referenced in this dungeon, and thinking back to those events is equally somber and comforting. Place of Memory fits perfectly, its slow and steady melody invoking that somber and comforting tone throughout.