[Wii] New Crystal Chronicles: Squeenix love for the Wii

About goddamn time. It took a serious amount of cajoling by a lot of people to get Square-Enix to even admit the game wasn't canceled, and now I'm ecstatic (because I bitched about Crystal Bearers' absence frequently). I don't care too much about a lack of multiplayer; local multiplayer rarely applies to me, and the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is not exactly my favorite way to do online multiplayer.

Now that I'm really paying attention, it appears that a Yuke is seving as the primary antagonist. Sort of interesting, since the previous Crystal Chronicles games have portrayed Yukes as harmless or even comedic.

It also appears that the "famous-but-world-weary hero" aspect is still there, which I like.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, in case anyone was still doubting the game's continued existence, Square-Enix launched the official US website today. It includes a higher quality version of the trailer that came packed in Echoes of Time, as well as a wallpaper.

Also of note is two little teaser images saying they'll be unlocked with more visits to the website. So go and hit that shit up, everyone.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Lots of interesting stuff coming out about the game!


Layle
The protagonist and a Crystal Bearer, which is someone who can use a crystal to manipulate the environment. In particular, Layle is good at manipulating gravity. A well-known hero in the kingdom, his fame/infamy can grow depending on your actions in town (think Fable). As part of becoming a Crystal Bearer, his cheek partially crystallized.


Amidatelion
A Crystal Bearer and member of the long-dead Yuke tribe, she suddenly appears to Layle and serves as the primary antagonist of the game. Her goal is unclear. Also has a really cool name. Her midsection was crystallized when she became a Bearer, and she is shown to be able manipulate space (taking a tree trunk hurled at her by Layle and redirecting it into his partner, Quais).


Althea
Princess of the Liltian Kingdom that rules much of the known world. With her mother dead and her father gravely ill, she wields a lot of power over the kingdom. Possesses a crystal, but is not a Bearer.


Jegran
General and leader of the Liltian army. Though not an antagonist of Layle outright, he does not trust him nor Amidatelion, believing they wield too much power with the crystals.


Quais
Layle's partner and a member of the Selkie tribe. Though not a Crystal Bearer, he tends to be a pretty resourceful guy.

A brief premise and gameplay rundown from IGN:

Originally Posted by IGN

Crystal Bearers takes place in a futuristic Crystal Chronicles world, where swords have changed to guns and knowledge of magic has disappeared. In the past, the Yukes race died off following a war with the Lilties, and the Lilties now make use of crystals to support people.

Taking control of Layle, you'll get to use some of the character's neat gravitational abilities via the Wiimote. You use the Wiimote in pointer mode, pointing at objects to target them. The primary use for this appears to be as a means of grabbing demons and then using them for various purposes.

Layle's actions change depending on the type of creature he's grabbed. Sample actions include: tossing demons at other demons, stopping demons in their tracks by flipping them over, and swinging yourself around enemies as an evasion tactic.

If you make Layle grab onto something heavy, like a ceiling lamp for instance, he'll pull himself up like a grappling hook. You can use this to navigate ceilings without touching the ground and also to clear tricky terrain.

In the interview part of the Famitsu feature, Kawazu and Toshiyuki at long last revealed why there was such a wait between Crystal Bearer's announcement and the recent trailer. According to Kawazu, development hadn't actually begun at the time of the original announcement!

Kawazu shared a few details on the game's character building elements. There's no level-up system in the game. Instead, you build your character's abilities by equipping accessories. As an example, he suggested being able to make Layle pick up bigger and more distant objects.

Rather than encountering more powerful beasts as you play, it's better to think that you'll encounter creatures with a greater variety of actions. This is true in town as well, apparently, as people will react to you in various new ways as you advance in the game.

The two hinted at somewhat of a free experience for users. There's no separation between battle and other elements of the game, said Kawazu. It's close to an open world game, he said, although that wasn't really the goal with the project. The actual goal apparently was to produce something that's fun not just to play but to watch as well.

Crystal Bearers is listed in Famitsu as 60% complete and without a final release date.

Screens:



















So there we go. Thoughts? Looking good to me!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Some more gameplay screens:











I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Added Quais to the portrait/character list, and I also have a new video that shows off part of the game's opening:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers - Prologue

I was speaking idiomatically.

Just got an email from Square-Enix-- Preorder at Gamestop today and get five bucks off the whole purchase.

Money's money, people. I'm heading over there after class.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Okay, since it is now tomorrow from the perspective of yesterday, we can assume that Square-Enix was misleading me by saying "today." Upon reading some fine print, the offer doesn't actually expire until January 2. So, basically, preordering at any point gives you the reduced price of $44.99 (a 10% value!).

