Final Fantasy 9 director goes full ape, says the JRPG's iconic Trance mechanic channels a Space Odyssey scene where apes use tools not as a new skill, "but rather a depiction of an ability they had always possessed being awakened"

Final Fantasy 9's 25th anniversary may not have come with the remake news that fans of the JRPG were hoping for, but we have been getting a steady stream of random lore that I'm happy to eat up, for now. The latest? Some apes from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey seemingly inspired the somewhat mysterious Trance system.

The story explanation for Final Fantasy 9's limit break mechanic is a surge of emotion that temporarily boosts a character's powers. How it works from a gameplay perspective is that taking damage will fill the Trance gauge up randomly until complete – at that point, you'll get some nifty stat boosts and access to some special moves. It's a tad random, as you can't activate Trance whenever you'd like after filling the gauge; it just happens when it happens.

Speaking to Famitsu, director Hiroyuki Ito is asked how the JRPG's limit break mechanic came to be. The answer? Absolute cinema.

"In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the monolith – the black slab – appears, the apes acquire the ability to use tools," Ito says (thanks, Automaton). "Although it depends on interpretation, I felt that this was not a depiction of the apes being given a new ability, but rather a depiction of an ability they had always possessed being awakened. It's as if a program already planted in their genome was activated by some kind of stimulus."

Bringing it back to Final Fantasy 9, Ito says: "In terms of game design, the characters’ Trance may represent a moment of their 'evolution,' guided by the time, place, and their destiny. In this sense, from a development standpoint, you could say that the [Trance] system was something that was meant to be born."

Fascinating. As I mentioned earlier, it's not the only lore tidbit we've got lately. Many of us have long thought Vivi's name came from his tragic background, but a new prequel book has a much sillier explanation – he's six feet and six inches, but only if you're including his big ol' hat. And what's that in Roman Numerals? Vi'vi. Remake this game immediately, Square Enix.

Or don't. 25 years later, Final Fantasy 9's stylized visuals have ensured it has aged brilliantly without a remake.