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

Trailer

All i can say is i'm glad that one by one developers are realizing the Wii isn't the PS2. Finally a Square Enix game for Nintendo that doesn't feature chibis.

I don't really like the Crystal Chronicles games, but this one has me interested, and i will definitely give this one my attention.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Lovely. Haven't seen anything about this since... E3 2006? It actually looks damn good fun, and that music is bitching.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

It didn't look like there was any multiplayer in the game, which is too bad. The Gamecube game was at its best when you were playing with a group of friends.

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

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.

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

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Yeah, I got an email about that this morning.

I might actually think about getting this. I really enjoyed the first Crystal Chronicles on the GC and our Wii is little more than a paperweight at the moment.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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!

FELIPE NO

I'm just stoked it's on the Wii. As i said before in my opening post, it's high time people realize the Wii isn't just a dumping ground for half baked ideas and effotless movie licensed little kid based cash grabs. I will definitely be picking this up.

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

I agree, it's seriously about time a game comes out on the Wii that I can actually look forward to.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Some more gameplay screens:











There's nowhere I can't reach.

This game looks fun, and not just because of waggle, that its on the Wii. The art direction reminds me of a mix between FF12 and Brave Fencer Musashi (and the other Chronicles obviously). I think I might pick it up when it comes out.

I admit, when I saw the trailer previously on another site, I thought it was an April fools joke at first.

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

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

Well, new trailer straight from TGS. And... well, it's really looking like something I'm going to want to play.

Destructoid - TGS 09: Fight skeletons on motorcycles in Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers

Slated for December 26, 2009.

I was speaking idiomatically.

December 26? Is there possibly a worse day for release?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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.

FELIPE NO

The game ships on 12/26? What's the business logic behind releasing a game the day after everyone's finished with not only Christmas, but also after-Christmas sales?

EDIT: I see RR had the same thought 2 months ago. Oh well. The game looks neat, but considering how other Crystal Chronicles games have been I'll wait for reviews to come out before thinking about picking it up.

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

Originally Posted by Tritoch

The game ships on 12/26? What's the business logic behind

"HEY TIMMY I GOT YOU ONE OF THEM THAR VIDYA GAMES YOU LIKE"

"THIS GAME IS TERRIBLE AND YOU ARE A TERRIBLE GRANDMOTHER, I AM RETURNING THIS GAME TO THE STORE"

(three days later, Timmy's long-suffering parents drive him to the Gamestop)

"HELLO I AM AT THE STORE NOW AND I WANT TO EXCHANGE THIS FOR A NEW GAME"

"THIS CRYSTAL CHRONICLES IS THE NEWEST GAME! OF ALL! THE NEWEST OF ALL!"

"I WILL TAKE IT SINCE I FAVOR NEW THINGS DISPROPORTIONATELY"

Jam it back in, in the dark.

December 26th is a huge shopping day, and for a month or so thereafter, high school and college kids who are prone to impulse buys are walking around with "extra" cash. It's not as illogical as one might think.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

December 26th is a huge shopping day, but that's the only ship date. December 27th is the day everyone is broke from spending so much the day before.

Most amazing jew boots

I find that Final Fantasies (like Halos and Maddens and whathaveyou) are often in the stores on those days though. I called my friend on that ship-date-versus-street-date stuff too and his pompous ass was rubbing it my face when he came back from the store on "ship day" with NHL 2Kwhatever it was a couple years ago (far cray from the other series giants I listed).

Also, lest we forget,

Quote:

and for a month or so thereafter, high school and college kids who are prone to impulse buys are walking around with "extra" cash. It's not as illogical as one might think.

Square Enix goes to sleep on piles of money. There's a game-making aspect to it, but those lads also know how to maximize their marketing dollars pretty well too. I'm pretty sure the decision was made after extensive chart reading and "Hey this post-Christmas thing actually makes sense because..." discussions. ^^;

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

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 kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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:





FELIPE NO

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?

That looks like an awesome movie! Oh wait...

How are the controls? It looks like it would be pretty interesting, but even after having a Wii for 2 years, I am still wary of the control scheme of its games.

Jam it back in, in the dark.