“Final
Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles” is an action RPG in classic Final Fantasy
style with turn-based combat interspersed with exploration and story.
Set in the universe of Final Fantasy, gamers can explore the world,
fight monsters, and trade with and perform quests for the residents of
various towns. The goal of the game is to protect the towns from a
deadly encroaching poison known as the "miasma" by helping each town
restore a crystal that creates a barrier that the feared poison cannot
penetrate. Throughout the course of the game, players will learn about
the story of this world, the legend of how the miasma came into being,
and attempt to be rid of it once and for all.The core of “Final Fantasy:
Crystal Chronicles” is the overworld map, which enables gamers to
choose how they progress through the game and what quests, tasks, and
challenges they will approach next in the game. Players familiar with
earlier Final Fantasy releases will readily dive into the turn-based
combat, which includes classic moves and strategies as well as new ones.
Much of the new strategy revolves around the combination of spells with
each spell building off the power of previous ones to enable gamers to
buff themselves higher or hit their enemies harder. Classic races
reappear, including the Clavat, Liltie, Selkie, Yukie, and Moogle. Each
race has its own skills, advantages, and unique abilities.The biggest
new feature of Crystal Chronicles is the multiplayer aspect. Gamers can
now work together to defeat enemies and clear dungeons, taking advantage
of the four controller ports on the Nintendo GameCube. This makes the
game unique within the series since players control their own characters
during their turn. It is also possible to use the Game Boy Advance
adapter to play the game with additional controls and information. This
is particularly helpful in multiplayer mode since it allows the primary
player's friends to help him or her with new info and potential
strategies.Gamers will encounter many characters over the course of the
game, and up to nine different ones can join the party over the process
of the adventure. Each one is unique to Crystal Chronicles and has a
unique effect on the gameplay. The mix of the active party changes,
encouraging gamers to develop different strategies to handle different
skill sets and find what works best for them. Like in most role-playing
games, the characters level up over time, gaining new skills and
abilities for battle.Crystal Chronicles is a popular action RPG game on
this Nintendo system. With its unique elements, most notably the ability
to bring in other players using the Gameboy Advance adapter, it offers
multiple gamers an ideal setting for long sessions played together.