Let's Analyze: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (GC)

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

GameCube (2003)

Game Analysis

Written by DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis

Edited by GamerCurls

Overall Objective

Travel with your friends and gather myrrh in your crystal chalice, then return home to purify the crystal to protect your village from the deadly miasma for another year.

Basic Rule Set

Up to four players can travel together in a “crystal caravan”. The players carry with them an item called a “crystal chalice”.

The world of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is engulfed in a mysterious and dangerous element called “miasma”. The crystal chalice creates a protective dome around the party that protects them from the miasma.

If players venture beyond the chalice’s protective dome into the miasma, they will slowly begin to lose health. A player’s health is represented by hearts in a corner of the screen. Players will automatically be revived and regain their health if the rest of the players in the caravan successfully complete the level.

If all players are defeated then the game will be over.

Level Design

Objectives

The main objective of each level is to solve puzzles, defeat monsters, and defeat the final boss in order to gain access to the “myrrh tree” and gather its myrrh.

After completing a level, the players will receive mail from their families and earn bonus points used to obtain new equipment.

Shape

The physical shape of levels varies. They typically consist of a maze-like area where players can explore and find items. There is usually a main path that players can follow in order to reach the boss. Depending on the level, this main path can be either plainly visible, or difficult to find.

Most levels usually require the players to solve simple puzzles in order to advance to new areas. Some of the later levels are rather large, such as the desert level, which is a giant open area that players can explore, with no visible paths. Players do not necessarily have to explore every area in a level in order to complete it.

Bottlenecks

On the world map, bottlenecks typically only occur when a miasma stream requires an element to pass that the caravan is not capable of gathering in the area that they are in. This can make the caravan unable to advance to certain areas on the world map for particular years. However, this is solved once the caravan finds the “unknown element” later in the game which allows them to pass through any type of miasma stream.

In actual levels, bottlenecks occur if there are less than three players playing. This is because some of the more advanced levels contain puzzles that are designed for three to four players to solve easily. It is a bit more challenging (but possible) for two players to solve these puzzles, however, for one player it can be extremely difficult.

Enemy Placement

Enemy placement is predetermined. Enemies are triggered by the player’s proximity to them (which seems to happen a lot when the player is not looking in their direction). It’s possible for the player to start fighting one and then find the caravan piled up with three or four more enemies who have blindsided them to ‘assist’ the other enemies.

As the game progresses, enemies become more and more challenging and more numerous. This keeps the game exciting and challenging, though many of the minion battles can be easily brushed aside by people who just want to complete the level and move on.

advertisement
-
now back to the blog...

Item Placement

Items (power-ups, weapons, equipment, etc) are widely spread throughout each level, and as the years increase, the items improve. Many items are found simply by defeating the enemies, who drop them when they are defeated, while others are found in treasure chests, scattered throughout the levels.

It takes a bit of speed and luck to get the items when playing multiplayer, since everyone is tempted to compete to be the first to pick up the best of the dropped items.

Character Moves

A player may play as one of four tribe. Each tribe has the same basic moves in combat, which include attack, defend, cast spells and use items.

This game steers away from other Final Fantasy games with its real-time battle system. There is no turn-based attacking. One simply has to be faster and more understanding of the control system to gain an advantage.

Players cast spells and execute “Focus Attacks” by holding down the A button and placing their target cursor over a desired target and then releasing. Players can combine attacks by stacking target cursors over a target.

When a player dies, they turn into a ghost and then are only able to wave to other players for help.

Character Advancement

There are numerous ways for characters to advance in this game. One way pertains to how a character interacts with their family. As the years in the game progress, the family’s interactions with the character will change in response to their relationship and feelings towards them.

There is a narrator in this game that records the caravan’s progress in a diary as they come across new events and meet new friends. The longer a character has remained with a caravan, the more “memories” they will gather. The number of memories per character increases with each new diary entry that occurs when that character is present.

At the end of every year, the characters along with their families and other inhabitants of their village (called Tipa), will gather around the large crystal in their town as the village elder infuses the crystal with the myrrh that the caravan has gathered. The characters will then dance and celebrate, while the diary entries collected throughout the year are presented to the players.

There are various side quests that the caravan can undertake, and upon completing these side quests, new elements of the main story are revealed to the players.

There is no single main character of the game. The players’ characters are more symbolic, standing as representations of the players themselves.

The advancement of NPCs is more notable, in that, the caravan will repeatedly come across the same NPCs through their travels, each time revealing new developments in their own stories.

Enemies

Many of the regular enemies and bosses in this game are references to enemies of previous Final Fantasy games. The types and difficulty of enemies will increase as the years pass.

The size of enemies in this game can range anywhere from small, like normal squirrels, to much larger (but still smaller than a boss) like a gryphon. Bosses are typically much larger than normal enemies and require a certain amount of teamwork for players to defeat.

