Let me take you back to the end of the 90s for just a bit. TVs had yet to go flat in most rural households. DLC wasn’t a thing. Many of our favorite games came on a disc or several. Around this time I fell in love with the PlayStation and its collection of beautifully rendered cutscenes and long-form fantasy epics. I devoured everything that I could about Final Fantasy (which I hadn’t known of until seeing FFVII) and when a friend loaned me Final Fantasy IX I quickly realized just how special this game was. Almost twenty years later I, and many of my peers, am still praising and diving deeper in this game and luckily Square Enix are keen about keeping their classics alive with upgrades and re-releases. Launching during the latest Nintendo Direct, Final Fantasy IX is out now on Switch, Xbox One, and Windows PC with many other games in the franchise coming soon.
This version of Final Fantasy IX boasts enhanced visuals, auto-saves and more. It’s likely similar to the release on PS4 with the option to turn off random encounters or increase the game’s overall speed. I’ve yet to pick up this re-release specifically because I hoped it would land on Switch. Now I never have to stop my adventure thanks to the Switch’s portability. That said, I may have to pick up a new battery pack to keep the fight against Kuja going.
Aside from Final Fantasy IX, we also learned that Final Fantasy VII is coming to Switch and Xbox One on March 26th. The game defined a generation and while I find that it hasn’t aged as well as IX, the systems at play are still incredible and I’ve always wanted to see a modern take on Materia. Other games coming to Switch include Final Fantasy X and X-2, Final Fantasy XII, and Crystal Chronicles. While the classics are on the way, there is already a solid game on the Switch, World of Final Fantasy Maxima, which is an adorable adventure with a monster capture mechanic at its core.
Also coming in March is Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy! that will launch on Switch and PS4 on March 20th. This is a reimagining of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon that was on the Wii and Nintendo 3DS with new dungeons, a buddy system that allows for adding monsters and other characters to the party, and a local co-op mode. These dungeon crawler games match the addictiveness of the genre with the cute design of Final Fantasy‘s more relaxed themes.
Those looking to pre-order do get special items; those from ordering through the eShop will get the Alpha buddy Chocobo and the Machinist DLC as an assist to players at launch. While players that order through the PlayStation Store get the same Alpha buddy character plus a Beastmaster DLC, a PS4 theme, and a PS4 avatar bundle. 
More information about these new releases and more should check out the official Final Fantasy website.
With lots of fan service and convenience going out and it being over 30 years of the franchise, 2019 could be a phenomenal year for fans. Keep locked into Marooners’ Rock for more Final Fantasy news or check out our reviews of games in the franchise.
