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PLATFORM
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Wii |
BATTLE SYSTEM
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INTERACTION
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ORIGINALITY
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STORY
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MUSIC & SOUND
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VISUALS
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CHALLENGE
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Easy
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COMPLETION TIME
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Less
than
20
hours
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OVERALL
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+ Interesting story, localized fairly well
+ A ton of optional content
+ Brilliant
music
and
great
visuals
- Controls
can
sometimes
be
finicky
- Very short if optional content skipped
- Despite
what
it's
labeled
as,
it
is
not
an
RPG
|
Click here for scoring
definitions
|
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Let's get the giant
elephant in the room out of the way right at the start; Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The
Crystal Bearers is not an RPG. Perhaps it was during
development, but the resulting effort is clearly on the
action/adventure side of things. However, Square Enix labeled it as an
RPG, and as such this brought about many expectations for the game that
it was not designed to meet. However, if played with an open mind,
what one will find is that Crystal
Bearers is a fun and experimental game that will provide
plenty of entertainment while it lasts.
So what is the game
exactly? The latest in the Crystal
Chronicles sub-series, Crystal
Bearers takes place in the same world as the previous games,
only now 1000 years into the future. Following a great war, one of the
four tribes of the world, the magic-using Yukes, is obliterated when
their racial crystal is destroyed. With no magic in the world,
technology flourishes. The other races are largely ruled over by the
Lilties, the plantlike warrior tribe. The other tribes, Clavats and
Selkies, look
largely like humans, with the only differences being in personality.
Clavats are peaceful, farming types while Selkies are more like
rogues. This sets the stage for the main characters in this tale; the
Crystal Bearers. Despite the
disappearance of the Yuke tribe, magic continues to exist in the form
of people imbued with crystals which give them various magical
abilities.
The main character, Layle, possess telekinetic powers, and he uses
these powers to make money as a freelancer. It's on one such job,
escorting a
Liltie ship, that Layle runs into one of the lost tribe, a Yuke, that
our story begins.
Crystal Bearers is a hard game to
peg into one genre, but the best way to describe it is as an
action/adventure game. There's no leveling or character upgrading
systems in place here, and nothing in the way of major character
interaction outside of story scenes. The story-related action in the
game focuses primarily on scripted sequences that may best be described
as mini-games. This includes everything from an escape by chocobo, an
on-rails gun
sequence, and even a shooter type segment that almost feels like
something out of Panzer Dragoon.
As
an
example
of
how
these
mini-game
segments vary, the game starts off
with a shooter segment using just the Wii remote to point and shoot.
Soon after this it switches to a segment where the air liner is
controlled as it crashes using only the analog stick to steer left and
right.
These
do
a
lot
to
enhance
the action of the story, and keep things
fresh and interesting throughout. Late in the
game there's even the option to go back to many of these previous
sequences to attempt to get high scores or just to enjoy previous fun
segments. A small number of the sequences aren't very good, such as a
dancing segment. Thankfully they are kept short, and don't deter from
the
overall experience.
One of the many different mini-game based
story sequences" |
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Outside of these
sequences, the action focuses on the use of Layle's telekinetic
powers. This can be used to solve puzzles for light platforming and, of
course, for a bit of combat. Exploration and combat take place in
real-time as you wander around the game world. The interesting thing
about combat in this
game is that it is largely optional. Granted one can't always waltz
through areas with enemies. There are many story segments
where it's required, but the general combat areas while exploring the
world are not required experiences. An odd aspect of these is that they
are set on a timer so all the enemies will disappear
after it has elapsed. Fail to destroy all the enemies in that
time, and they will all return when they next re-spawn. The reward for
destroying all the enemies within this time-frame is an extra unit of
health. These are quite useful against the more
difficult bosses later in the game. This makes these battle areas
almost feel like puzzles, trying to find the best ways to defeat
enemies as quickly as possible.
Experimentation is
the name of the game
here, as simply picking up enemies and throwing them at each other with
telekinesis often won't get the job done very quickly. As such, Layle
can pick up various items in the environment to use as weapons, or
sometimes stun enemies themselves and use them as weapons.
