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Final Fantasy IX is coming to PC and mobile

Final Fantasy IX is coming to PC and mobile

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Final Fantasy IX, one of the most memorable role-playing classics of the early 2000s, is coming to PC and mobile devices in 2016, developer Square Enix announced today in Japan. It's unclear when exactly the game will be out next year, or how long North America and Europe fans will have to wait following an initial Japan release. Square does specify that the game is coming to both iOS and Android platforms, which should please fans who are still waiting for an Android release of Final Fantasy VII.

As was the case with the FFVII ports, Square is promising to update FFIX with modern game features like auto-save and a high-speed mode, as well as graphical improvements. The game's trailer doesn't show much beyond cutscenes, although the battle system does seem to have undergone some visual tweaks. It is strange Square would skip Final Fantasy VIII and jump straight to the series' ninth installment. However, FFVIII was released on Steam more than two years ago, so it's not unlikely the game will also make its way to mobile some time in the near future.

Final Fantasy IX is coming to both iOS and Android

Though it often gets overshadowed by the iconic and influential FFVII, FFIX was notable for building on the Final Fantasy formula with a cast of astonishingly complex and likable characters. After all, who didn't see a bit of themselves in the melancholic black mage Vivi, or find something Shakespearean about the relationship between tailed thief Zidane and Princess Garnet? The game was also refreshing for its steampunk-infused medieval world, which brought more of the fantasy back to Final Fantasy than the previous two entires in the series.