Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Developer(s)	Square Enix
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Director(s)	Toshiyuki Itahana
Producer(s)	Akitoshi Kawazu
Artist(s)	Toshiyuki Itahana
Writer(s)	Akitoshi Kawazu Kazuhiro Yamauchi
Composer(s)	Hidenori Iwasaki Ryo Yamazaki Kumi Tanioka
Series	Final Fantasy (main) Crystal Chronicles (sub)
Platform(s)	Wii
Release	JP: November 12, 2009[2] NA: December 26, 2009[1] PAL: February 5, 2010[3]
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers^[a] is a Wii action-adventure game announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.^[4] It was released on November 12, 2009 in Japan and on December 26 in North America.^[2][1] The game was well received in Japan, with praise for the game's well-written story and characters, but criticizing the map system. Western reviewers however were more mixed, citing that the game was less of a traditional RPG and more for action adventure.

Gameplay[]

Unlike the GameCube predecessor, Crystal Bearers features fully real-time combat, focusing on free-roaming and action-adventure for a single-player.^[5][6] Players can use airships.^[5] Enemies have a wide variety of tactics and abilities, and some have the ability to hurt fellow creatures and oppose the player. This is part of the AI reaction, in which different creatures react in unique ways to other ones nearby and to the attacks.^[6] The player controls Layle. He can use psychokinetic gravity powers to perform different combat actions, such as moving certain enemies against their will, making them use their abilities against other enemies and utilizing various objects as projectiles.^[5] He can perform some type of reaction elements with creatures, affecting them in different manners. Layle can utilize abilities to interact with the environment, such as activating switches, or grabbing ledges and other objects from a distance via an energy-based grappling hook. He can also perform such actions as moving civilians against their will.^[5] Civilians share traits with enemies in that they can attack the player, when irritated by actions.^[6] Unlike role playing games, the action adventure one has the player customizing Layle's status, using accessories with materials and other items.^[6] The player can increment the character's maximum HP by clearing miasma stream fights and collecting the myrrh from each areas. Exploration and free-roaming are heavily focused on the game to the point that there are fifteen bosses are needed to progress through the story and the rest are scattered everywhere for the player to find.^[6] Traveling can either be done by foot, riding chocobos, taking the train or using warp portals. The game also features a combat for sky diving.^[6] The player can take Quicktime events, making actions during certain events, such as aiming the remote and shooting monsters in the sky.^[5]

Synopsis[]

Setting and characters[]

The game takes place in the same world as Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, inhabited by four races; the peaceful Clavats, militaristic Lilties, magic-wielding Yukes and rebellious Selkies. Each race being represented by a magical crystal. The story is set 1000 years after the events of Crystal Chronicles.^[7][8] During the intervening years, the war between Lilty and Yuke tribes ended, when the Lilties destroyed the Yuke Crystal, exiling the Yukes to non-existence and establishing a technologically-advanced kingdom. Their technology is based around crystal reactors, which generate power using fragments of the Yuke Crystal. Magic has become rare, used by those with crystal shards embedded in their bodies, dubbed "crystal bearers". Their powers, which have been in the past used for evil, cause crystal bearers to become both respected and feared.^[8]

The main protagonist is Layle, a Clavat crystal bearer with gravity-manipulating abilities. He manipulates objects to repel forces and jump in the air. On his journey, he accompanies the Selkie Belle, a member of the Selkie guild; the Selkie Keiss, am ambitious man determined to play a role in the Lilty Kingdom; and Althea, princess of the Lilty Kingdom.^[9] An important supporting character is the Lilty engineer Cid, creator of the crystal reactors and a version of a recurring Final Fantasy character.^[9][10] The main adversaries are the Lilty general Jegran, a supremacist who ruthlessly maintains the status quo; and Amidatelion, a surviving Yuke determined to restore the Yuke Crystal by any means.^[9]

Plot[]

While escorting a cruise ship to the Lilty capital, Layle confronts Amidatelion as she launches an attack. She uses the Crystal Idol to absorb energy from the ship. With the help of his friends, Layle pursues Amidatelion as they attack the Lilty technology to empower the Crystal Idol, which can restore the Yuke Crystal. Jegran frames Layle and kills the leader of the Selkie guild, Vaigali. Amidatelion reveals that the Yukes cursed the Lilty Crystal before vanishing, and despite the risk of activating the curse they seek to restore the Yukes and re-establish the Crystal Principle, a metaphysical force that created the world's crystal bearers. Jegran reveals himself to be a crystal bearer. He kills Amidatelion and unsuccessfully prevents Layle from using the Crystal Idol.

Althea captures Jegran, and forces him to restore her father whom he turned into crystal to power the Lilty capital's crystal reactor. However, Jegran destroys the statue and absorbs all the power for himself, declaring his wish to form a new principle. He later identifies Althea as a crystal bearer. Layle, having decided to complete Amidatelion's quest and supported by his allies, saves Althea and defeats Jegran as the Yuke crystal is restored. As Jegran and Layle apparently perish together, Althea and the restored Yukes use the magic to halt the curse on the Lilty Crystal. In the aftermath, the Crystal Principle is restored, and all crystal reactors and still-living crystal bearers are stripped of their magic. Althea becomes queen and makes peace with the Yukes, while Keiss takes Vaigali's place as leader of the Selkie guild. Belle, convinced that Layle is alive, steals Keiss's ship to follow a lead. As the game ends, Layle is shown alive and still having crystal bearer powers.

