Who owns or at least has played the new FFCC?

[Crimson Hagane]

I'm talking about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Who's played it since its recent release? And what do you think of it?

My thoughts: Although the story is fairly short, taking up only about 8 hours of playtime, there is just so much exploring and experimenting to do in this game, so much, it taken up over 40 hours of playtime for me, and I'm not even done playing. The way monsters interact with each other and their environment is very intriguing, from the Killer Hounds chasing Skeletons for their bones and Bombs exploding on dancing Goblins to picking up Tonberries to knife monsters and watering Cactuars, making them bigger.  

[Volkenheim]

I played the game and I agree with everything you just said.

My thoughts:

Mechanics:The reaction/interaction system used on the monsters in battle (especially the people in towns) was quite fascinating and you even get to see how certain monsters really react to what the monsters are doing or what you're doing. What makes the game more interesting is the Achievements system in the game where when you do a certain thing to the monsters or an area, you get an Achievement reward (like in Metroid Prime 3).
Score: 8

Graphics: The graphics are pretty good for a Wii Final Fantasy game. They kinda remind me of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Also, the different areas throughout the game are very beautiful and fantasy-like.
Score: 9

Music/Sounds: The music is not bad either, though it's lacking more music. Also, some of the voice-overs in the game sounded kind of bad; they were also a bit off-sync.
Score:5

Controls: The controls were pretty fun and it was fun tossing enemies and people around the place for the whole game. Also, the Wii Remote pretty much handles well when it comes to certain mini-games like that skydiving-shooter mini-game at the start of the game. Combat is not so bad either once you get the hang of it.
Score: 8

Challenge: The game is somewhat simple from the get-go and some first-time players may take a while to get the hang of how the combat works.
Score:6

Storyline: The story was quite intriguing and interesting. It sorta reveals some insight into the backstory of the Crystal Chronicles world and the reason why the four tribe crystals are important for that world. However, it was a bit short.
Score: 7

Interface: The only thing I got to say about that is the store system sucks. You can't sell stuff and the only items you can buy in the game is materials for new items. 'Nuff said. And how is only changing the emblem on Layle's jacket any good for customization?! That's a load of crap! It would've been better if the emblem could've had an affect on Layle's abilities!
Score: 3

Overall: The game is not a bad buy; some people will enjoy it and others (mostly the average western gamer, no offense to Americans like myself) will hate it. And while some gamers (like me) will get pissed by the fact that the game doesn't let use a weapon, this style of combat will make you think otherwise.
Final Score: 7.3 out of 10  

[nitnit]

As someone who played through Crystal Chronicles on the Gamecube, what is this game like in relation to that one..?

Same basic premise, or entirely new playing style?  

[Volkenheim]

Well, storywise, "FFCC: The Crystal Bearers" takes place 1,000 years after the original Crystal Chronicles where the Lilties defeated the Yuke tribe and destroyed their tribe crystal, thus causing the whole tribe to become "extinct" as they were sucked into a dimension between life and death, like a void. The Lilty then rule the world once again and this time, they have banned the use of magic in favor of technology where their airships and machinery use the fragments of the Yuke crystal as a power source. Some of the other fragments, though, found their way into some people and they became Crystal Bearers, which are people infused with a crystal shard on a specific part of their body and use a certain type of magic. The hero, Layle (a Clevat) is a Crystal Bearer that can control gravity.

As for the gameplay, it's somewhat different where although there is still exploration in beautiful environments, you fight monsters by using gravity-based magic. As a gravity-controlling Crystal Bearer, you must defeat enemies by picking them up and tossing them to walls or other enemies to kill them. You can also pick up many objects and toss them to damage monsters. Also, each area is connected to each other so either run there, use a train, or use a chocobo (in other words, it's, in some ways, an open-world type of game). There are also no Crystal Caravans or Miasma fields that harm you while touching it. Also, to be more specific, the game focuses on a more single-player adventure instead of being team-based like the other main Crystal Chronicles games.  

[Crimson Hagane]

Yeah, this guy pretty much hit everything you need to know. Some other things that should be said:

First, a correction. Crystal Bearers aren't actually infused with stray fragments of the Yuke Tribal Crystal. However, bearers are born after the Yuke Crystal is broken because the balance of the world has been disrupted. Sorta like the Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth Crystals of the old Final Fantasy titles. I wouldn't know about VII and beyond having the Crystals, though.

The Lilty view bearers as cursed abominations and shun them, and the Clavat who were imposed under Lilty rule typically think the same way. The Selkie managed to maintain their independence, although through a bit of dumb luck. The Selkie typically dislike the Lilty, although there are some who do make a living among the Lilty.

There's no rampaging Miasma spores killing you when you're out in the open. However, there are Miasma Streams, and when they appear, monsters come out of them. Interestingly, Miasma Streams come and go periodically, bringing monsters when they come and taking monsters away when they go. Layle can actually close the streams with his bearer powers if he defeats all the monsters in the area. This leads to a good result if you can do it.

There's a truckload of optional side-quests. And some are even repeatable, indefinitely so. The medals system rewards creative thinkers, and promotes creative thinking by giving you somewhat vague hints on how to earn the medals, similar to the achievement system of Kirby Air Ride, if you played that. If you haven't, it's basically "Earn one medal, the 2-4 adjacent medals have their clues exposed." However, these are basically all show, but it's still fun to try for all golds.  

[nitnit]

Hmmm. I'm not so sure if I like the idea of combat being completely centered around throwing enemies and objects. Even if throwing certain enemies at others harbors new effects.

Am I missing something here?

I really liked FFCC for allowing you to use weapons and magic...  

[Chaotix Bluix]

nitnit

Hmmm. I'm not so sure if I like the idea of combat being completely centered around throwing enemies and objects. Even if throwing certain enemies at others harbors new effects.

Am I missing something here?

I really liked FFCC for allowing you to use weapons and magic...

It sounds like you probably would better enjoy something like FFCC: Echos of Time then (as it better follows that general kind of gameplay and plays rather solidly as well on the DS. On the Wii however... is another story... and the UI for that version of the game makes me cringe, just to put it bluntly).

I've been playing Crystal Bearers for a little bit so far... and for the most part I like it... though I'm not exactly thrilled at the length of the cinematic scenes at the beginning... Though perhaps those opinions will change as I progress further. sweatdrop  

[Crimson Hagane]

To nitnit: The combat is definitely awkward at first, but if you give it a chance, it'll either become a very "meh" experience or become something quite enjoyable. Although tossing stuff around is the focal point of combat, there are some more strategic methods of using Layle's bearer powers.


But if you'd rather smack things with swords, paddles, and various other weapons, Echoes of Time would better fill that need. Like Bluix, I suggest the DS version. The Wii version has identical graphics and a very awkward magic-and-party interface.