It feels like the want (really need) to reexperience Final Fantasy IX in the form remake has become louder lately, that a remake fan project of the 2000 PS1 classic called Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project has released a video of a 25-minute playthrough demo on YouTube.
Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project has been in development for three years in Unreal Engine 5 by a team of fans of 50 professional developers and artists working in the games industry. The project’s goal is not to release a playable product but is more of a fan-driven passion project to show off a proof of concept build of what a classic game remade could look/play like with modern graphical capabilities. Check out the full 25-minute gameplay demo below; it will make you (like it did with me) want a Final Fantasy IX remake even more.
Speaking of which, there has been a lot of talks lately of a Final Fantasy IX because currently, it’s rumoured that a remake is in active development, with GiantBomb’s Jeff Grubb stating on “Game Mess Mornings” from this Monday that he’s heard the remake “is real and happening.” The news follows an NVIDIA leak from September 2021, which listed a huge amount of unannounced games; Grubb adds that on Square Enix’s side, all those games from the publisher ended up being confirmed or are out except for two in question that being Final Fantasy IX remake and a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster; the latter of which I also want to be real alongside the remake.
Square Enix hasn’t commented on the remake rumour, whether to not add speculation to the rumour mill or their bidding it’s time to announce the remake. With Final Fantasy XVI coming out this month and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth slated for this year, it’s understandable why the publisher hasn’t said anything while waiting for the Final Fantasy real estate to free up and show off more upcoming franchiser titles; if this is all real in the end anyway.
Final Fantasy IX is also rumoured to be getting an animated series too.
