Final Fantasy IX update

[04.23.00] » Sidekicks and armor and special attacks, oh my!

   The most recent issue of Japan's Weekly Famitsu magazine has revealed more on Final Fantasy IX's still-untitled item system. As previously reported, characters gain abilities by equipping the weapons and armor. However, the abilities gained will vary depending on which character equips the given item -- for example, a particular accessory may bestow a standard "MP+20%" bonus on VIVI, while it may give the "Counter" abilitiy to Steiner. Rare items, of course, will give more powerful abilities; a hard-to-get sword may boost your strength by as much as 100%. And in a move sure to delight the hardcore contingent, characters now have four equipment slots: Weapon, Shield, Armor, and Accessory.

   In addition, a closer look at the recent Yoshitaka Amano character designs reveals that each character has some sort of familiar floating nearby. These creatures usually fit the character's personality or appearance: Zidane has a cat-like creature, VIVI a miniature mage, Steiner a bat, Garnet a rainbow-tailed bird, Quina a miniature version of himself (peering over his head), Freija a flying sprite, Salamander a salamander (surprise!), and Eiko some sort of cute critter (a Moogle, perhaps?). (Larger versions of some of the "sidekicks" can be see in the previous Amano collage, though not all of the creatures are present).

   These "familiars" aren't necessarily relevant to the game -- after all, Amano is known for his imaginative portrayals of characters. However, the fact that one accompanies every party member could well mean that their appearance is more than a mere flight of fancy and is instead an integral part of FF IX's story or game systems.