Final Fantasy IX Director Hiroyuki Ito Talks About the Theme of “Returning to Roots”

In part 3 of the Final Fantasy IX 20th anniversary interview series, we hear from director Hiroyuki Ito about “returning to roots” with Final Fantasy IX.

Check out the bit from the interview with Final Fantasy IX director Hiroyuki Ito about the theme of “returning to roots”:

Final Fantasy IX 20th Anniversary Special Interview Vol. 3 – Hiroyuki Ito

Hiroyuki Ito, Director: “I often get hounded by questions like, ‘What’s the concept for this game!?’ and I honestly want to respond to those with, ‘Who said there has to be a concept?’ But alas, in the adult world there are some things you can’t avoid.
So yes, the hard-to-define phrase ‘returning to roots’ was in place beforehand. What I mean by hard to define is, exactly what ‘roots’ we’d be ‘returning’ to wasn’t really clear.”

Hiroyuki Ito: “Obviously the roots of this series are Final Fantasy I. So, then, do we make another game like FFI? Or do we try and recall the feelings from when FFI was originally under development, essentially going back to our roots as game creators? Or do we appeal to the nostalgia crowd, making a title that feels like the games we love from the past? It’s not any specific one of those things, and on top of that every developer has their own feelings about their work.
However, it does feel like over time, without anyone’s specific intention, those words ended up permeating the mindset we had during game creation, the concepts in the game, and the character of the product itself.”

Hiroyuki Ito: “Also, the highly deductive matters of what it really means to be human, what role circumstances play, consideration for others, kindness, hatred – I think that all of those concepts were reflected in the game.
In other words, I think that perhaps getting back to the true nature of things is what “returning to roots” could mean in this case. That just might be the overarching theme of Final Fantasy IX.
Now, what was the question again?”

You can read the full interview at the official website.

Check here for part 1 of the Final Fantasy IX 20th anniversary interview series with event designer Kazuhiko Aoki. You can also check here for part 2 featuring character designer and artist Toshiyuki Itahana.

Final Fantasy IX originally released for the PlayStation in Japan on July 7, 2000.