26 Years Later, This PS1 RPG Is A 10/10 Experience That Needs A Remake

Aug 09, 2026 - 19:20

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26 Years Later, This PS1 RPG Is A 10/10 Experience That Needs A Remake

The PS1 and controller against a blue PlayStation background.

Published Aug 9, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

The PlayStation 1 played host to a vast number of exceptional RPGs that were not only groundbreaking at the time, but remain some of the greatest in the genre. Indeed, many of the most beloved RPGs we continue to enjoy so much today originated on the PlayStation well over two decades ago, and many of the iconic modern titles in the genre only exist as a consequence of the innovations these legendary role-playing games delivered.

One of the PS1's best RPGs of all time has enjoyed nearly three decades of devotion and admiration from fans, many of whom are only just discovering it for the first time now. It is a part of one of the biggest RPG franchises of all time, a highlight of its mainline series for many, and widely considered one of the greatest in its genre. However, somehow, this legendary RPG has managed to evade the remake treatment, despite the fact that it absolutely deserves it.

After 26 Years, This Square Enix RPG Is Still Amazing

Square Enix (known at the time as just Square), was one of the most prolific RPG developers for the PlayStation 1, delivering numerous titles that have since become influential classics adored by fans globally. Everything from Final Fantasy 7 to Chrono Cross proved to be a smash hit and would go on to dictate the direction of 3D third-person RPGs of their ilk for decades after. That success and enduring legacy wasn't born out of nowhere, however, as these games were truly revolutionary, developed by some of the finest creatives in the genre, and feel meaningfully innovative and impactful.

Unlike a lot of PS1 games that have aged poorly, Square's plethora of phenomenal RPGs remain highlights that are absolutely more than playable today and, as aforementioned, very much enjoyed by fans, both old and new. One such game is the legendary Final Fantasy 9, a title that pushed its series forward to new heights, a feat that seemed impossible after the meteoric success of Final Fantasy VII and its less-popular yet nevertheless excellent successor, FFVIII.

FF9 was proof that Square didn't need to rely on the sci-fi tropes of its predecessors, but that the original fantasy setting could still cater to emotionally mature narratives full of existential discussions, expertly written characters, and a heartfelt story that pulls on the heartstrings of even the most hardened of players. Since its release, Square Enix has delivered many great games in the series, X being perhaps the most notable example, but, in many ways, 9 feels like one of the last great Final Fantasy games. It is no surprise then that fans want to see it remade.

Where Is Our Final Fantasy 9 Remake?

Much like X and the later entries, FF9 isn't crying out for a full-blown remake. Sure, its visuals can, at times, look a little dated, and the gameplay could always do with a slight modernizing to bring it up to today's standards. However, for the most part, Final Fantasy 9 stands out as a triumphant achievement that, with the help of a few HD remasters, has aged gracefully and continues to be just as impactful all of these years later as it was when it represented the peak of Square's talents.

Nevertheless, fans want a remake, if only to bring it even further into the modern era and get the same glossy retelling that Final Fantasy VII fans enjoy so much (myself included). However, a remake is unlikely to happen, perhaps ever. In a recent interview between FFXIV boss, Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, and FFVII Remake's series creator, Naoki Hamaguchi, Yoshida lamented about how big of an undertaking it would be to remake 9, explaining that it could take four or five installments, rather than FFVII's three.

"Final Fantasy 6 is an incredibly huge game, and the same goes for other titles like Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 9. Since Final Fantasy 7 Remake, I understand why people ask for these remakes. But if we did remake these other games, we would probably have to release them in four or even five installments.”

If that is true, which it seems potentially likely, it really isn't an investment that Square Enix would ever take seriously, as it would cost a fortune in development costs to release a series of games that would only really please a section of the fanbase and would ultimately alienate those desperate to see remakes of FFVI or FFVIII. As much as many may like to see Final Fantasy 9 reborn, it's unlikely to ever happen, and, that, frankly, isn't a bad thing.

The original Final Fantasy 9 remains a phenomenal experience, one unburdened by a lot of the pratfalls many PS1 games fall into. I am frequently shocked by the mere reminder that it released on the PlayStation 1 back in 2000, considering just how modern it can feel, both in its mature narrative and cutscene direction. There is so much to love about FFXI today just as there was when it originally launched on the PS1, and that should be the focus of our attention, not the vague possibility of a remake that is both unneeded and potentially detrimental.