Experimentation will also lead to many humorous ways to take on
enemies, such as giving a skeleton something else to replace its head
with. This aspect of the game goes beyond combat, as in towns and
various areas Layle is free to pick up characters and move things
around
to see how the world reacts. The game rewards experimentation in and
out of combat with an achievement system with
dozens upon dozens of different medals to obtain. One could end up
spending countless hours moving things about in the world trying to
find new achievements. It's a great system that rewards exploration of
the game-world.
As far as actual
controls for exploration of the game world, everything is handled
using the Wiimote/Nunchuck combo. This works as one might expect: the
analog stick controls movement while the Wiimote is pointed at the
screen to use telekinetic powers. The camera is controlled using the
d-pad, and while it can be a bit finicky at times, it is not a huge
issue overall. The biggest issue with the interface is related to the
Wii's motion controls. When
"locking" onto an object, there are different gestures for picking it
up or simply tossing it in a certain direction. These did not always
read correctly, and there will be some instances where trying to
pick something up results in inadvertently tossing it to the left or
right.
Thankfully, once Layle is holding an item with his powers, aiming and
firing it is a simple
matter of aiming and pointing the Wiimote. Some items which can
be used in other ways, such as monsters that fire projectiles,
function in the same way. This aspect of the controls
has very few, if any issues. As a final note on the controls, all the
menus in the game are simple and easy to use with either the Wiimote or
the analog stick on the nun-chuck.
These various gameplay
systems will keep one going through the main storyline. The storyline
is largely fascinating, focusing on the interactions between the
tribes and the consequences of the destruction of the Yukes' crystal.
It's a fine tale, but it's hurt by some oddities in the
script. For example, there's one part where
Layle asks a character if he's heard about a recent event for which
only Layle and one other character were present. These moments are
relatively few, but they serve to hurt the overall narrative. It's a
shame, as the characters are well voiced, and Layle is certainly one of
the better Final Fantasy
protagonists in years. Regardless of the quality issues, the story will
make you care about the characters involved, and it has a satisfying
conclusion that hints at a sequel that is now very unlikely.
Classic Final Fantasy monsters litter the
world |
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Music and visuals are
two particular areas where Crystal
Bearers shines. The music, however, is wonderful,
featuring one of the most eclectic soundtracks one is likely to ever
hear in a video game.
It covers
everything from bluegrass and rock, to classical and jazz. The
soundtrack would be good enough if all it had going for it was
variety, but the quality of the tracks is superb. Players may find
themselves
wandering back to previous areas simply to hear that particular tune.
It's possible one may even catch some hints of the soundtracks of other
games in the
series. The visuals are also a major strong point for the game. The art
direction successfully takes the art-style of the previous Crystal Chronicles games and
brings it into a more steam-punk styled world. Familiar Final Fantasy monsters will be
instantly recognizable, as will the tribes from the previous games in
the series. Of course they sometimes have their own twists to fit the
style of Crystal Bearers, but
nothing that makes them unrecognizable. The Final Fantasy games are known for
visual flair, and Crystal Bearers
puts the limited power of the Wii to good use.
If players focus on just
the
main storyline, the game will end up being pretty short: somewhere in
the range of 6-8 hours. However, this isn't the kind of game designed
for that approach. There is a ton of optional content, expensive
equipment
to get to improve Layle's telekinetic powers, and the previously
mentioned
achievements to hunt down. In addition, there's a new game plus option
which allows the player to bring money, purchases, and health upgrades
into a
new playthrough. With optional content in mind, the playtime can easily
be doubled
or tripled. It's shame, then, that the game is mostly on the
easy side. Some of the battle areas and bosses can provide a nice
challenge at times, but it is never extremely difficult.
In the end, Crystal Bearers
flirts with greatness, but mostly ends
up being a good to very good experience. The fantastic presentation and
a good plot help to make up for some of the deficiencies in
gameplay and localization. It's certainly not the best action/adventure
game out there, but it still proves to be a fun title with a likable
cast of characters, who sadly may make their
one and only appearance in this particular game. Fans of Final Fantasy, Crystal Chronicles, or
action/adventure fans in general should give it a try and go in with
an open mind.
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