E3 2003: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

Square Enix's exclusive GameCube FF title doesn't exactly provide the impact of PS2's titles in the series. We took a cloer look anyway. Screens and video included.

It's been many many years since a Final Fantasy game graced a Nintendo console, and with the strained relationship between Nintendo and Squaresoft, many believed the odds of Square and Nintendo working together again to be slim. I had somewhat of an interest in the effects such a reconciliation would have on Gamecube sales, especially with Final Fantasy name attached.

Crystal Chronicles was playable at Nintendo's booth and looked quite promising indeed. Featuring 1-4 player RPG gameplay, players can work together to defeat enemies and solve puzzles during their quest. Utilizing the Gameboy Advance connectivity feature, players can view character information and control their character's data, as well as recieve certain clues on their individual screens which they'll need to cooperate and share with the rest of their comrades.

Initially I found the graphics of Crystal Chronicles to be a mixed bag. I thought most of the graphics were above average with my opinions waivering up and down throughout the show demo. At times, the character designs almost made me question why Square just didn't name this game 'Final Fantasy Deformed Kids' or something. However some of the monster designs were quite good - some seemed better textured than everything else in the game.

From the brief playtest, the gameplay felt fairly simple and moved at a decent pace. The control setup of the game was quite basic but could also turn into a button mapping nightmare. One button can be used to perform all your actions including magic if you're equipped with the appropriate items. You can select an action and remap it to a button on the fly. Cycling through the list of commands can be accomplished using the shoulder triggers.

Unfortunately the multiplayer mode requires the use of Gameboy Advance units. Not exactly a smart move on the developers part in my opinion as I feel the GBA Connectivity feature should be optional and players should be allowed to enjoy a multiplayer RPG without any external requirements. The Gameboy Advance's use in this game seems more of a gimmicky nature anyways since I felt they could have easily opted to display all the information on the main playing screen, and since the players have to cooperate and share their information anyways, I don't get the need to send them to individual GBAs.

In multiplayer mode, you and the rest of your party carry around some sort of drinking vessel and engage in some sword slashing, spell casting RPG action against plenty of evil monsters and powerful bosses throughout the land. Later on, a cinematic cut-scene shows the drinking vessel being filled with water and emits a light or aura that encompasses most of the visible playing field. A new gameplay element is instituted afterwards that has all of the party members trying to stay within the light's range, any of the party members that steps outside of its range will get damaged and eventually die if they remain outside of it long enough to get completely drained.

Crystal Chronicles should make for a nice multiplayer get together among friends who are RPG addicts. To be blunt, the game just didn't feel like anything was really on a grand enough scale like the main Final Fantasy games on the PS2, and for the most part this game pretty much felt like fodder for the Gamecube.

Hopefully someday Square Enix will take a Nintendo platform more seriously and actually develop a Final Fantasy game with higher production values and a much richer storyline. The E3 demo felt a bit too early as it seemed rough around the edges in many areas, so hopefully the final product will reveal a more titillating adventure. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is set for a Q4 2003 release.

Joseph Jackson
Staff Writer, Kikizo Games