Is it because the final Hades design turned out poor so they went with something more sci-fi? How late was this decided?

This is the best Hades image I can find, and it still looks poor. I think after they made the asset they didn't want to abandon it entirely for some reason.

I tried hard to like FFIX but I was bored through the whole. Only Vivi's existentialism was somewhat enthralling

>>11875921
I gets kind of shit in disc 3 when they begin to focus more on dungeons instead of story and it becomes generic rpg slop

>>11875873 (OP)
Would the story have been any different?

>>11875873 (OP)
The idea, one way or another, seems to always have been to fight a personification of Death in some form. I can't find the pic, but there's an early sketch of what was named either Death or Hades (can't recall which) that would've been the final boss, and it looks more akin to a grim reaper. Then later they came up with the Hades design that more or less made it into the final game, and funnily enough it seems to gel more with the battlefield that you fight Necron in, what with all the single eyes everywhere, and Hades has single eyes on his throne and sword, and his skull as well for that matter. As for Necron, like Hades, his name also comes from Greek and means "dead" or "the dead" (Thanatos would've also worked for this motif, as that is the proper Greek word for "death" and was himself the Greek god of death), so he's a personification of Death, even if he looks more akin to an alien. I guess they decided instead of leaning into typical moribund/zombie/skull motifs for a personification of death, a grand cosmic godlike entity was more befitting of a final boss.

how would you've personally fixed the final boss situation in ff9

>>11877803
Once you understand that Necron is essentially Death personified, it makes sense that he'd be the final boss. Death and the fear of it is, after all, one of the two main overarching themes of the games, with the other being memories as a way to "live on" after death and as a way for those still living to cope with losing their loved ones and also surpass their own fear of death. I guess the game just needed to make it more clear that that is indeed what you're fighting, not some random Ancient Evil Awakened.

Noooooo you don't understand! Necron is the Iifa Tree and I will keep saying that despite proof of the contrary because people are able to make stories something of their own!

>>11875921
I agree, overall just dull and unoriginal. Artstyle is also pretty off-putting. Vivi was great though

>>11877837
What are you talking about. Artstyle is very charming and expressive. You probably prefers 8s "realistic" generic style which looks like any other 100 games. You have poor taste.

>>11877837
Agree. The hideous ultra detailed chibis is the the worst combination. I remember when the game was new and they called the cast "ugly gefflings"

>>11877803
Make Garland wise fwom his gwave but more powered-up and have him fight the team

>>11877837
>>11878496
>>11878654
i always saw it as the culmination of the 2D sprites from the early series being manifest in 3D. i liked it.