Power-ups

Spread throughout each level are treasure boxes in which players can obtain items. Some enemies will also drop items after they are defeated.

Among these items are foods which will increase a character’s health if they have lost any in the level. The amount of health recovered from eating food depends on the type of food the character eats.

Each character has preferences for certain types of food, which are partly affected by the character’s tribe. Selkies, for example, tend to like fish more than meat. If a Selkie eats fish, they will regain more health than if they ate meat. A character’s preferences of food will also change depending on the food that they eat most often.

There are urns placed around levels that, when destroyed, will spill different types of liquid onto the ground. Depending on the type of liquid, if the player casts a spell upon it, it will increase the damage done by the spell.

For example, if the player casts lightning on a puddle of water, then it will increase the damage done to enemies and potentially stun them. Similarly, casting Fire on a puddle of oil will increase the amount of damage done to enemies.

Items of Interest

Weapons

At the beginning of the game, players start off with standard weapons. Players can switch between weapons during levels if they equip multiple weapons into their command slots. This allows for a player to switch between long-range and short-range weapons on the fly.

In order for a character to earn new weapons, they must first obtain blueprints and materials for the types of weapons they desire (which can be either bought in a town or found in levels). The player must then take the blueprints and materials to a blacksmith who will create the weapon for their character for a price.

Each tribe has weapons specific to them, so players who find blueprints for a weapon of a different tribe are able to trade with other players who may need it.

If the player is not sure about which materials are needed to create a certain weapon, they can take the blueprints to a blacksmith to see what else is required.

advertisement
-
now back to the blog...

Equipment

The collection of equipment works much the same way as the collection of weapons. The players must first gather blueprints and materials and then see a blacksmith in order for them to be created. However, a player cannot assign multiple sets of equipment to their command slots like they can with weapons.

The quality of weapons and equipment that can be found throughout the game will improve as the years progress.

Interface Screen

The in-game interface shows a portrait of each character in each corner of the screen. Next to these portraits is a small window that informs the player what command they currently have selected. A player may only have one command selected at a time. They can cycle through commands by pressing the L or R button.

If the player is near a NPC or near a treasure box or hidden entrance, a smaller window will appear under the corresponding character’s portrait indicating that they are in close enough proximity to the NPC or hidden treasure to press the A button and activate it.

Magic System

Magic spells and fighting moves are well balanced in this game. Similar to Focus Attacks, spells must be charged shortly before executed. This keeps warriors and spellcasters on an even playing field and it is usually more beneficial for the caravan as a whole to combine Focus Attacks with spells.

The magic system is based on three earthly elements: fire, ice and thunder. There are primarily three types of magic within this game: attack spells, healing spells and status effect spells.

The primary method of casting spells in this game is by finding orbs in levels. The color of the orbs represents the type of spell the character will be able to cast. In order to cast a spell, the spell must be first available in one of the character’s command slots. There is no limit to the amount of times a spell can be cast by a character.

Once a player completes a level, they will lose the orbs they have gathered. In order to be able to cast those spells in another level, they must find the orbs again.

There are also spell rings which have the same abilities as orbs, but are able to be kept between levels. These are found once the players have advanced far enough in the story.

There is no dedicated interface for magic in this game. Spells are listed alongside normal items, and are equipped into a player’s command slots as any other item or weapon would be. When a player picks up a spell orb, that orb enters the player’s inventory and must be equipped and selected before it can be used.

Characters do not progress within the magic system in the traditional form of leveling up and gaining magic points, rather, a character’s capacity to use magic effectively is based upon the type of equipment they are wearing.

Rather than upgrading spells by gaining experience, the type of spell cast depends on the way in which it is cast during a level. For example, with a Fire Orb, the player has the ability to cast the normal fire spell on enemies, but, they also are able to cast Flame Burst on enemies if they combine their spell with the Focus Attack of another player. A stronger version of Fire, Firaga, will be cast if two players cast Fire together.

Players can also combine different types of spells to create new spells. The more players involved in a spell combination, the more powerful the resulting spell created will be. For example, the spell “Holy” will be cast if a life spell and an attack spell are combined. “Holyra” will be cast if a life spell and two attack spells are combined.

Game Play Element

Time

Time passes in this game in the form of years and memories. Once the caravan fills their chalice with myrrh three times, it is taken back to Tipa and a new year begins. Each new year introduces new plot elements, including new diary entries and new areas for players to explore.

As we already described in the character advancement section, as the years progress, characters which are in the caravan will gain memories with new diary entries. Towards the latter portions of the game, this becomes useful at determining which characters are the most experienced out of the eight total possible to have in a caravan.

Triggered Events

Triggered events occur both on the world map and in levels. The triggered events in levels consist of puzzles in which players must cooperate to solve. Some puzzles require players to cast certain combinations of spells in order to pass. Others consist of players having to stand on different press plates in order to continue.

