Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Review (Wii)

After wallowing in development hell for years, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for the Nintendo Wii is finally here! While the game has received the full range of reviews from the press, from great to terrible, the truth is this is an action adventure game that you'll need to follow your gut on. It follows the beat of its own drummer, and for the most part, I feel it succeeds.

While past Crystal Chronicles games have focused on multiplayer, The Crystal Bearers is largely a single player adventure, and you don't need any past experience with the franchise to have fun with this one. You play as Layle, a magic-wielding Crystal Bearer in a kingdom of reason and science. Most interactions in the game involve using Layle's telekinesis ability. Point at the screen with your Wii remote and gesture to hurl enemies, people and objects around. The controls are bit too finicky and take some getting used to, but once the game gets going, it's pretty easy to get into.

Action-adventure games tend to focus on combat and dungeon-crawling, but The Crystal Bearers breaks that mold and instead, combat is just one piece of a greater whole. The game instead incorporate the more minute details of an adventure, such as ball room dancing or chase scenes, and incorporates them into the overall progression. You can even replay these segments for better times or scores. Some folks are not going to dig this idea, but I appreciate the new elements The Crystal Bearers brings to the table. While one or two of these mini-games aren't so hot, most of them are fun and don't feel like "mini-games" at all (which is a good thing given the market's overall aversion to the word).

Though it lacks a decent map system and the voice acting is a little flaky, The Crystal Bearers brings a novel and fun package to the Nintendo Wii, including great graphics and music, and does something different with the action-adventure genre. It won't be everyone's cup of tea for sure, but everyone else should keep an eye on this gem.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• final
• fantasy
• crystal
• chronicles
• bearers
• review
• game
• play
• gameplay
• footage
• video
• square
• enix
• squareenix
• nintendo
• wii

[fatmarioandmore]

Just wondering,is there towns? so u can buy stuff..?

[tvandlust]

@fatmarioandmore Yes, you can buy things.

[27Axis]

Hey, I have to say, you did an excellent job of reviewing this game. You used facts and explained it very well. Much better than the IGN review. (which just left a bad feeling in my mind) You also didn't list the things that were only good about the game, but you just told it like it was. I'm looking to do my own game reviews, and this was a good example for me to look at. Thanks!

[tvandlust]

@27Axis Thanks a lot! Glad I could help!

[Reuleu]

Dude! I've been watching many other video reviews of this game, and having played this myself, I say you actually know what you are talking about! Nice review!

[tarkeke]

@s00paMILK ever played crystal chronicles for gamecube? =P

it does recemble the music at that game a whole lot, seeing as this series is different from the main series, I would say the same goes for the music, although I love the music in the chronicles series

[machinimamarlon]

See, I let the child abuse slide. But when you mess with the Moogle...

Shit's goin' down.

[Doublethree1]

My brother bought this game for $5 at Blockbuster when it went out of business, I never played it but after watching this review I think I might

[reemCGR]

@reemCGR I mean 4:34

[reemCGR]

I love how You Throw little kids at 3:34 Child abuse XD

[smoo87]

good review

[BryansWorld1993]

great review =)

[awesomemusicandgames]

this game are nice.. thinking of replaying it again :)

[mkocja5a]

you're so much better then ign