This is the second longest chapter in the game, so if you’re just starting Chapter 9, get ready for a ton of content to get through. For example:
- The desert is massive, and you’ve got all of the usual tasks to do whenever a new land mass opens up. New side quests in the region are also available (go rescue Cloud Junior!).
- Don’t forget to steal the Pristine Tonberry Crown for Johnny! You get the Pristine Crown by staggering the Tonberry King, then using Steal/Mug on the crown once it’s on the ground.
- Gold Saucer is now totally open, so all of the minigames have a ton of new things to do, like new Chocobo races and Queens Blood challenges.
- On top of completing the Corel region, the Gogaga region is also a part of this chapter.
- The Gongaga region, while not as large, is a titanic pain to navigate, with differing heights requiring launching off of the correct areas with your chocobo to reach.
- So now that you’re in Gogaga, you’ve also got a new land mass open, so you’ve got all of the tasks that come with that now as well.
Aside from the difficulties I ran into navigating Gongaga (your mileage may vary), I actually really liked this zone. You get a solid Cloud freak-out scene, and Tifa gets eaten by a Weapon. Gongaga village is incredible, and getting an expanded scene of Zach’s parents was a welcome addition. Cissnei is a great (albeit mysterious) character.
I can’t finish this post without writing about the chicken quest. What a twist!
And finally – Cid! It’s a very different Cid, but it’s him. This one, like Dyne, was an interesting choice. It makes me worried that we might not get a Rocket Town at all.
Unfortunately, the audio in this chapter continues with the echo. This was due to an issue with OBS that I mentioned in Chapter 8, and I resolve it at 01:24:55 in this chapter.
Regardless, here’s the full playthrough of Chapter 9, The Planet Stirs:
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