Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Gamecube) Review
So Final Fantasy has finally come back to Nintendo after a long time of waiting. Fans should rejoice but not all is what it is seemed. For example this final fantasy does not have random battles, turn based combat or the excellent storyline, it just seems like a quite poor hack and slash when you play it for the first time and as you progress through it.
So where did it all go wrong, well it starts really with the act that it has no decent storyline. All it is, is that the world has a problem, it is covered in a killing fog like substance called miasma. Its always been a problem and in order for towns to protect against it and save there people every year they need a decent supply of myrrh. In order to get this myrrh, this is where you come in, you are sent out to get it by travelling the world in the search for myrrh trees which is no easy task . So basically the game makes you kill the enemies, get the myrrh and run back to your village, once you have got to 3 trees and collected all the myrrh from them. It really is that simple.
Now of course thats all fine but nothing else actually happens while you progress through the game looking for the new trees, you just simply get bored and eventually you feel there is no point to the game and give up in your boredom. It was only the fact I did not want to waste my money that I didnt kick the towel in. The only reason for carrying on is not too see what happens next, it is just simply look at the beauty of the game and its locations. It really outstanding at times and without it, there would be no point in the game at all.
Between levels you get to choose where you go on a little map, on this it has all the locations of each of the levels and the towns. The towns are basically all the same, they have a few shops and a few people to talk to and try a few side quests which may help you later on when you go on to the next level. As you progress ,some towns and levels may become unavailable if something like a river dries so it is important for you to experience every level at the first chance you get. Even if some of them are a dull experience it is worth going just for the beauty of them.
So what are the levels like, well, there are lots of enemies dotted around everywhere which you can kill for stuff such as magic, money and treasure . There are a few simple puzzles which either make you collect something from earlier on in the level or kill a strong enemy. When you get to the end of each level there is a myrrh tree which is always guarded by an end of level boss. Every level acts to the same routine to this, the only thing which changes is the scenery, it is a good format and in the early levels it works well, the puzzles keep you cheerful and the hacking and slashing is quite fun but towards the end the game really needed a bit of variety.
Now in order for Square Enix to stop embarrassing themselves with this game, they have cleverly added the GBA link up which is normally pointless but has been mastered it with this game. It is a simple concept and one which should have been mastered years ago, the game plays normally on the television like any other game does but on your GBA, there will be a useful map and a target for you to get such as, to only use to magic or not to use items, which will award you, if you are successful with an artefact which will power up your characters strength or magic and allow you to progress in the game. Now you may feel this could have been done without the link up but this is where it gets clever, if you added the map and the target to the screen it would have cluttered up the atmosphere and scenery which makes the game special. Hopefully in the future developers
will take note and add the link up just as well as this does but with a better game.
So the GBA link up was good hey but what else have Square Enix they done good with this game, well they have made you have the chance for you to choose your main character, this helps for example if you are better at magic attacks, you can pick a magical character to start off with and visa versa with more aggressive players. They have also allowed you to choose what your characters families job is, this allows you to either have cheap items if you choose a merchants family or better made weapons for a black smiths family. There are also the interesting different races , it may be a little fun and there is no real difference between them but as you progress you learn more about them and learn about there history which is a nice touch.
So that is really all there is to it, it is a nice looking game which lacks a decent storyline and feels like a disappointment to the final fantasy series even if it adds a few interesting and good factors which should be taken note of. Well, that is for single player at least. Multiplayer is a completely different story. It turns this quite average hack and slash into quite an exciting and tactical adventure. Want to know more, read on.
Multiplayer adds stuff to the multiplayer game and you always feel it was how the game was designed, myrrh has to be carried in a chalice by one of the players for example, if they drop it, the other players cant progress as they will have to walk out of the myrrhs safety and be hit by miasma, in single player this would have never happened as the myrrh would be carried by a moogle and you would do all the fighting while it just flew by your side, However in multiplayer it is carried, and the other player have to stay at the carriers pace and where he or she wants to go. This may sound silly but it will get you and your mates involve teamwork in the game, it will make sure you take turns carrying it and sharing the fighting. It really works and it is far better than just a flying moogle carrying it for you.
Multiplayer also adds Tactics into it, as there are more players there will be more enemies and players will sometimes be forced to fire magic at the enemy at a distance, while the attacking
player with the sword can lead the enemy to a magical striking distance. All of this must also be in safety in the myrrh carriers range, so he or she cant lay there doing nothing either. It is attacks l like this and the teamwork put in which makes the game special in multiplayer. Without it the game would be as dire as it would be in single player.
So multiplayer is far better than single player but may I warn you it comes at a price. In order to play it with 4 people you will need 2 GameCubes, 4 link cables, 4 GBAs, 2 copies of the games, 2 televisions, 4 controllers and 3 mates to play with. Now you can also play with only 2 or 3 players and that works well as well so if you already have the equipment for 2 people, still play it as it is a cracking experience.
So how can I can conclude a game like this, well if you have a group of mates and have a bit of spare cash between you, get this game and it will last for months, and it may be one of the best gaming experiences you have ever had. But if you are a gamer who is looking for a nice single player adventure game dont get this however much you like final fantasy as you are sure to be disappointed. And saddened about what could have been.
