Game review - Final Fantasy, Crystal Chronicles

"A deadly miasma has swallowed the land, and it's up to you to hold it at bay! Many dangers lie along your journey, but you need not face them alone. Enlist your friends in a crystal caravan and make your mark together in the Crystal Chronicles!"

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is one of those games that players either love or hate.le it does have alot going for it it has alot going against it at the same time.

The world is covered with a poisonous miasma that only monsters are immune to. The only thing that keeps this miasma at bay is crystals of power. Unfortunately the power of these crystals is not limitless. Every year they must be purified with Myrrh in order to rekindle their power. This Myrrh can only be collected from Myrrh trees who only make enough liquid to be collected every third year. So young men and women form each township is sent forth in order to collect the Myrrh needed to protect the town for another year. The caravans can consist of members of the four tribes, Clavats, who have high defense, Lilties, who have high strength, Yukes, who have high magic, and Selkies, who can use special attacks more quickly. You can also choose your sect within your tribe as well as your parents' profession. The profession of your parents can help you to a limited degree in the game. The level of customization is low but it suffices for the game. Once you set out there are cut scenes that develop the story of the world and other caravans in it. Time only passes when you collect three drops of Myrrh. When you have three drops the year ends and you go back to your village to replenish the crystal and celebrate.

Crystal Chronicles is both a single and multiplayer game. In fact the multiplayer aspect is one of the most vocal points of the game. In order to play a multiplayer game each player must have their own Game boy Advance or Game boy SP in addition to the Gamecube to run the game. While being an expensive mechanic it does have its cool points. All the menus are moved to the small screen, this frees up the large screen for gameplay. During the game each player shows a different type of radar that can be used to navigate the team, the terrain radar, the monster radar, the scouter, or the treasure radar. Also who has what radar switches randomly in order to foster cooperation. Multiplayer play is also made more difficult by the fact that the caravan must be protected by a crystal chalice. The chalice houses a smaller crystal that protects the caravan on their journey as well as holding the Myrrh that is collected. The fact that all four players must stay within this area complicates things. The players must stay within the range of the player carrying the chalice while dealing with the various monsters. Also the magic players cast can be cast in conjunction in order to have greater effects from fused spells. The game can also be played in single player mode. Some things are easier in single player mode. You have a moggle to carry the chalice for you. It is also a lot easier to cast fused spells. But there are also some areas that can't be accessed in single player mode and some of the puzzles ramp up in difficulty. At its core Crystal Chronicles is a multiplayer game. Most of it's strenghts support Multiplayer p-lay. characters can also be transferred form one game to another but there are mechanics in place that facilities fairness with transferred characters and in multiplayer games. It's also hard for multiplayer characters to be too far of each other. The way chacters choose artifacts in unique and adds to the fairness of the game.

To its benefit Crystal Chronicles is a beautiful game. The environments are rich and lush. The in-game screens look like other games cut scenes. A host of little touches prevail to make Crystal Chronicles a visual stunning game. I am in love with the pen work that denotes the title of each level. The controls are easy to master. Actions are put into a command list which is keyed on screen. The only had part is having to get use to cycling through your commands to one you want. It bears mentioning that the designs on the monsters are very well done. They invoke images of the goblins from Labyrinth. Appearances are also made by other Final Fantasy faithfuls such as Toonberry and Cactuar. The biggest problem I have wih the game is having to go through the miasma streams. Its a beautifully done stage but after the first couple of times you just want to get on with the game.

Crystal Chronicles is in my opinion a game well worth playing. The single player aspect is great and worth the game alone. If you are able to find some friends with Game boys then invite them in. The multiplayer aspect of Crystal Chronicles is loads of fun. It takes some getting used to too work as a team but if you're able to get it down then it all clicks. Team play means living through the harder cycles, accessing the better items and accomplishing your bonuses. For me it fills in the gap betweem a hack and slash and a RPG. It's fun, engrossing and will keep you coming back for more. Now invite some friends over and go save the world.