So... about that gameplay.

[Wolf Kanno]

I've always found it interesting, that with the exception of what feels like a universal hatred of the Trance system and how slow load times are for battles, no one really talks about how groovy the battle system in IX can really be. Do you like the gameplay of IX, or do you simply tolerate/loathe it ?

[Karifean]

It's definitely not the game that comes to mind when I think of good gameplay in the FF series. While it pulls off the individual roles concept really nicely, it is plagued by having everything feel like it takes an eternity, from load times to spells to enemy attacks, and of course the worst offender of all, stealing. Never in any other game in the series have I found myself keeping bosses alive deliberately so I can keep stealing from them longer, and the chances of success are truly abysmal. On top of that the game is incredibly easy, with the only challenges it does have being based around randomness more than anything. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Shin Megami Tensei approach but it never feels satisfying in this game, except maybe Necron who does manage to keep you permanently on your toes while allowing you enough room to keep yourself alive. Alas, that is the only success story in the entire game I can think of. The Trance system does feel insanely one-sided (as in Trance is random, but when you do have it you're utterly OP) but it's nothing compared to the fact that the gameplay is just overall not fun.

Chocobo Hot & Cold was fun though.

[charliepanayi]

I like the abilities system and find the gameplay simple, which is how I like it. It's not as innovative as materia or the sphere grid but it does the job.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I always really enjoyed the gameplay outside of what happens to Garnet for that long stretch of time. For whatever reason, I tended to enjoy the fighting in this game more than a lot of others. I also liked acquiring abilities. I just wish the Atb bar moved faster, but even that only bothered me as I got older.

[Lord Golbez]

The ATB is too slow, especially late game, but the core gameplay is still good

[Fox]

For context, FFIX is my absolute favourite ever game ever.

The actual 'game' part of FFIX is... fine. That's it really, haven't got much else to say.

Trance is bad, the whole battle system is a bit too slow and the balance of each character's abilities are all over the place. But the battle system is perfectly serviceable, abilities are all right, I quite like synthesising new gear. FFIX is to me a game whose gameplay is designed to reinforce the identities of its characters first, and be a good RPG second (which was the correct choice). The actual mechanics at play are very much 'playing it safe' after the wildly divisive GF/Junctioning systems from VIII.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

I really like that the abilities you learn from your clothes and weapons can be incorporated into your move set, and I like having the incentive to put on weak armor to learn an awesome ability. It helps lend to the idea that every piece in your inventory matters. You're not just gonna throw away or sell, idk, a silk shirt, because another character could use the ability from it.

It's also enjoyable for me who likes to have at least 1 of every item anyway.

[Depression Moon]

It's definitely not the game that comes to mind when I think of good gameplay in the FF series. While it pulls off the individual roles concept really nicely, it is plagued by having everything feel like it takes an eternity, from load times to spells to enemy attacks, and of course the worst offender of all, stealing. Never in any other game in the series have I found myself keeping bosses alive deliberately so I can keep stealing from them longer, and the chances of success are truly abysmal. On top of that the game is incredibly easy, with the only challenges it does have being based around randomness more than anything. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Shin Megami Tensei approach but it never feels satisfying in this game, except maybe Necron who does manage to keep you permanently on your toes while allowing you enough room to keep yourself alive. Alas, that is the only success story in the entire game I can think of. The Trance system does feel insanely one-sided (as in Trance is random, but when you do have it you're utterly OP) but it's nothing compared to the fact that the gameplay is just overall not fun.

Chocobo Hot & Cold was fun though.

teal rates aren't that bad in IX. The 16 and 8-bit games are worse and they don't even give you item good enough for stealing and whatchu talking about no challenging things. That rat in the book is always a difficult fight. That randomness I think you're referring to is Ozma which, yeah is the only one there. You also have to be careful when you kill the fire guardian or you'll get a game over from her death attack.
S

[Example]

What's so groovy about it? Even ignoring trance or how slow the battle system in general is, gameplay wise it's as run-of-the-mill as you can get for a JRPG. Say what you will about the materia and junction systems but at least both of those systems tried something new and different. Gameplay-wise FF9 does nothing you haven't already seen before in countless JRPGs.

[Fynn]

Idk, the weapon ability/AP system was pretty unique and cool

[Lord Golbez]

Yeah. I don't agree with that. I've seen similar systems to FFIX after FFIX, not really before. I'm not saying they weren't out there, but it definitely wasn't run of the mill when I can't even think of one.

[Fox]

'A slightly different mechanic for learning abilities' does not on its own make IX's gameplay not 'run of the mill.' I think that's a very reasonable description.

