These Final Fantasy 9 fans spent three years making a gorgeous JRPG remake you’ll never play

gamesradar.com:

After three years of work, a group of dedicated Final Fantasy 9 fans have released a hands-off remake to showcase just how good the JRPG could be with a glow-up – and, perhaps, to make a case for a fully playable one. 

Kem Yaralioglu, the creative director of the Memoria Project - as the remake is known - tells us it all started when two others devs - Dan Eder and Colin Valek -recreated FF9's iconic Tavern location. It quickly attracted the attention of many, including Yaralioglu themself, who reached out to see if the pair needed additional help. From there, the trio set about recreating FF9's Alexandria “in a similar manner to that of a regular game development studio”, leading the project to grow in scope to the point that over 40 people were contributing to it. 

“I think many fans, not just ourselves, have always imagined playing a remake of Final Fantasy 9,” Yaralioglu says.  “With iconic games being remade frequently, we all wonder what a remake of Final Fantasy 9 would be if it were remade as a next-gen game. Final Fantasy during the era of 7, 8, 9, and 10 are considered some of the best, and 9 is often overlooked, but most of the team and I consider 9 to be the best title in the series. 

“It’s that love and passion that inspired us to do what we did, working together to build something that has never been done before and to a standard that retains the style, charm and what made the original so special that we believe fans will appreciate.”

While much time and effort has gone into the Memoria Project, the fan-made Final Fantasy 9 remake is not one you’ll ever get to play. Yaralioglu explains that’s been the intention from the start, both to help the team achieve its ambitions and, more importantly, to keep the