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Thirteen years after its release, a new sidequest is discovered in Final Fantasy IX

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Kade posted about this in The Lost Art of Final Fantasy IX thread so full credit to him - I thought it deserved a thread of its own.

Youtube user GarlandTheGreat uploaded a video of a ridiculous sidequest buried in the final disc of Final Fantasy IX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vYMDCuS_lA

The accompanying description explains the following:

Published on May 26, 2013

This is a side quest on disc 4 that was unknown to most FFIX players until yesterday when a topic popped up on the FFIX message board at GameFAQs. It was discovered by The_Kusabi_ (through the Ultimania guide) and confirmed by MysterPixel. Naturally, I had to check it out and I decided to record a video.

If you go to the Tantalus hideout at the beginning of disc 4, you will find Zenero and Benero wondering where Marcus and Cinna are. You've likely seen this before, but this is actually the beginning of a side quest. Now, head to Memoria and proceed until you watch a cut-scene or fight a boss. Then head back to the hideout to find Genero wondering where Benero and Zenero are. Then repear this process seven more times and every time you go back to the hideout, you will find a new member of the family. The last five are girls and the final one seems to be a child, as she is really small. Once you talk to her, Zidane will comment on the huge family and you will now find a new chest containing a Protect Ring inside the hideout. The next time you come back, the quest will simply start over, but there's not enough events to complete it twice. These are the events that move the quest forwards:

1. The beginning of Disc 4.
2. The battle with Nova Dragon.
3. The battle with Maliris.
4. The flashback of Alexander.
5. The scene where Zidane talks to himself.
6. The flashback of Dagger on the boat.
7. The scene with the giant eye in the sky.
8. The battle with Tiamat.
9. The scene with the two planets colliding.
10. The scene where Quina thinks he/she is drowning.
11. The scene where Garland talks about memories.
12. The battle with Kraken.
13. The scene about Gaia's birth.
14. The battle with Lich.
15. The scene where Garland talks about the beginning and the Crystal.
16. The scene where the party enters the Crystal World.
17. The battle with Deathguise.

It's no surprise people have missed out on this, considering how obscure it is. It also makes an Excalibur II Perfect Game more complicated. New things are discovered in old games all the time, but it's usually glitches or obscure tricks. This time, we got a whole new side quest, a treasure chest and seven characters! Needless to say, my mind is blown.

I know its possible that this has been discovered before, but in all the places I've scanned on the net - no one was aware of this quest. GameFAQs (and the FAQs themselves), YouTube Comments, forums, etc. If this had already been discovered, then word of it does not appear to have reached the internet for the last thirteen years.

That's incredible. Given that another PSX game - Blood Omen - had a Pirate Ship in it that was not discovered for fourteen years - one wonders how many more secrets remain undiscovered.
 

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
This is terrible. It's a case of Guide Dang It taken to the next level.

One of the worst aspects of most JRPGs, even to this day, is this sort of hidden content. It doesn't require careful thought to find, or interesting gameplay, or even persistence. It requires a FAQ--or even worse, like in this case, a FAQ plus playing the game years later when secrets are discovered. There's absolutely nothing clever or challenging about this sort of design--it's the designers being obscure for obscurity's sake.
 

batbeg

Member
This is terrible. It's a case of Guide Dang It taken to the next level.

One of the worst aspects of most JRPGs, even to this day, is this sort of hidden content. It doesn't require careful thought to find, or interesting gameplay, or even persistence. It requires a FAQ--or even worse, like in this case, a FAQ plus playing the game years later when secrets are discovered. There's absolutely nothing clever or challenging about this sort of design--it's the designers being obscure for obscurity's sake.

Are you joking? I hope you're joking.
 
I actually did this sidequest on my first ever playthrough of the game back in 2004 or so.
Didn't know this sidequest wasn't known to many.

EDIT: Wait, no, that was a different sidequest I remember.
 

Baleoce

Member
This is terrible. It's a case of Guide Dang It taken to the next level.

One of the worst aspects of most JRPGs, even to this day, is this sort of hidden content. It doesn't require careful thought to find, or interesting gameplay, or even persistence. It requires a FAQ--or even worse, like in this case, a FAQ plus playing the game years later when secrets are discovered. There's absolutely nothing clever or challenging about this sort of design--it's the designers being obscure for obscurity's sake.

Just as well the rest of the entire game makes up for that then. People put easter eggs into their games, nothing wrong with that. Kudos to them for keeping a secret like that for this long (regardless of how small it is) in this internet age. It's not meant to be clever or challenging, it's just.. "something" :)
 
This and FFVIII are two FF games I've owned from the PS1 era and never made it too far past disc one.

I know what my next Vita games are.
 

kamakazi5

Member
This is actually pretty cool but now I'm upset because it is one of the only games that I ever 100% finished and now it isn't true anymore. I am trying to play through all of them now so once I get back to IX I will definitely go for this.
 

Jintor

Member
Just as well the rest of the entire game makes up for that then. People put easter eggs into their games, nothing wrong with that. Kudos to them for keeping a secret like that for this long (regardless of how small it is) in this internet age. It's not meant to be clever or challenging, it's just.. "something" :)

Eh... I think even easter eggs should be discoverable by people doing things players would actually do
 
Whoa one more point to why it it my favorite Final Fantasy! :D Though I'm sure I actually did a small part of this quest way back in 2000 though I might be mistaken though :p

It's like that secret thing in Zelda SNES that was only discovered recently after two decades.

Oh what? :eek: Is there a link or thread about that?
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
I don't think this particular quest is bad design.

Zodiac Spear is not great because it all but looks like a glitch and the sequence is required to get a very valuable item in the game.

This quest is just for a protect ring and seems like more of an easter egg than anything else. Something subtle you'd notice if you ever went back to the house. Unlike the spear, you can't screw it all up by doing a random thing accidentally at the beginning of the game.
 

zruben

Banned
You guys left me no option, I'll have to replay it. Best JRPG ever.

I wanto to replay it too, but my PSOne is busted.

Anyone knows if there's a way I can play it on the wii straight from the original discs? I heard it has a PSX emulator or something.
 

Baleoce

Member
Eh... I think even easter eggs should be discoverable by people doing things players would actually do

The game is packed with content like you described. This example is obviously so minor that it has no real bearing on the game experience at all. It's just something that they threw in, that managed to remain secret. As a developer it's enough to see everyone pass it by, and give you a sly grin as you're one of the only people that knows it even exists, probably even in your company. Personal satisfaction for someone who was part of making a great game. I can't see a problem with that.
 
I wanto to replay it too, but my PSOne is busted.

Anyone knows if there's a way I can play it on the wii straight from the original discs? I heard it has a PSX emulator or something.

Hmm the last thing I heard of the Wii PSX Emulator in regards to FF IX was that is crashes right after booting :( But ePSXe or pSX should work on any existing computer or laptop in the world right now and they both can read PSX discs :)
 

Jubern

Member
I always go back and find news things playing these games. Some time ago I picked up FFVIII on the Japanese PSN since there was a sale and grabbed the Ultimania guide at a bookstore (105 yen, how am I supposed to resist). There were a few things I didn't knew about, the whole quest about Zell's girlfriend being the most mind-blowing to me.
 
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