Hippaul Racing

Learn how to beat Hippaul in Final Fantasy IX's racing mini-game! Get tips on button presses, leveling up Hippaul, and all the Tetra Master card rewards.

Alright, so you've made it to Disc 3 and are back in Alexandria. Keep an eye out for Hippaul and his mom hanging out on one of the streets. Now, quick heads-up: if you decided to watch Ruby's play, you'll miss your chance to do this side quest, so make sure you haven't done that yet! Hippaul's mom is a bit worried about his love for Tetra Master and wants him to get some exercise, so she'll ask you to race him. This is your window to jump in!

When the race starts, you'll need to mash the Square and Circle buttons (or X/B and Y/A on other consoles) to get Vivi moving. Don't stress about pressing them too early; you can actually get into a good rhythm even while Hippaul's mom is counting down. Just focus on hitting those buttons as fast as you can!

Hippaul starts at level one, and how well you do in the race affects how much he levels up. If it's a close race, he'll gain one level, but if you really dominate and win by a lot, he'll jump up five levels! For every ten levels he gains, you'll snag a sweet Tetra Master card as a prize. As Hippaul gets higher in level, he'll get faster, making it a bit trickier to win by a huge margin. By the time he hits around level 40, it gets pretty tough to keep that five-level bonus going. But stick with it! Once you get Hippaul all the way up to level 80, you'll finally get the **Athlete Queen** key item, which also unlocks the related trophy or achievement. There aren't any more rewards after that, so you've officially completed the Hippaul Racing challenge!