Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is a game with multiple personality disorder. First it's an RPG. Then it's a card battle game. Later, it's a compilation of minigames. Then it's an RPG again. Breadth of gameplay styles is ordinarily a good thing, but there's not a clear core gameplay mechanic. The minigames get especially challenging, and this only serves to further separate them from the simple story with an obvious focus on younger players.

When the game begins, the player - the titular chocobo - is settling down for story time with his friends. Then a black mage comes by and offers to read from his new book, an evil force is unleashed upon the world, and all the chcobos except you are imprisoned in cards. Bebuzzu, the aforementioned evil book, would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for random storybooks found around the world map that can alter the world around them. Need to go up a cliff? Just keep playing the "Jack and the Beanstalk" inspired minigame until you unlock an ending. Then a vine will have grown in the overworld, and you ascend to the next level.

These storybook minigames are simple in concept, but the opponent AI really ramps up in the final levels. Sure, it's easy to get the adamantoise (tortoise) to the top of the mountain before the cactuar (hare), but it's a much more difficult goal to beat three AI opponents on battle level five. Beating the initial game is all that's required to move the story forward, but if you want the good cards, you'll be replaying the same minigames over and over again.

While you're not playing storybook minigames, you can play other non-connected minigames scattered about the world map. Some of these games have a WarioWare feel to them, and others have a "my first game" feel. In one, an adamantoise is rolling down a hill. It's your job to stop him as close to the precipice as possible without sending him to his death below. Stop him within 5 meters of the edge, and you get the silver award and a card. Stop him within 2 meters, and you get the gold award and an even better card. Wait too long and let him fall off the edge, and you've wasted 30 seconds.

The third facet of Chocobo Tales is the card battle system. Cards that are won in the storybook minigames and overworld minigames are used in battle against storyline villains and obstacles, so there's a reason to get good at the mingames and collect the best cards. Each card has a circle on the top, bottom, left, and right edge. Pictures, or lack thereof, in each circle denote physical attack, magic attack, defense, and wait. Attack versus wait does full damage, attack versus defense does half damage, and attacks are completely nullified by defense. Sadly, battles are almost entirely luck-based. You and your opponents each pick cards and then determine what attacks were successful. The development team seemed to realize this, however, and if you keep your deck updated with recent acquisitions, luck should constantly be on your side.

Final Fantasy Fables can't quite decide what it wants to be. Is it an RPG without equipment and party members? Is it a card battle game? Is it a collection of single-player minigames? It doesn't know, and neither does the player. If ever a game exemplified the saying "jack of all trades; master of none," it's Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales.

Apr 13, 2007 | 0 comments
Justin Last