In one stage in particular, it is possible to fill a river on the world map by releasing water within the level. After doing this, the river will be filled on the world map and the player will be able to cross it by taking a ferry.

There are no story-altering events that happen within the levels themselves. The story typically evolves on the world map with the exception of a few side quests.

On the world map their exist areas called “miasma streams”. There are four different elements which the miasma streams consist of. The caravan cannot cross through miasma streams unless they have the same element in their chalice. The caravan can change the element in their chalice by finding certain points in levels where they can drop their chalice in to change their element.

Usually at the beginning of a new year, the caravan will encounter story sequences as soon as they leave Tipa. These events become less frequent as they approach the end of a year. If a player maintains good relationships with their friends and family throughout the year, then at the beginning of a new year the player’s family will give them money. The amount given is determined by the player’s relationship with their family.

There are many triggered events specific to side quests, such as receiving money from the princess of Alfitaria, and winning a cow for the family. If the player sends a cow back to their family, the family will mail milk to them in return.

advertisement
-
now back to the blog...

Implementation

A.I.

The A.I. in this game is most noticeable in the enemies in each level. For the most part, the A.I. is unintelligent and easy to trick. The A.I. demonstrates its greatest strength in numbers. Players will usually be defeated by the A.I. when they are either outnumbered or have no room to avoid an enemy’s attacks.

Bosses are also no more intelligent than normal enemies. The challenge of bosses exists in their sheer size.

If the player is playing single player mode, they will have a computer ally which will carry the chalice for them and follow them. This ally is a creature called a moogle, and after a certain amount of time, the moogle will get tired of carrying the chalice and ask the player to carry it for awhile.

It is possible for the player to paint and shear the moogle’s fur. If the moogle’s fur is sheared and the player is in a hot level (such as a desert), the moogle will become less likely to get tired. If the moogle’s fur is painted, the moogle will become more likely to cast spells of certain types to help the player.

Procedural Content

The procedural content of levels is present in the type of items and equipment dropped from treasure boxes and enemies. Enemies in levels are generally not randomly placed.

After the caravan has spent a certain amount of time in a certain year and has seen all the triggered story events for that year, the events will become randomized and it will become possible for the caravan to encounter the same story event more than once.

Because the story is meant to span about six or seven years, after the seventh year the story events will become randomized and the caravan will see story events that may have occurred already in the past three or four years.

Player Investment

Character Empathy

When starting a new game, players are able to choose the tribe of their character, their gender, and their family trade (job class). Through this building process, the player already starts to develop a tie to their character.

Once the game begins, the player becomes enveloped in the character’s world, being seen off on their mission by their entire family, who they should keep in contact with and in good standings throughout the game (though that aspect really is the player’s choice).

A large part of the empathy in the game comes from the multiplayer aspect. More than one player makes the game not only more fun, but more intricate and motivates the player to invest more into their character in order to beat their friends to objects, or to complete tasks and missions.

Elements of Character Customization

The most effective part of the characters in this game is their customization. Each tribe specializes in certain skills, while their job class determines the types of items the player’s family will mail them or create for them.

Players may customize their character by collecting new equipment and weapons to increase their stats. The player can also customize their character by collecting artifacts which give them advantages for certain abilities.

Some artifacts will help a character regenerate health quicker. Others will increase the amount of command slots a character can have. Some artifacts can increase the amount of damage a player inflicts when they cast certain spells.

As the game advances, players also gain the ability to add weapons and artifacts to their command slots.

Symbiosis of Story & Design

For many ages, a poisonous mist (miasma) has covered the world, threatening to destroy all life. Until one day, the powers of the crystals were discovered. With these crystals, entire villages were saved as they unleashed a magical power that kept the mist at bay.

But the power of the crystal does not last forever, and each year it becomes a quest for the youth of each village to venture out to seek the powerful mana water (myrrh), to purify the crystal. The water comes from the myrrh trees, and each tree produces only a single drop of myrrh (conveniently after the boss battle of the level). Once three drops have been collected, it’s time to go home, for the year is over and the water is ready to purify the crystal.

One of the biggest problems found in the game is that these years can seem a bit too short for the player. One boss per level, three bosses equals one year. It’s a short equation that somehow doesn’t rest very simply on the brain.

Magic, specialized attacks, and stats all based on a character’s tribe make the game an obvious RPG (as if the story wasn’t already enough a hint). But it all tends to flow together to make the story acceptable to most audiences.

The most effective and noticeable use of the story and game design has to be the crystal that the player (or someone else in their party) must carry around on their head to protect them from the poisonous gas. It seems almost tedious, but it’s an important factor to the story, and helps to build teamwork. Venturing outside the protective bubble costs the player life points and eventual death, if they remain outside too long.

