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Final Fantasy CC: The Crystal Bearers!

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Retro_Link Newbie

Retro_Link

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IGN Hands-On

 

E3 2009: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers Hands-on

 

It's like Force Unleashed if Square Enix ruled the world.

 

Square Enix has been a major player in developing the state of Nintendo DS's software library. Bringing countless role-playing games into the mix, a real traditional feel has been added to what portable players can experience on the go.

 

But what about Wii?

 

For a while Square's offerings have been less-than-stellar, releasing Dragon Quest Swords and Echoes of Time, both of which weren't too hot. Now that Crystal Bearers has hit the system though, I'm hoping that those days are over, as the first real Square Enix effort on the system is pretty dang impressive.

 

It's E3, so time is short, but I want to at least lay down a main base for what you can expect from Crystal Bearers. The game is entirely single player – minus a still cryptic 2nd player assist mode as a small add-on – and focuses around a teenage boy who is a mysterious "crystal bearer." Possessing the power to manipulate energy from mystical crystals, Layle is an outcast and apparently pretty alone in the world. Things start to shake up during a routine escort mission for an airship called the Alexis II, and after an attack by a mysterious make who Layle coins as "goldenrod," the adventure kicks off.

 

It isn't clear as to where the story goes just yet, but during the game's opening bout Layle ends up stealing a powerful crystal from goldenrod, and when a reward is put on the head of those who caused the attack he – and a rambunctious troublemaking Selkie named Keiss – starts off on the quest.

 

What really matters though is the gameplay and presentation, both of which Crystal Bearers has in waves. When it comes to storytelling the game doesn't make use of CG, instead scripting everything out with the actual in-game models which look pretty good unless you're blowing them up on too big of a TV. I'd estimate the E3 monitors were around 46" and it still looked quite nice. The game is entirely voice acted minus random in-town chatter, and the acting is one of – if not the - best and most persistent on the system; as long as this 20 minute demo is a proper representation of the rest of the title.

 

Gameplay is a blast, basically blending the Final Fantasy world with something out of Force Unleashed. There's no turn-based attacks, and instead the game is entirely action/adventure focused. Running Layle around town is just like running him around in battle, with the game's cursor control used for on-screen targeting and a sort of force manipulation. A quick hold of the A button locks onto enemies, items, random NPC characters milling around, or actual structure pieces, and a flick of the wrist sends it flying in real physics. And it feels great.

 

As part of the free-roaming sections of the game, little events (most of the time not even directly spelled out for players) come up where Layle's powers can be put to good use or utter mischief. Hucking around castle guards, for example, will cause the armored enforcers to chase him around the town. Find one trapped under a huge boulder though, and you can help him up and discover a new quest completion. Of course if you're anything like me you'll also end that little exchange by using it as a giant bowling ball toss down some stairs at a group of conveniently placed bystanders.

 

I was extremely surprised to see how varied things were even in the first chunk of the game at E3. The title opens with that classic airship scene teased in trailers since the first unveiling of Wii, and what Square didn't show you is that after jumping into a freefall at what looks like 30,000 feet Layle actually uses his powers to force grab a giant machine gun and then blast away in a Sin & Punishment inspired shooter level. There's a whole lot of variety to be found, whether you're doing the little mini-quests I mentioned, are using your power like a slingshot to fly up at a broken clock and re-power it, grab chocobo and their riders and huck them off a path during a chase scene, or pull down set pieces to stop their advances. There's a lot going on, and this is only 20 mins in. Oh, and for two others included in the demo, an optional steering mechanism on an air-train can be disengaged and flown manually, and during a climactic finale to the intro scene Layle actually powers an entire airship with his crystal energy, launching into a little ship flying sequence where you try to control the failing vehicle. It's pretty diverse.

 

This is just the beginning for The Crystal Bearers here in the US, so expect a whole lot more coverage as we near the game's final release, which is tentatively late 2009/early 2010. Square Enix informed us that the game is nearing completion, so it's just a matter of time now.

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Dante Newbie

Dante

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WiiRPGSite Interview:

Beginning as just another spin-off, The Crystal Bearers has managed to gather a lot of fan attention as the Wii’s equivalent of a main-line FF title. We sat down with the game’s director, Toshiyuki Itahana to discuss his vision of the game.

