Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

Square-Enix lives a charmed life. They own one of the most iconic franchises in all of gaming--Final Fantasy--and the possibilities for related spin-off titles are pretty much endless.

And since their fan base is rabid, they can even make a game based on a secondary character--albeit one that is beloved--and still strike gold. But you can't coast along on fanboy love forever, so it's a good thing that Square holds each FF title to a high standard.

The Fight to Save the World... With Cards and Story Books!

On the surface, Chocobo Tales seems like just a quickie cash-in title, but it's actually an interesting addition to the franchise. The game is comprised of a series of minigames that ties together an unexpectedly extensive storyline that hearkens back to past Final Fantasy titles. Long-time series vets will love the inclusion of series standbys, such as crystals, summons and classic characters like Cid.

There are more than forty mini- and microgames to play, and all are markedly different from each other. From swimming to escape Leviathan to popping bubbles with cactaurs, there's a ton of personality in each diversion. One minor flaw that I found is that the directions at the beginning of each game can be vague and will leave you dragging your stylus around haphazardly until you figure out exactly what you are meant to do. The minigames are easy to learn but it will take a few tries to master the more difficult objectives.

Chocobo Tales is about quick and easy fun. The Crayola art style, pop-up book style graphics and fable stories may make it seem like a kiddie title and technically, it is. However, the game is fun enough that and packed with enough nods to diehard fans that Final Fantasy fans of all ages should give it a look. At the least, it'll be a nice bite-sized appetizer until Final Fantasy XIII lands.

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