Vivi (Final Fantasy) - Reception and Promotion

Reception and Promotion

Since appearing in Final Fantasy IX, Vivi has received largely positive reception, being featured as a figurine multiple times. During the 2006 Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival, Edge editor Margaret Robertson used Vivi as an example of an emotionally engaging character in the Final Fantasy series, stating that gamers knew that something tragic would happen with Vivi in the end. He ranked second on IGN's top 25 best Final Fantasy characters list, saying he has the best of both the old and the new, praising him for having the depth and conflict found in recent Final Fantasy titles, but also having the simple charm and adventurous spirit of the original titles. They described him as endearing, due in part to Yoshitaka Amano's Black Mage design, as well as sympathetic due to his search for his purpose in the world. IGN editor David Smith called Vivi a welcome change from previous Black Mage characters, who before Vivi, were usually generic. He added that he enjoyed finding a "charming personality underneath that floppy hat", and while his evolution is a little predictable, he enjoys rooting for the underdogs. GameSpot editor Andrew Vestal stated that almost every character in Final Fantasy IX had an amusing personality trait, and that Vivi's trait is being clumsy and angsty. Game Critics editor Erin Bell described the cast of Final Fantasy IX as being largely uneven, though praising Vivi as feeling real to players due to his large portions of the game's plot devoted to him. Gaming Age editor Jim Cordeira stated that he loved Vivi, and wanted to uncover as much as he could about his life and story.