Final Fantasy 9director, Hiroyuki Ito, has stated that one of the game’s biggest mechanics was inspired by one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, despiteFF9being a bit heavier on fantasy than sci-fi. There’s been a lot of renewed interest inFF9, its development, its history, and its potential future as the rumor mill churns for a purported remake of the beloved title, despite itnot appearing for the game’s 25th anniversary.
Speaking toFamitsu(text in Japanese), Ito was asked how the game’s Trance limit break mechanic came to be, andIto references2001: A Space Odysseyas the inspiration, saying:“In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the monolith – the black slab – appears, the apes acquire the ability to use tools”(viaGamesRadar+).Ito continued, saying:“I felt that this was not a depiction of the apes being given a new ability, but rather a depiction of an ability they had always possessed being awakened.”
Bringing that idea toFF9, the Trance system can be seen as an “evolution” of the abilities characters already possessed.“The [Trance] system was something that was meant to be born,“stated Ito.
FF9’s Director Likens Trance To 2001: A Space Odyssey Scene
Thematically Fitting, But Frustratingly Implemented
The black monolith sequence is one of the mostimportant moments in2001: A Space Odysseyand one that has been an inspiration for several stories since. With the suggestion that the apes evolved into humans and used violence against their kind to reign supreme,that theme is echoed inFF9’s battle mechanics as well as its story. The Trance meter fills as party members take damage, eventually auto-transforming into their “evolved forms,” and most of the characters acquire new abilities, like Vivi being able to double-cast black magic spells.
InFF9’s story, Kuja, the game’s main antagonist, seeks to rule the worlds of Terra and Gaia by using the power of the eidolons,willingly destroying his home world of Terraafter realizing his existence is temporary. Kuja also has a Trance form that is fought as the penultimate boss of the game. This ends with him casting Ultima and attempting to take the party with him, another form of violence against one’s kind, like2001: A Space Odyssey.
Our Take: The Trace System And Its Inspiration Were Neat Ideas
But The System Itself Was Flawed
The idea of the Trance system and the inspiration behind it are definitely neat, butthe system itself was quite flawed. Players had no control over the activation of the mode, so it was often set off by a random attack in a random battle, which made its usefulness inconsistent. Some party members' Trances were better than others, too, like Zidane getting access to an entire new set of skills, but Steiner only getting a power increase.
If theFF9remake exists, it should probably feature an update to how the Trance system works. A simple button press to activate it once the meter is full, instead of it being automatic, would probably be enough to satisfy most players. I’mnot convinced theFF9remake has been canceledyet, and if it does exist, the Trance system might be one of the biggest changes. Still, the inspiration behind the iconicFinal Fantasy 9mechanic is cool, and hopefully, fans will get to experience a fresh take on it if the rumored remake ever sees the light of day.