Development[]

Concept origins[]

When the Nintendo Wii was first showcased, Square Enix developed Akitoshi Kawazu's first thought was that he wanted to make a single player version of ‘’Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles’’.^[11] As a result, Crystal Bearers was designed to be a "single-player experience", as opposed to the GameCube installment which focused on cooperative play.^[12] Early concepts ranged from allowing players to fish, to using the Wiimote to move objects around in space.^[11] Kawazu also wanted to make a game that gave players a sense of the passage of time, which he called a “real time” Final Fantasy.^[11] This idea led to the thought about how in the real world, swinging a sword takes time, as opposed to the traditional button pushing that is instantaneous and more artificial.^[11] Kawazu also wanted to minimize the number of menus, since the Wii was usually in a family room in peoples houses and distracted from the fun.^[13] Kawazu stated that the game should have the feeling of being at a theme park, with gamers not distracted and wholly focused on the experience.^[13] Kawazu describes the games genre as “Attraction Adventure”, with players going from different entertainment experiences freely.^[13] There was also a minimum amount of game terminology compared to most Final Fantasy games to help casual players feel welcome.^[13]

Visual style[]

The graphical style of the game was intended to be more “mature” to go with its “solo hero” concept.^[12] Toshiyuki Itahana stated he wants a more "world weary" protagonist, and wanted him to seem rugged, which influenced the hair design of the character.^[14] The game is intended to feature a more "mature" design to help bolster the heroic structure of the story.^[12] Kawazu notes that the game should be enjoyable for even people just watching the game being played, and included shot changes every few seconds, a news ticker-type information feed on the bottom.^[13] He also noted that the protagonist had to look attractive in case players moms saw them playing the game.^[13] One of the design changes that were initially opposed by the design team was the changing of character heights from “three heads high” to six.^[13] Game artist Itahana wanted to make "an exhilarating tale of this great hero set against sweeping blue skies", which influenced many decisions in game design and story.^[14]

Gameplay[]

To make sure the game was pleasing to Japanese audiences, an introductory sequence that taught players the controls was included.^[15] Music was intended to be different from traditional ‘’Final Fantasy’’, and was designed to be more “popular” and “modern”, and included country and western music.^[15] Originally the game development team did not intend to use any of the unique features of the Nintendo Wii, but by the end they changed their minds.^[15] The team also realized that the Wii had become very popular with casual users, and retargeted the game at them.^[15] Internet connectivity was not added due to the low percentage of Wii owners using the feature.^[15] The team that developed “Crystal Bearers” was the same that developed the original Crystal Chronicles games except for the programmers, the head of which had previously worked on the ‘’Front Mission’’ series.^[15] During on site play testing, players familiar with Final Fantasy but not action games were able to learn “smoothly”.^[16] Indeed, Kawazu advises the design team near the end of development to not focus on “punishing” the player so much, as games traditionally do by having the protagonist die and restart.^[16] The producer expressed his desire to for every player to see the games ending, whether they are skilled at the game or not.^[16]

Release[]

The game's existence was announced at E3 2005^[17] and at E3 2006 a short pre-rendered teaser trailer was included within a Wii games compilation video. In May 2007 a new trailer including gameplay was released and a few interviews with the developers were given.^[18][19] Since then, no game information was given. Crystal Bearers has had no presence at recent Square Enix events or the website (the Crystal Chronicles developer blog has not made mention of Crystal Bearers since June 6, 2007^[20]) coupled with the developers of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King refusing to comment when asked about the status of The Crystal Bearers at the Game Developers Conference of February 2008, stating only that the public should "wait for a press release."^[21] In November 2008, in response to a section in the next month's issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly stating that the game had been "quietly canceled" Square Enix released a statement confirming that the game had not been canceled and that they fully intend to release it, although no release date could be given.^[22] A trailer for the game was packaged with the Wii version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. It shows the game in a further state of development, and displays game characteristics such as combat, magic, puzzle solving and an overworld, as well as traditional elements of the Final Fantasy series, such as the Cactuar and Bahamut. At the end of March, an official teaser site opened up.^[23] In Japan, a commercial for the game aired with the song We Weren't Born to Follow by Bon Jovi playing in the background.^[24]

Reception[]

On its first day of release in Japan, The Crystal Bearers sold 26,000 units, which is about 34% of its initial shipment in the region.^[31] The Japanese version sold 43,705 units by its second week of release,^[32] and over 54,000 copies by the end of the year.^[33]

The game was praised by Weekly Famitsu, saying the game's plot elements were well done: one reviewer stated "The way the story develops, along with the unique characters and world setting, is brilliant. There are lots of little details to everything." However, the publication criticized the game's map, finding it difficult to pinpoint the player's location with respect to the surroundings.^[26] The game received mixed and generally less favorable reviews from western outlets. X-Play gave a negative review, while Game Informer and IGN faulted the game for being an action adventure rather than an RPG. However, GameTrailers and Nintendo Power reviewed the game more positively.

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website