One other unique aspect of the game’s design is its requirement of the GameCube and a Game Boy Advance in order to enjoy the “full experience”. A player must learn to control keeping up with what’s happening on the Game Boy Advance screen as well as what the rest of the caravan is doing on the main system.

The Game Boy Advance screen displays secret goals unique to each player that should be completed for each level. Their Game Boy Advance screen may also help them throughout the whole quest by displaying a map of the level or the location of treasure chests.

advertisement
-
now back to the blog...

Symbiosis of Design & Art

The artwork connects to the game design via story visuals and depictions of historical events within its own fantasy-based tale. The visual style of the characters and architecture are similar, so they flow together nicely. It is overall bright and cheerful, with excessive uses of the same texture in certain levels that can become a bit hard on the eye, but is usually overlooked, since there’s so much going on.

The game is so obviously a Japanese import that one can’t ignore the distinct J-RPG art style. Like previous Final Fantasy games, the entire game has a feel of the visual style that Square Enix has come to associate themselves with.

Player Perspective

Target Audience

The game is rated “Teen” but it might not necessarily be representative of its realistic target audience. Crystal Chronicles is, by a long shot, not the most complex Final Fantasy game to have been developed, and the learning curve is very easy.

This game could easily be enjoyed by younger children, especially in large groups. Particularly, the competitive aspect of the multiplayer gameplay is very entertaining. The only aspect that might intimidate some younger children is the rivalry that may develop when playing the multiplayer mode.

Difficulty Progression

The game begins with an easy tutorial level that explains the backstory and how the game system works. Afterwards, each level features varying challenges and obstacles to overcome, some more complex than others. The difficulty of the bosses at the end of each level seems to progress linearly.

In the multiplayer mode, the combined efforts of the caravan can make the levels easier to clear. Once the players have become well-coordinated, the game can devolve into a race to defeat each boss and grab up the best of the items they drop.

Historical Accuracy

As with most RPGs, there’s a limit to what can be referred to as “historical accuracy” in Crystal Chronicles. Since there is really no time period that it can truly be compared to, the comparison must depend upon the general interpretation of the fantasy genre.

It’s generally accepted that in fantasy realms, the era is akin to something like what people imagine when they think of the “Dark Ages” with castles and magical creatures. Everyone knows that the Dark Ages were not really like how they are depicted in fantasy stories, but the setting seems appropriate, like a perfect moment in time, where everything is shrouded in mystery, and thus the perfect setting for a magical adventure.

Crystal Chronicles runs in a similar line with these thoughts, with magical professions and uncomplicated weapons that the character can have crafted by a blacksmith. There are no guns, no chainsaws, nothing terrorizing and associated with the weapons of today, and characters must rely on their magic, their swords or lances, and their stats to survive.

Replay Value

Crystal Chronicles was designed to be multiplayer, which can be played alone if desired. The competition to get the most hits on a boss or complete a task better than others is one of the most fun aspects of the game.

However, the game has a limited replay value to it. There simply isn’t enough complexity to the game to keep a person busy for that long. There is no deviation from the main storyline, and after seven years in the game, the story begins to repeat itself.

What the game lacks in story, it makes up for in its multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode keeps the game appealing because with different players or characters, different outcomes are possible in battles. This is guaranteed to keep people sitting in front of their systems for hours, socializing on an entirely different level than in the real world.

Regarding the magic system and replay value, a positive aspect of the system is that it attracts players to return to the game with their friends, in order to be able to test different spell combinations to see what new spells they can cast. And because it takes some practice to successfully coordinate three other people to come together to cast a spell, the experience can be very enjoyable once a spell is successfully cast.

The drawback of the magic system and replay value would have to be that once mastered, players will quickly realize that there is only a small amount of spells within the game that can be created through combinations.

Perhaps this problem could be solved if more types of spells were included with this game. Typically, Final Fantasy games are known for their vast library of spells available to the player, as well the ability to summon magical creatures.

This game would benefit from the ability to cast spells already familiar to fans of Final Fantasy such as the famous Ultima or having the ability to summon creatures like Bahamut.

Thankfully, the ability to combine spells and having no limit on the amount of times a spell can be cast in a level is a unique feature to Crystal Chronicles that would work well to be kept but combined with a larger variety of spells.

But even with the multiplayer mode, at its core, the main aspect of replay in this game consists simply of running around and leveling up as much as possible. It’s not hard to lose interest in it, especially if the whole group-quest thing isn’t one’s cup of tea. And if it’s not, the lack of an engaging story would be enough for a person to give up on this game early on.

advertisement
-

=^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^=

Blog

https://www.riafunk.blog

YouTube

https://youtube.com/RIAfunkTV

Website

https://www.riafunk.com

Buy Me a Coffee

https://buymeacoff.ee/riafunk

.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.