 

RPGSite: The Crystal Bearers is very different from the previous Crystal Chronicles games – what inspired you to take a change in direction?

Toshiyuki Itahana: We began work on this title almost simultaneously with our DS title. At this point we decided to go with multiplayer model for the DS title, and a single player title on the Wii console.

 

RPGSite: Did you feel forced at all to make use of the Motion Control with the Wii, or did it come naturally?

Toshiyuki Itahana: No, actually at the beginning of creating it, we did not direct to deliberately use the Wii functionalities – we actually told the team the motion sensor and pointer were optional methods of control. It was just lucky that the team felt these were the best methods of control and worked well!

 

 

 

 

RPGSite: Did you look at any other Wii games for inspiration on how to use the motion sensor?

Toshiyuki Itahana: I didn’t actively look at other games for inspiration, no. We just experimented with a lot of different control methods and found the ones which provided the most ease of use for the player. Because of that, the systems in the game might resemble some other western titles.

 

RPGSite: Obviously you’ve got more power with the Wii console than with the Gamecube. Is the game world bigger?

Toshiyuki Itahana: In size, it’s pretty much the same size as the Gamecube title. It’s much bigger than the DS versions, though. The Crystal Chronicles world is generally much more compact than the worlds of the numbered FF titles, though. In that compact world, monsters and townsfolk are more active and always busy. However, as all the maps are inter-connected it may well feel bigger than the Gamecube title.

 

RPGSite: Now, talking of areas being connected this brings up the issue of loading. Will there be much? What steps have you taken to minimize it?

Toshiyuki Itahana: We’re managing it by assigning just the right amount of memory to each area. Luckily we have a comparatively big memory to work with compared to other platforms. Thanks to that, we can allocate a lot of memory to each scene. Because of that you will barely notice loading – not just between maps, but also between story scenes and different gameplay modes.

 

RPGSite: We’ve noticed that on Square documentation this game has changed from being referred to as an Action-RPG to being called an Action Adventure. How would you categorise the game?

Toshiyuki Itahana: The change in the designiation is more of a promotional thing in order to attract the attention of action-lovers. The game itself hasn’t changed much from the original design, which is very Final Fantasy. The gameplay is more action based, but still noticeably an RPG.

 

RPGSite: Would you say the design philosophy behind this game is the same as the other, multiplayer FF:CC games or is it a closer feel to the main FF games?

Toshiyuki Itahana: The game is aiming towards a more traditional Final Fantasy feel – we wanted to create a game similar to the main series on the Wii. It is more action oriented, though and we have more than one mode in the game like shooting mode and exploration mode.

 

 

RPGSite: We’ve noticed characters develop emotional icons above their heads like hearts. How does this system work?

Toshiyuki Itahana: Unlike traditional RPGs, the characters in Crystal Bearers don’t really talk. We wanted it to be distinct – we didn’t want characters to be like signs to give the player information. When the player does something to the townsfolk, they will react according to their mood. We built this AI so that characters moods will change from day to day. The icon above their head indicates their mood and attitude towards the player.

 

RPGSite: So theoretically if you were to be nasty repeatedly to one character, would they then dislike you and be in a bad mood with you in the future?

Toshiyuki Itahana: [laughs] No, if that’s how it worked everyone in the town would dislike you! Each character doesn’t have individual AI – they’re divided into groups based on things like age, gender, race and other factors. The different groups and effects available on characters means there will be quite a lot of mood combinations available, though.

 

RPGSite: A lot of stuff in the town can be picked up and thrown, including people. How much interactivity is there in the game world?

Toshiyuki Itahana: You can use lots of objects around the world and in the town. In combat, items around in the environment can be used to hurt monsters, though some things can backfire and hurt you. Attacking people in town with the environment will not hurt them, though.

 

RPGSite: Outside of the linear story, is there much else to do?

Toshiyuki Itahana: There are going to be side missions – it’s not really a quest oriented game, but there are side games – townsfolk asking you for favours or to run errands, so you can do those things – it’s really up to the player if they opt to do it or not, though.

 

RPGSite: If a player were to just stick to the storyline and do the bare minimum, how long would you say the game is?

Toshiyuki Itahana: Around 15 hours.

