Hardcore Gaming 101: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

It's something of a minor miracle that this game even came out at all. Originally announced as early as 2006, the game was stuck in development hell for years, and even came very close to cancellation. As you might expect from a game with a troubled development cycle, the final result is a bit messy, if not a little schizophrenic. (Although one might also say that's par for the course for Akitoshi Kawazu.)

The Crystal Bearers represents a major overhaul for the series, both in gameplay and presentation. While an early pre-rendered teaser trailer, shown at E3 2006, used a similar cartoonish art style as other games in the series, the actual game follows the trend of the main Final Fantasy series with a much more realistic presentation. This is quite ironic considering that the game marks the directorial debut of character designer Toshiyuki Itahana, who is known for his “super deformed” characters.

The game itself bears little resemblance to any previous title in the series, as it is neither a dungeon crawler nor a multiplayer game, nor even really an RPG. Rather, the intent was to create a single-player open-world adventure. Kawazu has even stated outright that the game was inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series.

It seems that Kawazu was more involved with this game than any other entry in the series, not only being credited as producer as he was in the original, but also as scenario writer. He even added his signature to the ending of the game, making it feel very personal, like a labor of love.

The story is set 1,000 years after the original GameCube game (and its WiiWare sequels). There was a great war between the Lilty and Yuke tribes that ended with the destruction of the Yuke's “Crystal Principle,” causing them to mysteriously vanish from the world. As such, magic began to fade, and the rise of technology has led to something of an industrial revolution. Crystals still exist, and are used as a power source, but for the most part, magic has become much less prominent. However, certain individuals are born with crystal in their body, giving them certain superhuman abilities. These individuals are known as “Crystal Bearers,” and are looked down upon by the rest of the populace.

The plot involves one such bearer named Layle, a Clavat with the power to manipulate gravity, thus giving him telekinetic powers. Layle and his partner, a Selkie named Keiss, work as heroes for hire (or whatever job they can find). During an escort mission aboard an airship, Zu monsters suddenly began appearing out of thin air, followed by a Yuke named Amidatelion. The Yuke seems to be after a strange crystal shard, and the next thing he knows, Layle is swept up in an adventure that may see the return of the Yukes, but at the expense of the Lilties.

Layle
As far as Final Fantasy protagonists go, Layle is often considered a breath of fresh air. He's young but world weary, and despite seeming jaded, he never comes across as apathetic. He's an involved and responsible hero that, while not having the best voice actor, is quite cool and likable.

Keiss
Layle's partner cares a little more about money, but like Layle, is not so detached that he doesn't care about what's going on in the world.

Althea
She is the Lilty princess. Her father, the king, recently became seriously ‘ill’ (a rather light word considering what really happened to him), forcing her to take more governmental responsibilities. She's very mature for her age, but she often likes to dress in common clothing and mingle with the regular citizens.

Belle
An extremely selfish and obnoxious Selkie who happens to take a photograph of something she's not supposed to. She spends the rest of the time trying to get rich off of it, and getting herself into trouble. She thinks Layle has a crush on her (although it's more likely the other way around).

Cid
Now we know we're playing a Final Fantasy game. Cid is a Lilty engineer who often helps Layle out. He has also invented an engine that doesn't require the use of crystals.

Amidatealion
Strangely, Amidatelion's gender is never revealed, but his/her/its voice actor is a woman. The Yuke's true intentions are somewhat mysterious, and Layle is never sure if he can trust him/her/it.

Jegran
Probably the largest Lilty that has ever lived, Jegran is the high commander of the Lilty army, but he hides a deep, dark secret. He's also the one who initially hired Layle and Keiss for the escort mission (a move he surely came to regret).

The gameplay is a little hard to sum up, as the different aspects of it don't quite gel together very smoothly, but it's probably best divided into the narrative segments and the open-world elements.

The story hits the ground running and propels forward at a brisk pace. Layle is always told where to go to trigger the next story event, although finding the way there can be confusing since the in-game map really tells you nothing. The story segments are enhanced by the occasional minigame event that keep the player involved. These include shooting Zu monsters while skydiving, a nifty stealth sequence aboard a train, and even a ballroom dancing sequence. Many of these events are fun, and are far more interesting than simple quick-timer events. The story itself is rather on the short side, and if you simply rush from one story event to the next, the game can easily be finished in well under 10 hours.

While the narrative is exciting and well told, it's somewhat at odds with the game's open-world design, which seems to encourage the player to slow down and meander. Most of Layle's interaction with the world happens through the use of his telekinesis, which involves grabbing, flinging, holding, and throwing. It comes off as rather limited, as picking things up and tossing them around doesn't really amount to much. Even NPCs act more like brainless virtual pets, wandering around aimlessly and having random emotions about things, and you can't even engage in conversation with most of them.

Enemy encounters happen via “miasma streams.” At timed intervals, enemies will suddenly appear in the current area (NPCs will disappear), and you have a set amount of time to defeat them all and close the stream before they disappear on their own. Completing the stream will yield a small reward, such as an element or life extension, and the next miasma stream in that area may bring stronger monsters or even a boss (and rarer items). Combat itself is rather clumsy, and most players will likely just grab and throw whatever random things their pointer lands on.

However, despite the shallow surface, there's a little bit more going on under the hood than there initially seems. Paying attention to what you grab, and what you throw it at makes a difference, and different combinations yield different (sometimes surprising) results. Exploring the world and discovering the different minigames and things you can do is part of the appeal, and often takes a little intuitive thinking. Hints are provided in the way of a grid that awards medals for discovering the different “reactions.”

Despite the disjointed game design, the production values are quite high. As stated, the graphical style takes a more realistic approach, and it's interesting to see how the previous character designs are reinterpreted to fit in. This also marks the first time that Kumi Tanioka did not compose the score for a FFCC game (and she subsequently left the company), and musical duties were handed to Hidenori Iwasaki and Ryo Yamazaki. The result, however, is arguably one of the greatest video game soundtracks of the generation. It features a highly eclectic mix of styles, from sweeping orchestral, to rock, jazz swing, bluegrass, surf music, and even waltz. All of it is extremely well composed and produced. Tanioka still contributed one song, and some of her previous music has been remixed here. They even brought back Donna Burke to sing on one track. If nothing else, the music makes this game truly notable.