14 DAY TRIAL // The gaming industry got hit pretty bad last year, with a lot of studios having had to cut down on their working force and firing a lot of people to try to keep the company afloat. Another thing companies went for was an attempt to increase their sales by appealing to the grown masses of casual gamers. As such, in a vicious circle, more casual titles have been developed, and while hardcore games haven't really disappeared, the middle ground for gaming is beginning to fade.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is one of the games that was supposed to ease people into traditional RPGs, but even so, Square Enix doesn't think that its game could be labeled as casual. While talking to Official Nintendo Magazine, the game's Director, Toshiyuki Itahana, made what could easily become the statement of the year.
"Challenging gameplay must never be sacrificed for the sake of a wider audience," he said. "That's an easy way of attracting new gamers, but that way you might upset long time fans." And Itahana is undoubtedly correct in his opinion, as the public has shown. While accessibility has improved game sales considerably, to the point that around 75 percent of American houses own at least one console, the complaints regarding a degrading gaming culture are steadily rising.
FFCC: The Crystal Bearers will come out on the Wii on February 5, so we'll have to wait a little bit to see if the gameplay is or is not oversimplified, and if it will provide a challenge or not. Until then, we're inclined to believe Itahana's statement, since he should be one of the people than understand the concept of a proper RPG. We know that The Crystal Bearers will take a new approach to the series, intertwining classical storytelling with an action-packed gameplay, but, hopefully, its creator's work on Final Fantasy IX, as well as on the original Crystal Chronicles, will show, and the title will provide a solid performance.