 

 

 

 

RPGSite: The art style seems similar to the FF:CC series but a little bit more grown up – what was the reason for this change?

Toshiyuki Itahana: There are mainly two elements involved in this decision – the first would be we wanted to go for a broader audience. We wanted to involve perhaps parents or grandparents in the game rather than just kids. Also, with this being a more action-oriented game, we wanted taller, older looking characters – when they’re fighting in real time, it just looks cooler.

 

RPGSite: Can we expect to see all the traditional FF elements in this game?

Toshiyuki Itahana: The team of this game has many staff members who worked on FF9, and you can also expect to see some familiar faces and elements.

RPGSite: So when you say familiar faces, can we expect some cameos from other FF series’, or just Crystal Chronicles characters?

Toshiyuki Itahana: There are some characters who will be just cameos and some who will have larger roles in the game including characters from past Crystal Chronicles titles.

 

RPGSite: Where does this take place in the FF:CC Universe?

Toshiyuki Itahana: Time wise this is the latest entry in the FF:CC series, taking place quite some time after all the other entries

 

RPGSite: You’ve mentioned different modes – shooting mode, exploration mode etc. How many modes are there?

Toshiyuki Itahana: We can’t say how many exactly, but there are several we can mention – you can ride a chocobo, shoot, fly, run away from monsters, or even enjoy social dancing.

 

RPGSite: If you could sum up this game in a few words, what would they be?

Toshiyuki Itahana: [laughs]Difficult question! It’s more than a few words, but I’d say “Traditional FF narrative – Tight storyline with Open, Free Action.”

 

RPGSite: If this is a success, could you see more single-player story driven titles in the FF:CC universe?

Toshiyuki Itahana: Yes, we are going to keep making Crystal Chronicles titles. If this one does well, we would like to make one in a similar style alongside new multiplayer FF:CC games as well.

 

RPGSite: Is there any message you’d like to get out there to FF fans?

Toshiyuki Itahana: It is our very first Final Fantasy title for Wii – it will be a new experience, and we hope you will all enjoy it!

 

RPGSite: Thanks for your time! We really appreciate it!

Toshiyuki Itahana: No problem!

 

Stick with us at RPGSite for all the latest on The Crystal Bearers.

 

 

  • Inspired by GTA.
  • It wasnt using Wii functionality at the beginning of the development.
  • More casual.
  • You can customize the protagonist.
  • Sequels planned.

 

new screens

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Ganepark32 Newbie

Ganepark32

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It appears as though this will be getting a release in Europe this side of Winter.

 

http://www.nintendo-master.com/xtnews/news-20536_ffcc__the_crystal_bearers_refait_parler_de_lui.htm

 

Apparently, the person giving the speech in the video at that link mentions that the game will be out this year for Europe. Not really an official announcement but if it does get a release in Europe this year, it'd be nice. Anyway, I guess we'll have to wait a little while longer before an official announcement is made.

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darksnowman Enthusiast

darksnowman

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It appears as though this will be getting a release in Europe this side of Winter.

 

http://www.nintendo-master.com/xtnews/news-20536_ffcc__the_crystal_bearers_refait_parler_de_lui.htm

 

Apparently, the person giving the speech in the video at that link mentions that the game will be out this year for Europe. Not really an official announcement but if it does get a release in Europe this year, it'd be nice. Anyway, I guess we'll have to wait a little while longer before an official announcement is made.

 

Great news if it turns out to be true- to be tucking into an adventure like FF:CC this winter would be very timely.

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Hero-of-Time Proficient

Hero-of-Time

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Just to add to what Ganepark posted earlier.

 

Are you getting tired of just reading about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers? Well the good news is, you will actually be able to pick yourself up a copy before the year closes out.

 

Square-Enix has confirmed that FFCC: The Crystal Bearers will see North American launch before the year's end. No specific date was given, but I'm guessing Square-Enix is going to go with a holiday release. No word on Euro release at this time.

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killer kirby Newbie

killer kirby

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Alot of people don't care much for the music in the new gameplay trailer but I quite like it. For some reason it reminds me of the Sonic Adventure games, has a light hearted feel to it.

THIS

 

What I want more now in games are some nice simple songs that sound good and no where near sound as epic as most games are trying to be nowadays.

 

This music is giving me vibes of God Hand which is always an awesome thing xD

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