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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS)

• Developer: Square-Enix
• Publisher: Square-Enix
• Genre: Role Playing
• Official Website: http://na.square-enix.com
• Score: 4 of 5: Niche

When the name Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles comes to mind, people think of the original GameCube game. While the original had some merits, such as being a great multiplayer romp (provided you could get 3 other people with their own copies of the game), it felt like it was the bare minimum as far as gameplay and story were concerned.

The sequel, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, has finally come to the DS, and it's got a totally revamped feel over the original. Ring of Fates introduces us to a young boy named Yuri and his sister Chelinka. They set out on an adventure shortly after their father Latov gives them his prized hatchet. All seems fine and dandy until after coming home from a day out with their mentor Alhanalem when their home is paid a visit and nothing is quite the same. While the story is simplistic in nature, it's certainly much more of a breath of fresh air compared to its predecessor boring, never-ending predecessor.

The action in Ring of Fates is a fairly standard dungeon crawl. The player enters a dungeon, kills a lot of monsters, levels a lot of levels, and grabs as much loot as possible. Normal controls are handled using the d-pad and face buttons with the basic fare of actions like jumping, using a melee weapon, using items for healing and casting spells, and using unique "Tribe abilities". All of this might sound complex, but the in-game tutorial does a great job explaining the basics of combat and puzzle solving making it a breeze to pick up.

To be brief, Tribe abilities vary between offensive and utility. Yuri's Clavat ability enables a sort of "homing attack" that ignores enemy defense and deals a large amount of damage, while others like Alhanalem's Yuke ability can use magic to create platforms on which to stand. Some Tribe abilities use SP, so it's best to keep an eye on how much these abilities are used.

Item use takes a slightly different approach in the game, as they can used on the player, or moved around via a "ring-locking" system that allows for remote use. If more than one character uses the same item on the same spot, the item effect stacks and becomes much more powerful. For instance, if two characters use a Fire magicite on the same target, then it becomes a Fira magicite and deals more damage; the more characters that use the same item at the same time, the stronger the effect will become.

The beginning of the game can feel like it drags though, mostly because of the amount of tutorial it supplies to set up the rest of the game. However, after the first three missions everything starts to fall into place and it becomes fairly straightforward and rather fun to play. The length of each chapter in the story usually amounts to a little over an hour to two hours, and clocking in at eleven chapters the game doesn't overstay its welcome. Its length falls into the "just right" category. As for multiplayer, the only way to play with friends is via ad-hoc wireless which supports up to 4 players. The Wi-Fi experience is limited to a Mog Trader which allows friends to trade mog designs amongst each other.

The game's graphics push the DS to its limits with fully 3D environments presented in a 3/4 perspective that lets the player view the action from an angle that captures a large area. The score isn't the most memorable the Final Fantasy franchise has had to offer, but it sets the mood in many areas and is appropriate to the settings in the game. The biggest weakness is the game's AI. While a computer controller player is usually pretty good at keeping the player covered in most combat situations, the pathfinding leaves a bit to be desired. Players will likely find themselves using the L trigger to call partners back to their location quite a bit.

Still, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a worthy buy. Even for those soured by the first Crystal Chronicles game, this is certainly worth playing.

Apr 9, 2008 | 2 comments
John Marques