 The Nintendo Switch is quickly gaining a reputation as the remaster platform of choice for many game developers. Do you have an aging gem of a game that you want to squeeze a few more sales out of, simply release it onto the Switch and bask in the renewed interest that this handheld console provides? The device has a growing player base, but let's face it, there haven't been a lot of original games released this year. Thus far perhaps more so than any other previous Nintendo console, this is becoming a safe haven for games that really never got a fair shake the first time around. Some of these remasters have been more worthwhile than others, but a new announcement has me very excited. You can keep your sky rims and your pockens, the game that really deserves a fresh try on the Switch is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Welcome to the first episode of Kotor's Soapbox, where I blather on endlessly about whatever nonsense I think is relevant. Apologies for not being quite as good at voice over as my partner Breton Stripes, but I hope you'll stick with me regardless. With that said, let's talk about the GameCube and why Crystal Chronicles will actually be better on the Switch than it was on its original console. Nintendo wanted to try something bold with the GameCube. In an attempt to link together the company's handheld and home console devices, it was possible to run a cable from a Game Boy Advance into the GameCube's controller port. This meant that the Game Boy Advance could be used as a controller, but it also allowed for a second screen for certain games. Yes, all the way back with the GameCube, Nintendo was already trying to push the basic gameplay mechanic for the Wii U. But the GameCube could actually do more than the Wii U, as up to four Game Boys could all be plugged in at the same time, which meant that four different players could each have their own second private screen. Developers found some really interesting ways to play with this. My favorite game that uses the technology is Pac-Man Versus, which I only managed to pick up a few years ago at a retro event. Unfortunately, it didn't get a very wide release. One player plays a relatively traditional game of Pac-Man on the Game Boy screen, while up to three other players watched the TV instead and used GameCube controllers to play as the ghosts. The ghosts can't see where Pac-Man is and their view is limited, so everyone has to work together. I think it's on the 3DS now, and if you haven't already, you should definitely check it out. The big problem is that you need a lot of different resources in order to play. For the record, I'm using the term resource loosely here. So you'd need a GameCube and the copy of the game that you wanted to play. But for each player, you also needed a Game Boy Advance and a Link Cable. This meant that many players never really got to enjoy these games to their fullest in their heyday, simply because of the cost incurred by filling up a four player setup. But there's also another resource that you need. In order to get the most out of these games, you need friends. This is where my experience has always fell down. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is not as deep and story driven as many other games that bear the Final Fantasy name. The concept is simplified to its barest minimum. Essentially, there is a MacGuffin out there that needs to be collected, and so up to four people can head out to get it. It's also not turn based, which is a blessed mercy. Anyone who has ever played a four player Pokemon battle, which is also possible with this technology, will know that waiting for all four people to pick a move is about as much fun as falling asleep on a bed of nails. But Crystal Chronicles does feature a lot of elements that try to make the gameplay feel immersive. Each player can customize their character, picking from a series of different character models and also choosing a backstory and a family profession. There's a lot more depth in this than I ever really expected, and in my opinion, it is the best part of the game. Unfortunately, this title struggles because of the nature of multiplayer games. It's essentially trying to be both a party game and a role playing game, and these don't always mesh. When I first got the game, I played it with my brothers and sisters. We all built our characters, went off on a quest, then squabbled for a while and gave up. Later, I played with a friend. We built all new characters and started from the beginning so that my friend could get up to speed with what was going on. We got a little further and even managed to see the credits play as they do after every few levels. Then, my friend went home. The next time I played, it was with some different friends. We started all over again, made characters, and played through the same few levels. The next time I played was a few years later at university. My housemates and I made new characters and then played from the start. We didn't really get very far this time either. Do you see a pattern here? The problem with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is not only that it requires friends to play with, but also that it requires the same group of players to make things fun. Because in completing a cycle within the game, characters level up, but suddenly you've got characters that are more powerful, alongside characters that are brand new. It's hard to role play consistently when you're playing with different people each time. And hey, maybe that's just my problem. Maybe if you've got the same group of friends that you play with regularly, this isn't an issue. Certainly, when it works, this game can feel like a great interpretation of playing Dungeons and Dragons or something similar, as everyone wanders around together slaying monsters and trading items. But this is why I'm so pleased with the idea of a remaster. This game never really got its due. It released on the GameCube to a limited audience. That audience was made even smaller by the fact that it required players to buy a lot of Nintendo stuff to get the full experience. Then there were those like myself, who were eager to play the game, but who had a different group of friends around every time we played it. Perhaps the moral of the story is that you should find three friends and stick with them for life. I'm not very good at that. The PlayStation 4 and Switch release of this game should hopefully be able to overcome this fundamental problem. If you're able to play online, you can play with friends that aren't of necessity, forced to spend time together in the same room. I certainly hope this game has multiplayer. There hasn't been an official confirmation yet, but that seems like the easiest way to get around the limitations of the hardware. Suddenly everyone has their own TV screen for item management. It's also the only way I could imagine this working on a PlayStation 4, unless it's going to use some kind of abysmal split screen system that just makes things more complicated than they need to be. Of course, this doesn't solve the other big problem I had as a teenager with Crystal Chronicles. The game does require you to play nice with others. With all of the inventory management, it's a very tedious game to play if one or more people simply can't make up their minds about equipment or item purchases in a shop or even which direction to take the party as we explore the land. I have two sisters and a brother, and as kids we all had our own Game Boys. We saved up hard to make this possible, and you'd think that we'd want to get the most out of them by playing together. But Crystal Chronicles is a game that requires a certain amount of co-operation, and that really wasn't our thing. The game fell apart very quickly when we couldn't agree on what to do next. Something tells me that this new remaster won't be able to fix that particular challenge. As appealing as the idea may be, no game studio can patch out sibling rivalry. Just be warned, this is one of those games that can put a real dent on a friendship, if not everybody is willing to play fair.