Naoki Yoshida has addressed the extensive Final Fantasy IX references in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail and how they evolved during development. Speaking to Game Watch, the producer and director revealed that he initially hesitated to incorporate too many homages but later embraced them as Patch 7.3 nears release.
“Regarding FFIX elements, I was rather torn. (…) At first, I thought it might be best to distance ourselves a little from homages to FFIX and was going to go with that approach.”
Dawntrail contains numerous Final Fantasy IX references, including locations named Alexandria and Cleyra, a darker version of Garnet in the character Sphene, and Otis, who mirrors Steiner’s serious demeanor. A Trial boss resembling Beatrix and a swordfight scene inspired by Final Fantasy IX’s opening minigame are also present. The theme of preserving souls, which aligns with Final Fantasy IX’s later story developments, further reinforces these connections.
Yoshida explained that his concern stemmed from the significance of Final Fantasy IX as a beloved title.
“FFIX is a masterpiece, and everyone has a strong emotional attachment to it, so I wanted to avoid consciously pulling the story too much in that direction. However, I now think that the current flow of the story is appropriate in light of future developments.”
The homages became more prominent as finer story details were finalized. For example, Alexandria Castle was initially a minor element but later gained greater narrative importance.
“When we first decided on the main storyline, Alexandria Castle was not so important, but once we decided to incorporate more FFIX elements, we made sure to create them with proper meaning and intent.”
Despite ongoing rumors of a Final Fantasy IX remake, Yoshida reiterated that these references are not indicative of such a project.
“Final Fantasy XIV is more like a theme park in which to show aspects of other games in the long-running RPG series.”
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