Review for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition. Game for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 27/08/2020
It was back in 2013 when for the first time we gathered our few possessions, greeted our family and faced a mysterious journey full of dangers and amazing adventures. The modest caravan bit the rough pavement of a ruined world, devoured by the ravenous Miasma and on the verge of collapse.
The light of the crystal that protected our village was fading and the heroes in charge of collecting the drops of Myrrh able to revitalize it they took charge of the destinies and hopes of which they confidently awaited their return, so that the crystal could shine again for another year.
One more year, and year after year we found ourselves exploring the dangerous complexities of a poisoned and ruined world, pushing us further and further to hunt for new Myrrh blooms, venturing into the perilous ravines of the continent. My Moguri and I treasured every encounter, preserving the precious memory of the sporadic adventurers who shared the warmth of a hearth for short nights or whispered warnings and thoughtful advice about the horrors waiting in the dark.
It was the distant 2013 and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, thanks to its atypical Action-RPG formula, offered us a journey of hope, lovingly hosted by a then roaring Nintendo GameCube. Now Crystal Chronicles is back with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition, its restored and revitalized version and we are ready to jump on the caravan and retrace its winding roads in search of Mirra.
In the early stages of the game, we are once again called to choose the race of our avatar, which will kindly determine the class. We can therefore choose between the humanoid and versatile Clavat, between the small but very ferocious Lilty, the very agile Selkie or the wise and lanky wizards Yuke.
The race will determine the starting statistics, the items that can be equipped and even the gastronomic preferences of our darling. We will then go to select the profession of our family that awaits us in our village, thus determining the objects that we will go to them to craft and the focus on the matter in question and we will finally give a name to our village.
The formula proposed by Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition follows the original: moving on a World Map that acts as an adventure board, we will move from stage to stage until we reach and plunder the dungeon on duty, until our glass of Myrrh is full and we can therefore return to our village, ready to restart the following year with the same purpose. Each dungeon contains an explorable section to culminate with an impressive boss fight, at the end of which we can collect the precious drop of Myrrh: three will be enough to complete the current year and thus revitalize the crystal of our village.
However, the flowering of Myrrh occurs every two years, thus pushing us further and further away from home to collect the drops and always face new dungeons. The combat system revolves around a list of commands to scroll through during the course of the various dungeons to carry out any action, from attacking to defending, culminating in the casting of the most iconic spells of the saga.
The skills and spells to be included in the command list however, they must be found all over again every time we venture into the dungeon on duty, motivating the exploration in order to face the boss on duty well prepared. In the single player mode there is the option to merge the various spells to create new ones, allowing a pleasant customization of our set up, without ever getting involved in too high complexity.
The strength and weakness of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is the extreme simplicity proposed by the main adventure, which guides us along the course of the game without letting us break down almost never. The upgrade system of our character is linked to the discovery of unique artifacts at the end of each dungeon, which will permanently increase our statistics, thus pushing us to grind the various instances in order to collect the eight artifacts and increase our effectiveness in battle.
However, the core experience of the proposal offered by Crystal Chronicles has always been there in the possibility of facing the various game dungeons in co-op with up to four players, slightly tweaking the gameplay formula in order to encourage cooperation. In Coop it will no longer be possible to merge our spells to create more powerful ones, but we will have to coordinate with our friends to simultaneously cast two Fire spells at the same point and thus obtain the effect of a Fira.
In single player mode, we will have our trusty Moogle a carry for us the heavy chalice of Myrrh, which defines the surrounding area capable of making us resist the Miasma, while in a cooperative, we will have to alternate in the transposition and repositioning of the glass in order to progress and fight within the circle of purification that it establishes.
In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition the cooperative mode is enhanced thanks to the online, che allows us to host and create game sessions with our friends, to the detriment of the ability to play locally. The Lite and free version supports this choice, which allows users who do not own the title to play in the company of a friend who owns the basic version of the game, thus guaranteeing access to most of the Crystal Chronicles dungeons. To corroborate the Remastered offer thirteen new end game dungeons are added of exponential difficulty compared to the main adventure, which require a high mastery of the game and gear up to the challenge proposed. Old and new players will find bread for their teeth, guaranteeing that bite that the original 2013 proposal was perhaps lacking. Also from the equipment side, the new edition of Crystal Chronicles promises interesting additions, going to stratify the gaming experience.
The splendid soundtrack that has always characterized the title has been remastered for the occasion, proposing new versions of the canonical tracks and even some dialogue lines can finally enjoy dubbing portions. Also from an aesthetic point of view, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition has been rejuvenated, even proposing cosmetic additions relating to the legal collectibles to the Moogle well hidden inside the dungeons.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is the story of a journey, to be undertaken alone or in company. Although the basic mechanics of the combat system are inevitably dated and not very usable when compared to the proposals of the titles of the latest generation of action-RPGs, Crystal Chronicles retains a magic of its own, an enchantment destined to last over time. The weight of the years is felt and the online sector, albeit stable, follows the low interaction philosophy typical of Nintendo, forcing us to use third-party voice programs to communicate and coordinate with our distant friends. For our part, we are happy to embark on a new journey, despite the fact that time passes inexorably and age is sometimes an overwhelming burden, others to be proudly exhibited. For this reason we would like to recommend this odyssey to nostalgics and those who, in the face of a large group of friends, want to spend fun afternoons together under the banner of the enchantment of yesteryear.
► Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is an RPG-Adventure game developed and published by Square Enix for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 27/08/2020