Put it this way, if someone says: "What's the most interesting thing about FFIX's game mechanics?" and your response is "Well you had to learn abilities by keeping certain bits of gear equipped for a while," that's a fairly good indicator you're looking at something without a whole lot of ambition.

[WarZidane]

What's so groovy about it? Even ignoring trance or how slow the battle system in general is, gameplay wise it's as run-of-the-mill as you can get for a JRPG. Say what you will about the materia and junction systems but at least both of those systems tried something new and different. Gameplay-wise FF9 does nothing you haven't already seen before in countless JRPGs.

Honestly I'll take "nothing you haven't seen before" over the crap that was Draw/Junction in FF8 any day. A fine example of "just because it's unique doesn't mean it's good".

Anyway, FF9's gameplay was okay-ish. Would've been pretty good if it wasn't for the loading times and speed.

[Fynn]

'A slightly different mechanic for learning abilities' does not on its own make IX's gameplay not 'run of the mill.' I think that's a very reasonable description.

Put it this way, if someone says: "What's the most interesting thing about FFIX's game mechanics?" and your response is "Well you had to learn abilities by keeping certain bits of gear equipped for a while," that's a fairly good indicator you're looking at something without a whole lot of ambition.

Your mileage may vary, I guess. I found it pretty engaging

[maybee]

I don't know where this loathing for the IX battle system came from, but it's pretty weird imo. IX's battle system is pretty normal, it's just that the camera loves to zoom around and show off the graphical background settings and characters before battles fully start. I think if you are impatient, it might be a pain, but I personally didn't mind jamming out to the FFIX's battle theme as the camera zipped around.

[Cell]

I hated the IX battle system at first, but as I've aged and replayed it I've learned to really enjoy it.

[Jessweeee♪]

I liked the ability system, that was pretty neat. I never minded the slowness of the battles before, I actually found it fun to sort of strategize my next move by opening and closing an ability or item menu really quick to force a turn that was already queued up. I think I ruined it by upping the battle speed on the HD release though, now normal speed is really excruciating.

[Wolf Kanno]

I enjoyed IX's battle system, the long animations at the start of battle notwithstanding.

I appreciate the fact that the whole team was distinct from each other in their abilities which made having your team change around feel more refreshing than annoying. Having abilities attached to gear also had some interesting moments as you sometimes had to switch out more useful equipment for one that gave you an ability, and it was nice that the skill was readily available once equipped since it meant you could switch out gear for just a battle if need be and not have to feel required to grind until you got the right skill.

The ability system was also a nice touch that gave the player some good options for customizing a character. Did you equip offensive abilities like Bird Killer to get an advantage in battle, or did you equip defensive skills that protect you from status effects instead? I also appreciate the fact that each character had a few specialty skills that can change how they are used in battle like Vivi's skills to pierce Reflect or double the magic damage of reflected skills, or giving Steiner more traditional Knight skills like Cover. Overall, I liked this system because I was always tinkering with my abilities instead of just equipping once and never changing my setup ever.

I also liked Trance, partly because I enjoy the fact it mostly just boosted a characters natural abilities in a way that stays true to their classes, partly because it meant getting rid of game breaking skills like W~Magic, and partly because it wasn't salvable because like most Limit Break abilities, triggering one was almost a guaranteed victory, so unlike VII and X, I couldn't just wait to have my whole party have their limit breaks available at the start of a fight to kill the bosses in one round. So yeah, as annoying as people feel it is, its a great balancing tool compared to the broken games that don't treat it that way.

I also like the fact that certain classes got expanded move sets to make them more interesting. Zidane might be my favorite incarnation of the Thief class short of FFTactics simply because I liked his special moves like the ability to scan an enemy to see their items or tricky abilities like tricking enemies to turn around and turn a battle into a back attack or inflicting status magic based on the weapon you're using. Having Steiner and Vivi use Magic Sword was clever and really helped their party synergy, and Freya is tied with Kain as one of the most BS incarnations of the Dragoon class.

[Fox]

I also liked Trance, partly because I enjoy the fact it mostly just boosted a characters natural abilities in a way that stays true to their classes, partly because it meant getting rid of game breaking skills like W~Magic, and partly because it wasn't salvable because like most Limit Break abilities, triggering one was almost a guaranteed victory, so unlike VII and X, I couldn't just wait to have my whole party have their limit breaks available at the start of a fight to kill the bosses in one round. So yeah, as annoying as people feel it is, its a great balancing tool compared to the broken games that don't treat it that way.



Just as an aside, the correct way to fix the balance of the limit breaks in VII and X would be to reset the limit bars at the end of each battle. That would stop you 'saving them' for the bosses and would also prevent the frustrating thing that IX does where you always seem to get Trance on a trash mob 3 steps before reaching the boss.