I guess Square-Enix is really pushing for this to be a commercial success. Are they worried, I wonder?

Most amazing jew boots

Got my copy of the import today and have been giving the game a whirl. So far? Mostly positive. The game has a screen capture thing built in, so I'll spruce this up a bit with some pictures of my progress.

There's not a whole lot to say about the story since it's what's been known in all the trailers-- Layle discovers Amidatelion on the cruise ship, they fight a couple times, he has some misadventures with Belle, meets up with his pal Cid, etcetera.













Combat is fairly straightforward. You aim at an enemy and, depending on how far away you are, a bar will fill up at varying speeds. Once that is filled, you are free to manipulate the object/enemy in any way you see fit-- fling it across the field, pick it up and chuck it at something, whatever. You have the ability to roll around by shaking the remote, and can jump up walls and around platforms depending on the context (there is no dedicated jump button, so you can't jump whenever you want).





This is really fun at first, but it becomes quite boring if all you're doing is flinging guys around. Fortunately, half of the game's combat system is about finding new "Reactions." Reaction is short for "a unique reaction that occurs when one object comes into contact or notice of another object." This is seen above with wolves circling Layle excitedly when he is holding up a bone of some sort. Another example is smacking a water bucket into a Bomb to douse its flame and weaken it, or Orcs circling a defeated Bomb in awe as it begins to detonate:







Beyond this, monsters seem to appear in the field only for a limited time before the field reverts back to normal. If you fulfill the prerequisites, the little portal thing they come out of will spit out some sort of nice item. If you don't do it in time, no big deal, they come back in another five or so minutes.



As far as story progression goes, it's mostly mini-game based. For example, as the game begins, you jump out of your small aircraft and do a nose-dive toward the cruise ship below. While this is taking place, you engage in target practice against the monsters swarming the ship. Later, Layle and Belle escape from Lilty soldiers on a chocobo, and it's Layle's job to Force push/chuck the soldiers away from the carriage you're in.

To reiterate what's been said by previews, this game is more Zelda than Final Fantasy. There is no level progression, and fighting enemies does not make you stronger. On the bright side, however, there is plenty of equipment for you to craft to gain nice bonuses while fighting. You can also change the emblem on the back of Layle's jacket for aesthetic and practical reasons. I made the Lilty emblem and... some sort of colorful ship thing.





What else... you can't talk to the vast majority of the people in the game, but the Reaction system ends up making towns feel pretty alive. Kids will kick around and destroy boxes, which then causes the guards to chase them around and beat the shit out of them, which causes bystanders to get knocked over and annoyed, and so on. Things will explode and cause commotion, Layle will bump into people or Force push them around, and all the ensuing chaos is sort of interesting to watch. Pointless, but interesting.

What else... oh, graphics. It's the best looking game on the Wii (the water effects in particular are quite nice). Don't let these images fool you, as the textures seem to be... downgraded or something when the picture is taken. So yeah, if you can go into it knowing that it's more puzzle-platformer than action-RPG, you'll enjoy it it. Comes out in North America in exactly three weeks.











What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Some more screens for everybody. Engaged in my first non-cut-scene battle with Amidatelion, hurling barrels at one another. Also fought my first real boss, who was pretty easy, but that's not terribly surprising for a first boss. Took some more pictures to look over.

Avoiding detection:

Giving chase:

Aaaahahaha, stupid Keiss:

Beyond here things get a little complicated (and probably spoilery), so I'll just wrap it up with these post-boss images:





Jam it back in, in the dark.

Triple-posting, woo

New US trailer is up, which gives off a tiny sampling of the English voicecast. Doesn't seem terrible, but "ugh" at the general melodrama and the fat joke at the end.

YouTube Video

How ya doing, buddy?

It... controls? It's pretty straightforward-- analog is movement, d-pad controls the camera, A is confirm/talk, the Wii remote pointer is for targeting, B uses your Crystal powers (either grabbing or targeted throwing), motions chuck objects in the direction you swing, etcetera. It's a very standard scheme that has yet to cause me any problems.

How ya doing, buddy?

Double-post again, but for good reason! The game comes out in the US today (Thursday), apparently. Got a text from Gamestop about picking it up in the afternoon, and I went in-store to see what the deal was. They're expecting their shipment in tomorrow, and the game apparently doesn't have a mandatory street date.

So... yeah, go get it tomorrow.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?