Chocobo Mystery Dungeon - Final Fantasy
Chocobo Mystery Dungeon is an RPG video game developed by Square Enix. It was released in Japan on the Nintendo Wii in 2007, and the following year to the rest of the world. A port of the game was released on the Nintendo DS in the year 2008 as a remaster of the game. A related sequel to the game Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy!, was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2019. The Chocobo plays an important role in the game, a character well known to the Final Fantasy franchise that has appeared in practically every game.
The Chocobo series is a series of games that all feature the beloved Chocobo. The main focus of the Chocobo series games are explicitly on the Chocobo character, and players take control of the cute-yellow feathered hero and venture through games that range from different genres going from racing to card-based combat gameplay. Overall the game received mixed to positive reviews receiving moderate success, with sales quickly dropping off.
Gameplay
Gameplay occurs in randomly generated dungeons where items can be looted and monsters fought in a turn based gameplay battle system. The familiar job system of Final Fantasy is used in Chocobo Mystery Dungeon featuring ten unique jobs, each with special powers and abilities. “Pop-up duels", games similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors where the player chooses cards from their hand to defeat the cards the opponent possesses is also a small component in the game. Enemy cards can also be brought to "Mog's House", where they can be used to play additional minigames like "bat shooter", "kick darts", as well as “fishing”, and “gardening”. The player uses the “Wii Remote” to control the character, but it is also possible to use the classic controller for the Wii system. If a player dies in the dungeon, they are resurrected and brought back to the beginning of the dungeon. The game is also WiFi comptable and players are able to battle against one another online.
Plot
During a quest to obtain the Timeless Power Gem to power his ship, Cid and Chocobo fall into a vortex and are transported to the land of “Lostime” in the island of Memoria, a location that disappeared from the rest of the world fifty years ago. A Bell of Oblivion in the center of the town rings and causes everyone to lose their memory. With a new friend named Shirma and a mysterious boy named Raffaello, who is able to summon a labyrinth of memories, Chocobo begins a journey to recover the lost memories of Lostime's residents. However, in the course of these missions their actions reveal the Raffaello’s hidden true identity and the calamity that caused the trouble.
Characters
- Chocobo - A yellow Chocobo and the main character who accompanies Cid as they hunt for treasure.
- Cid - A legendary treasure that travels with Chocobo as his friend and companion. He wears western style clothing and a western style hat with a feather. When his mind is set on obtaining treasure, Cid goes to many lengths to obtain it, including using various inventions.
- Raffaello - A young boy that appears at the town of Lostime. Slightly mysterious, he has green hair and feathers growing on his back. He has the power to open a passageway to the Labyrinth of Memories.
*Shirma - A White Mage committed to saving residents from “The Memory Thief". A kind and warmhearted person who is often worrying, but determined to fight for justice.
- Stella - Shirma's aunt. Adopted Shirma when she was young and treats her lovingly as her own child. Worried that Shirma may forget her memories, Stella moves away to the edge of town in order for them to avoid hearing the "Bell of Forgetfulness”. This bell, located at the center of town, is capable of erasing a person's memory.
- Dungeon Hero X - He shows up at the beginning of each dungeon and offers advice about dungeons and abilities.
- Gale Rosage - The mayor of the City.
- Freja - The blacksmith of the Lostime.
- Meja - A waitress working at a local cafe.
- Irma - Chocobo's rival Treasure Hunter that travels with her love companion black Chocobo Volg.
- Croma - A dangerous Black Mage who often warns Chocobo of the dangers in store for him. Knows understands the connection between Raffaello and the forgotten memories.
Development
Development for the game began in November of 2006. During development and testing, the production team decided to remove difficult aspects of the game to appeal more to an audience consisting of ‘small children and females’, therefore making it more family friendly. Joe Down studio was responsible for the music of the game and used many of the former Final Fantasy materials. Toshiyuki Itahana was responsible for the art used in the game.
Reception
On release of the Chocobo Mystery Dungeon, the game made strong sales in the first week in Japan. It is reported by Square Enix that more than 160,000 copies had been sold as of September 30, 2008.