A Closer Look At FF Crystal Chronicles
- August 04, 2003 13:32 PM PST
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Square's "GameCube Final Fantasy" isn't all that FF-like?it's an action RPG with Game Boy Advance connectivity and a heavy multiplayer bent. Pix inside.
Nintendo, both in Japan and America, is occasionally puzzling in the way it releases information to the public. The Game Boy Advance SP was rumored for months before Nintendo officially announced it; Pikmin 2 wasn't revealed until Shigeru Miyamoto started talking about it to European game magazines; and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, a game worthy of front-page news on any other console, was first shown in a three-second snippet on an otherwise obscure Japanese GameCube ad. Oh well. You could say that it helps build up the suspense, at least?and with FF:CC coming by the end of spring in Japan, suspense (and a little trepidation) is running gloriously high among GameCube RPG fans.Judging from the first solid gameplay info we've heard (gleaned from Nintendo of America's site, as well as Japanese games mag Famitsu), Crystal Chronicles plays less like a traditional FF and more like Secret of Mana and other action RPGs. The world of FF:CC is not exactly the most hospitable of places?most of it is enveloped in a poisonous fog that makes people ill on contact. Local villages are protected from this gas by the power of the crystals that lie across the land. This power doesn't last forever, though, and every year your village sends a "crystal caravan" out to get some dew from the local Maura trees?the only thing that can restore the crystals' innate power. You (and up to three of your friends) have been picked for the caravan this year?one wonders what's waiting for you out there, then...
When starting Crystal Chronicle, you choose a character from one of four types?Clavat (all-around type), Selky (thieves with bows), Yuke (magic users) or Rilty (cute little warriors). After character naming is taken care of, your party goes out on the quest, protected from the dark fog by a "crystal cage" that one player must carry around at all times. Special items, like keys and the cage, are carried right above the character's head Zelda-style, so you can't attack or defend yourself while carrying the cage. This item-carrying system also serves as the basis for some Zelda-type puzzles you'll find along the way?to open a gate, for example, you may have to grab a key-plate from an enemy and carry it over to a nearby plate holder.
This being an action RPG and all, dealing physical damage to monsters in FF:CC is simple?just go right up to one and smack it silly with your sword. Magic is a little more complicated?you need magic jewels, picked up from treasure chests or by defeating enemies, to cast anything. These jewels are divided into "attack" and "support" types, and some can be combined with each other to build new types of magic. For example, combining a "blizzard" attack jewel with a "follow" support jewel creates a spell that fires freezing guided missiles at enemies. By the same token, adding "all enemies" to "fire" produces a gigantic explosion that affects every enemy on the screen.
While a Game Boy Advance and Link Cable aren't absolutely required to play Crystal Chronicle, having one will greatly enhance the experience. The GBA screen is where you'll organize your magic jewels in the middle of battle, as well as store the letters you send and receive to other in-game characters (the couriers are all moogles, of course). What's more, the GBA completely replaces the GC controller in this game?you can control your character onscreen with the control pad and two buttons, looking down at the GBA screen now and again to view your status and change your equipment.
FF: Crystal Chronicle is scheduled to hit Japan before the end of spring. No U.S. release date has been announced yet, but NOA's likely to have it out and available for the E3 show in may. Stay tuned.
