That precedent carried forward into countless RPGs, including the next Final Fantasy, which is why it was so shocking when the gritty techno stories of Final Fantasy 7 and 8 yielded to the classical stylings of Final Fantasy 9. A fusion of Final Fantasy past and present that weaved complex storytelling with the franchise’s core tenets, Square created the purest version of what it means to be a Final Fantasy game. But there’s a kind of nostalgia that radiates from a good Final Fantasy game, a warmth you can feel in your chest. The final piece of the puzzle is Final Fantasy 9’s progression systems, which also hearken to the series' roots. Final Fantasy 9 integrated the franchise’s roots with the innovations of 7 and 8, creating what feels like the definitive entry.