Hironobu Sakaguchi Opens Up the Vault on Final Fantasy IX (andriasang.com, 11.23.2010)
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Is there any information on the early Final Fantasy IX ideas or is the article only announcing that they were released on his personal blog in Japanese? I would be very curious to see how the game turned out compared to the original ideas.
I mentioned earlier in another topic that I like seeing What Could Have Been because it allows us to see the original vision of the product in the minds of the developers. Sometimes, it can shed light on storyline details that continue to remain obscure in the finished product.
It says it's available there, but I believe only in his Japanese blog, which I can't read.
I managed to pull myself out of my lazy mood and am working on translating the text. Here's what I have so far. Things in italics indicate words I could not figure out how to translate or things that I have translated questionably.
Title Screen
The game’s title and then fade to black.
-Movie 1-
Light emerges as the camera glides over an ocean following a landscape of trees, rivers, and fountains. The sky nears sunset as the camera moves onto the surface of a light fog and behind an airship called the Utsutsu. A large shadow approaches from behind revealing the Theatre ship.
-Darkness-
Loud rings of machinery fill the area. A dark figure walks forward curiously.
The player makes an input for the character’s name. The default name is Zidane.
*Scratch*
The protagonist Zidane lights a match brightening the room with a dim glow. (The match can be moved without the risk of the flame extinguishing, but it will go out in a short period of time. Ignite the match quickly and light the lamp at the center of the room.)
The lamp brightens the room completely revealing an arrangement of strangely shaped vases and boxes crawling on the pipe wall at the end of the room.
This is the cargo bay area of an airship.
“Don!”
Three thieves walk in when the player opens the door. One of them jokingly asks Zidane for an autograph. The player can respond to it.
Thieves: “Zidane, a Hayakatta.”
Zidane: “What happened to the boss?”
At that moment, footsteps sound from the ascending staircase. Zidane and the thieves turn towards the interruption.
“Achoo!” The sneeze sounds boss lol.
Thieves: “Boss!”
A tall rotund man with a thick beard steps down from the staircase. He runs toward the gang of thieves and the battle transitions to the battle screen.
-Boss Battle- Boss
Sometime during the fight; “Oh, you guys are pretty good,” “I like it!” says the Boss. After a certain amount of damage is dealt, Boss leans over weak and says “That’s enough for today.” (Toitaro???)
Inside the airship (continued)
Boss: “Ha ha ha,… Nice shot as usual.” (“I’ll ask today.” Almost loud, Zidane nodded???)
“Everyone, gather around!”
The screen fades and transitions to Zidane and the thieves gathered around a table with a map spread across it. Boss sitting at the head of the table, initiates the meeting revealing a plan to kidnap a princess during a play held on a theatre ship.
The screens transitions to the play. The first act has just ended at a pulling scene and the audience stands up with applause as the lights dim and the curtain closes. The stage director steps forward and informs the audience that there will be a short intermission before the second act begins. At the balcony sits the queen and her daughter Princess Garnet. The knight standing beside Garnet, asks her and the queen if they would like some more tea. The queen answers yes and insists her daughter to have some.
The knight fixes the tea and slips a drug into Garnet’s cup. He hands the cups to them and watches carefully when Garnet takes a sip.
She yawns a couple of minutes later after a few more sips. About a minute later another knight walks in from behind carrying a present. The knight that fixed the tea takes the package and presents it to the queen.
“A gift to you, from the theatre,” he says.
The queen hurries to open the lid and a dozen of oglops jump out. The queen jumps out of her seat panicking. The other guards hurry to her aid. With this distraction no notices that Garnet has fallen asleep and that the knight has run off with her.
Inside the airship (continued)
Boss: “Hmm, perfect.”
Thief: “It’s a brilliant plan.”
Thief 2: “This is very rich--!” (or maybe “This will make us rich!” ???)
(Pose to pose a big jump in one of the robbers.
Vibration, the model falls theater airships.
Camera said there ... ???)
It sounds like everything went along the way that he originally intended. I guess that's more along the lines of a rough draft compared to its final draft rather than a list of early ideas or concepts.
mistwalker
I think this part is particularly interesting.
Quote:
[MOVIE] 4: Close up of Princess Garnet
Close up of her breasts. View of her breasts inside the clothes (a little). Also a view of her pendant of royalty....
■ Hallway
She rushes away from the hallway. Two stare at each other.
Zidane: “Hey, was that..”
Thief: “Her breasts look comfortable..”
The change of Zorn from a tall old mage into the twins is something I support. This is really interesting stuff.