Final Fantasy IX, the third installment of Square's famous RPG series on PlayStation, follows the story of a reckless thief, a mysterious mage, a lonely princess, and a dedicated knight.
All are united in their desire to save the kingdom of Alexandria from a queen who has gone mad. Eight characters are playable in total, with heroes leaving and joining your group at certain points in the story as they complete specific tasks.
Each time the characters leave the party, you will be informed of their progress with the "active time event" system. An icon at the bottom of the screen flashes when something important happens outside your party.
Selecting an event pauses the current action and displays dialogue sequences or cinematic scenes. Although these story segments are optional, viewing them can reveal new character developments.
Final Fantasy IX retains many features from the previous two PlayStation games in the series, including pre-rendered backgrounds, polygonal characters, random battle sequences, and summon attacks.
However, instead of leading three people into battle, you can fight with up to four. An "active time battle" gauge indicates when a character can attack, while the "trance" gauge builds up when characters take damage.
Once this meter is filled, powerful special moves become available.
