On Switch, PS4, iOS and Android
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered is broken. In Australia and New Zealand, online multiplayer, the game’s primary feature — its raison d’être — is simply non-functional.
Square Enix has yet to fix the issue, only acknowledging its existence 6 days after the game launched, but it has nonetheless pulled the game from digital storefronts in the region. This prevents potential new players from purchasing the game, but does nothing for those who have already purchased it. With no time-frame given for a fix, and since as of publishing the game is still faulty, we’ve put together a guide to help you request a refund on each of the platforms on which it launched — Nintendo Switch, PS4, the iOS App Store, and Android’s Google Play store.
Please note: None of these digital storefronts allow refunds simply for a change of mind. This is a rare and unique situation, where a product sold through these stores is actually faulty. Please use this guide responsibly and only in reference to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered.
All of these methods are performed in a web browser, which is best viewed on a PC or tablet.
Nintendo Australia’s customer service team is currently operating in a limited capacity, so phone calls are unfortunately off the table when requesting a refund for Crystal Chronicles Remastered. That said, you’re still able to submit a support request through the company’s official website.
Per Nintendo Australia’s website:
If a game has a problem which entitles you to a refund under the Australia Consumer Law in Australia or the Consumer Guarantees Act in New Zealand, you can Contact Us and receive a refund, the same as when you return a physical product to the store because it has a major problem.
Nintendo Australia Warranty website
To submit a support request, click the “Contact Us” link in the quote above, or click here. Enter your details, select your country (there’s only two options here) and select other when asked what the enquiry relates to.
Type in “Refund request for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered” as we have, and then use the text box below to explain the issue. Give them a quick overview of the issue (feel free to include links to any of our articles on the matter!) and submit the form. A Nintendo Australia customer service representative will respond to you as quick as they can, but be patient — it’s a tough time for us all, especially those in Melbourne.
Like Nintendo, PlayStation’s support is currently limited to online-only. As a small upside though, Sony does offer a dedicated web form solely for refund requests, so this should get through to the right people a little bit quicker.
The PlayStation Store cancellation policy states the following (emphasis ours):
You can cancel a digital content purchase within 14 days from the date of purchase and receive a refund, provided that you have not started downloading or streaming it. Digital content that you have started downloading, or streaming, and in-game consumables that have been delivered, are not eligible for a refund unless the content is faulty.
PlayStation Store cancellation policy website
Since the content is faulty, it should be eligible for a refund, and to the best of our knowledge, the 14 day returns policy should not apply for faulty content either. Maybe do it sooner rather than later, though, just to be sure.
Simply click this link to be taken to PlayStation Australia’s refund request form. You’ll need to fill out your details, including your PlayStation Network Online ID, and select “Game content” as your type of content. Fill out the rest of the form (note: “Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered” doesn’t fit in the Name field, so feel free to drop the “remastered”), so it looks like the picture below. Select your date of purchase, and input your transaction ID if you have it, then describe the issue as above.
Complete the CAPTCHA and submit the form, and hey presto! Your request is submitted.
Chances are you probably didn’t purchase the full version of Crystal Chronicles Remastered on Android, as the in-app purchase to do so was broken for quite some time. But hey, if you did, here’s how you request a refund.
Here’s what Google says about refunds:
Google does not give refunds for most Google Play purchases. However there are exceptions. You can also contact the developer directly. The developer can help with purchase issues, and can process refunds pursuant to its policies and applicable laws.
Google Play refund policies website
Don’t worry about the “does not give refunds” or “contact the developer directly” parts, you’re entitled to a refund when a product is fault in both Australia and New Zealand.
Head on over to this link right here, which is your account’s order history page. From there, find your purchase in the list. It may be listed as “FINALFANTASY CRYSTALCHRONICLES”… for some reason, because Square Enix named it that way on both mobile platforms. But I digress.
You’ll see a link next to your purchase labeled “Report a problem”, click that link, and select “Purchase is defective or doesn’t work as advertised”. The page then tells you to describe your issue, which you should do briefly, as the space here is limited. It also suggests (again) you try to contact the app’s developer first, but we have it on good authority that Square will just tell you to request a refund through the Play Store anyway.
Click submit, and your report will be sent off to Square Enix and Google’s disputes team, who will most likely approve the refund. Google says the process usually takes about 15 minutes, but can take up to 4 business days.
Apple’s procedures are pretty similar to Google’s on this front (insert snide platform warring here). Here’s what Apple says about refunds:
If technical problems prevent or unreasonably delay delivery of Content, your exclusive and sole remedy is either replacement of the Content or refund of the price paid, as determined by Apple, to the full extent permitted by law. Your statutory rights are not affected.
Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions website
Firstly, you’ll want to head over to this link right here, which is Apple’s “report a problem” form. Sign in (if you aren’t already) and select “Request a refund” in the dropdown menu, then “My purchase does not work as expected”. Hit next, find and select Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered in your list of purchases, and then hit Submit. And that’s it! We think.
Unfortunately, none of us have purchased the game (or any other faulty product) on iOS, so we can’t be 100% certain that there aren’t steps beyond that. If you submit a refund request through the App Store, let us know if anything is different so we can update this section.
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