After a three-year break, the Moguri Mod, a popular graphical upgrade for Final Fantasy IX, has received a major update. Originally released to fix visual issues in Square Enix's PC port of the game, the mod used AI to upscale the game's iconic hand-painted backgrounds. Despite the challenge of stitching multiple images together, the Moguri Mod successfully preserved the artwork's integrity while adapting it for modern displays.
The latest version, 9.0, brings numerous improvements and new features. Key enhancements include a complete overhaul of all battle backgrounds, improved lighting, and redrawn layer edges. The update also upscales animated textures for monsters and NPCs, while reworking the game's FMV scenes. Several longstanding visual bugs have been fixed as well.
Additionally, this update introduces experimental features like new "Toon" and "Realism" shaders for character and enemy models, giving players more visual options. The Moguri Mod is integrated with the Memoria launcher, which has also seen many updates over the past three years. Memoria now supports high frame rates, ultrawide displays, custom fonts, and various other features to enhance the Final Fantasy IX experience.
Players can now enjoy Final Fantasy IX in ultrawide format, though some black bars may appear on the sides where additional artwork wasn't available. The update also includes expanded controller support, new modding possibilities, and various bug fixes, including a resolution for a crash that occurred at the end of the game. Notably, players now have the option to replace the original card game, Tetra Master, with the more popular Triple Triad from Final Fantasy VIII.
With these major improvements, the Moguri Mod remains an essential tool for Final Fantasy IX fans, offering a modernized experience while preserving the game's nostalgic charm.
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