Trauma and the Three-Act Structure: Garnet's Arc in Final Fantasy IX

How narrative theory can be used to improve game design

Final Fantasy IX is a JRPG released in July of 2000 by Squaresoft. It marks a return to the first Final Fantasy games' medieval style, which had been changed to a more futurist setting in Final Fantasy VII and VIII and then became dominant from Final Fantasy X onwards.

Final Fantasy IX plot is centered on the consequences of a war between nations. Besides the theme of warfare and its outcomes to society, the game deals with other issues such as trauma, the search for meaning in life, and the struggles to accept mortality.

The game's main cast is composed of 8 (arguably) memorable characters. While Zidane is the protagonist and main hero of the story, most of the plot is driven around the deuteragonist, princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII.

Garnet is a strong character and arguably the best female character in the Final Fantasy franchise. Her arc is central to the game's course and incredibly unique in its interlaced game design and mechanics.

To better understand how Final Fantasy IX achieves this narrative feat, the following sections introduce writing theory concepts such as the definitions of characters' arc, acts, and the Three-Act…