Another crystal adventure.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is another spin-off of the main series, albeit a good one. Without giving away too much, you and your caravan journey to dungeons on a monster-free world map. Monsters of types roam the dungeons, and each dungeon holds a boss at the end. Upon vanquishing this foe, you collect energy for your town's crystal, which repels monsters.

Gameplay is best with friends, as well as GBAs. The handhelds are used to display one of four of the types of maps, on which you can see treasure chests, monsters, terrain, or information on the last defeated enemy. This requires a Gamecube-GBA link cable per connected GBA, but you can change your map in single-player mode by painting Mog.

The controls work well. You move with the analog stick, whether moving the caravan on the map, your character, or the targeting ring for your attacks; the A button is used for confirmation, examining suspicious places in towns, talking, or for your character's actions; the B button cancels, picks and drops items and the chalice, which holds your myrrh, the crystal's energy; Y opens the menu; X is used to call Mog, who carries the chalice in single-player mode. The only bad thing is that you cycle through commands with L and R, which can be a pain, and that if you get hit while charging your attack or spell, it's canceled.

The main objectives are to run through the dungeons defeating enemies and collecting the all important treasures, expanding your choice (out of a maximum of eight) of which one you can keep (then it is called an artifact). Bosses usually don't take much strategy, but Cure magic is important if you aren't carrying ample food, which takes up one space per unit of food. Since space is limited, it's not a good idea. And Mog, who carries the chalice in single-player, can get annoying when he falls behind. If you leave the ring of light around the chalice, you'll start taking damage, and this system of staying close to the chalice is a hindrance more often than not, especially if you're falling back to heal.

Some other noteworthy dungeon features are hidden Mog houses, which let you play a less-than-thrilling racing game, and recipes which, with the necessary ingredients, allow you to make improved armor, weapons or accessories. Recipes are either available to a specific race to start, or available to all four (although it's race exclusive once crafted), which are: Clavats, which are human-like, and the defensive tribe; Selkies, who wear fur, and are the most agile; Yukes, who specialize in magic and cover their faces; and Lilties, powerful fighters who are short in stature. Each tribe has one of eight looks you may choose, and their is room for up to eight members.

The sounds and music in Crystal Chronicles is very good. Each dungeon has different music, and it suits the environment you are in. It uses mostly woodwinds and strings, so it has a classic feel to it. There isn't any voice acting for the caravan members, although monsters do make noises. The sound effects are also a nice touch. They work well.

The graphics are pleasing, and are good, considering the gamecube's limitations. From the glimmer of a crystal, to the rocks on the ground, the graphics are detailed enough for a great look, but not overdone so everything looks too real. The character's weapon changes according to what you have equipped, but armor and accessories do not.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles has a decent lifespan with all the dungeons and side events, raising more than one character, and collecting artifacts (treasures from dungeons). And it's even better with friends. Overall, FF:CC is a game worth playing.

Review by Crimson Fang