Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy Chronicles is an action role playing game published by Nintendo on the Gamecube and developed by The Game Designers Studio, a subsidiary of Square Enix. The game was released in Japan in the year of 2003 and outside Japan such as Europe, North America, and Australia in 2004. Marking the first Final Fantasy game released on a Nintendo console since Final Fantasy VI in 1994. A remake of the game is planned to debut on iOS, Android, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch in the year 2020. The game follows a caravan of adventurers that travel around the globe, and collect mystical energy to power up “Crystals”, that protect the world’s settlements from the “Miasma”, a poisonous gas that is engulfing the world. The game received mixed to positive reviews, and a rating of 80/100 on the reviewer site Metacritic.
Plot
The game takes place in a fantasy world that is shared by four different unique races. A thousand years before the starting events of the game, a meteor has struck the world, destroying it’s Great Crystal which shattered into many pieces. The meteor carried a parasite named the “Meteor Parasite” that began generating “Miasma”, a poisonous gas that began engulfing the world. Anyone that touches the Miasma instantly dies, however fragments of the great crystal were used in settlements to keep the deadly Miasma at bay. The crystals must be charged and maintained with “Myrrh”, an energy harvested from magical trees using magical vessels.
The protagonists ride on caravan adventures to travel, collecting Myrrh in order to protect the world’s settlements. Eventually coming into contact with the Carbuncles, an ancient race that lead the world’s races to the crystals before going into hiding. The Carbuncles direct the adventurers to the Meteor Parasite, instructing them and asking them to destroy it. Before they are able to finally finish the duty, the heroes are transported to another realm, where they must face the evil Raem and Mio, two evil beings born after the crystals destruction. After defeating them, the players return to the world and finish off the wounded Meteor Parasite, finally ridding the world of “Miasma” and allowing for the races to live once again in prosperity.
Gameplay
Players choose their avatar character from one of four races, each of which having different strengths and weaknesses.Character’s attributes can be further customized as players selecting the profession of their family, which gives them access to unique items and facilities each time they return home. Players are able to upgrade both items and equipment using materials and blueprint in towns, and can receive items from shops or gifts from the player’s family. The combat system is not turn based like other Final Fantasy games, but more of a real time hack and slash style system, with certain commands tied to different buttons on the controller. Combination attacks can be used to increase damage, and charging up magic abilities can be used to damage enemies or trigger status ailments, providing new effects into battle. Instead of an experience system, skill points, and artifacts are rewarded for completing dungeon sessions, increasing the player’s stats.
The most unique aspect of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is that up to four players can play at once utilizing a Game Boy Advance connected to the GameCube. The game provides a deep gameplay involving the multiplayer mode, using GameBoy Advances. A separate game system provided by Nintendo can be connected to the Gamecube using a GameBoy advance link cable, allowing up to four people to play and perform battle functions as well as shop in towns.
During four-player mode, when players enter a dungeon or a cave, each player’s GBA screen shows a different unique screen. In a two-player mode, one player receives a map of the world and the other reviews a radar showing the monsters location. In a three-player mode, two players receive the two-player mode screens, and the extra third player receives a new screen that includes monster stat details or chest location map is granted. In a full four-player mode, the fourth player receives whichever screen that the third player did not get (monster stat details or chest location map). This adds the need for a higher level or teamwork and cooperation between the players and brings in unique co-op interactiveness to the game.
- Two player mode: world map + monster location radar
- Three player mode: world map + monster location radar + monster stat/chest map
- Four player mode: world map + monster location radar + monster stat + chest map
Tribes
*Clavat - Peaceful, human-like beings that use a shield and sword in combat. Clavats are agriculture people, their strengths are defense and magic.
*Lilty - Liltys’ are short bipedal creatures with fur and leaf like hair, appearing somewhat like gnomes or fairies. They use spears and wear gauntlets utilizing their strength in attack power, but are generally poor magic users.
*Yuke - Yukes are very tall and mystifying creatures with imposing figures. They are shaped like men but are always wearing helmets and have hands resembling wings, with a pair of wings on their back as well. They are strong in magic but have a weak physical ability.
*Selkie - Selkies are physically fit, human-like race with silvery-blue hair, usually thieves. Selkies have a strong attack power and shortened focus attack charge time. They wield weapons that appear like rackets in battle.
Development Team
Development for the game began in late 2001. The lead development roles are as follows:
- Director: Kazuhiko Aoki
- Producer: Akitoshi Kawazu
- Programmer: Mitsuru Kamiyama
- Artist: Toshiyuki Itahana
- Story Writer: Masahiro Kataoka
- Music Composer: Kumi Tanioka