Poor FF IX... Always seems to get judged by the cover...

It's a really solid game. It does have a lightheartedness to it, but there's a pretty deep story to be had as well, imo. What I liked about it best was probably Vivi, and how the black mages were incorporated into the plot. An iconic FF class becomes really endearing and sympathetic, and it was nice to see it unfold.

Locations are great, music is fantastic (Nobuo Uematsu's favorite), characters are unique and pretty dynamic, and there's a lot of content to keep you occupied for many hours. Pretty good replayability, because chances are, you're not gonna see everything it has to offer in a first run.

I could go on, but it's probably best you judge for yourself. If something gets hyped up too much, then you might be expecting too much and become disappointed.