While the world waits and wonders if we’ll actually see a Square Enix-produced Final Fantasy IX Remake (could this be the Summer Game Fest season it’s finally revealed??), a group of fans has taken it upon themselves to imagine just what a remake of the PS1 classic could look like, powered by the Unreal Engine 5.
After nearly three years and contributions from 50 developers and artists, Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project is finally out in the world. Sadly, it’s a non-playable project designed purely to showcase what could be possible, meaning the 25 minute “gameplay demo” video that’s out now is all we’re getting, but it’s an incredible-looking showcase nonetheless.
The section takes viewers through the early, Vivi Ornitier-led sequence of the game, where everyone’s favourite black mage explores the grand city of Alexandria with hopes of catching a performance of “I Want To Be Your Canary.” Vivi’s disappointment at finding out his ticket to the show is fake is even more palpable rendered in stunning detail than before, and the team even included that aggravating skipping rope mini-game, and there are some new touches along the way as well.
The whole thing is visually rich and super impressive, with the folks behind Memoria Project doing a fantastic job of capturing how the game could feasibly be translated to a modern, real-time 3D format. Honestly, if Square Enix does reveal something in the future it’s going to have to this to compare itself to. Take a look below:
Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project is a passion project led by a team of over 50 professional developers and artists in the video game industry that aims to reimagine what the legendary game could look like if it was remade with modern graphical capabilities.
Final Fantasy IX is near and dear to our hearts, and this non-profit love letter was created as a tribute to the masterpiece that is the 2000 original. We’d like to thank everyone who supported us over the years and motivated us to keep pushing through this massively ambitious project despite all the challenges.
We hope you enjoy our reimagining of this classic game!
