14 DAY TRIAL // Back at the Tokyo Game Show in September, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers got everybody riled up, as it announced itself as a game that "truly [stood] out both on its choice of platform and within its series." But, in hoping to overcome the lesser game that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time proved to be, it might have worked too hard and strained something. The Wii game received a not-so-impressive score from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.
As the last Crystal Chronicles title to come out of Square Enix's front gates, the game didn't manage to impress the Japanese critics. All it could muster were 30 points from the maximum of 40, as the four different reviewers who fiddled with the game awarded it grades of 7, 8, 7 and another 8. In themselves, they may not sound so bad, but the magazine does have a bit of a habit of taking Final Fantasy games to heart and usually applaud them.
One reviewer said that, "The story, woven by a cast of colorful characters, is extremely fascinating. The way the story develops, along with the unique characters and world setting, is brilliant. There are lots of little details to everything." Still, the title also stood out for slightly unrealistic features. "The telekinesis setup is fun -- you get to perform a lot of actions in the playable events, but I wish people gave more of a response to getting moved around," another reviewer added.
Still, the complaints the game received are minor and refer to details that can be generally overlooked. "The levels are well-made and full of gimmicks," a third reviewer shared. "But the map doesn't give you much info, making it hard to figure out where you are at times. It's hard to get a grip on your surroundings, and the game feels a bit like a long fetch quest, but the playable events and wide variety of minigames ensure that players never get bored." All in all, the title may have some glitches and faults, but it's very far from being a disaster. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers will be available in America in December and, next year, in February in Europe.