Well, it finally happened. Square again developed and released a game for a Nintendo platform (not counting handhelds). Fans of the Gamecube can say what they want about it not being a 'kiddie' console, but Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles will only further perpetuate that image. This isn't your typical grand and epic Final Fantasy game. The gameplay and story, while interesting, are pretty simple and tame compared to the type of thing Square-Enix is generally known for.

In terms of the graphics, do I really need to say anything? This is Square-Enix we're talking about. They couldn't release a game with bad graphics even if they tried. Okay, that might be a stretch, but it really goes without saying that the graphics are outstanding, especially the water. That's some darn pretty water. The models, the environments, the animations and the effects are all outstanding. Aside from possibly Resident Evil 4, I can't think of a Gamecube game with better graphics.

Along with graphics, we all know that another one of Square-Enix's major strong points is their music. In a certain sense, I'd have to say that the musical score in Crystal Chronicles surpasses Final Fantasy X-2, and even Final Fantasy XI. The style is very reminiscent of Final Fantasy IV, likely because both seem to carry a distinctive Celtic flavor. The sound effects, as usual, sound great and are appropriately fantasy oriented. I do think there are a few too many blips and dings going through some menus, but that's a pretty minor complaint.

The premise of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is that a deadly fog called Miasma has covered the world. However, there are special crystals of varying sizes that can keep the fog at bay. Once a year, the crystals need to be replenished with a special type of water called Myrrh. Myrrh can only be found at special trees called, surprise surprise, Myrrh Trees. A tree only gives a very small amount at a time however, and a single tree can only give Myrrh once every few years. Towns send out caravans to collect the Myrrh. They can't walk through the Miasma, of course, so the chalice they use to hold the Myrrh also has a tiny crystal on it that clears a small radius of the Miasma away. This is the basis for the game: you go out and collect Myrrh.

Not surprisingly, most of the Myrrh Trees are located in areas that are filled with monsters. So most of the game consists of you, and maybe a couple of your friends, fighting your way through monster-infested locales to get to the tree. Battle is a pretty simple thing in Crystal Chronicles and mainly consists of people pressing the A button to swing a weapon, or holding the A button down to cast a spell or execute a focus attack. You also have the Miasma to worry about. So someone has to carry around the chalice to prevent everyone from being hurt by the poisonous fog.

One of the most publicized aspects of Crystal Chronicles is its unique multi-player component. In order to prevent each player from disrupting the action of the game by going into menus, each player is required to use a GameBoy Advance to play the game using Nintendo's much touted 'connectivity' technology. Players navigate their menus on the GBA screen so they don't disrupt the game. Let's be honest. If you had four people playing together, you'd have to stop fighting every five minutes or so because someone would have to change up a spell or whatever.

You do NOT need to use a Game Boy Advance if you are playing the game solo. Battles are certainly easier with some friends, but you can access almost every area of the game if you are playing by yourself. It just requires some fast finger work, or a little ingenious use of your moogle friend who helps you out during single player mode. In fact, I can only recall one situation where I couldn't get somewhere by myself, and it goes without saying that it wasn't really a requirement to progress.

Spells are used after a player acquires the appropriate magicite in an area. You lose the magicite when you finish an area however, so you must require it every time you enter a dungeon. Players can combine the six basic types of magic to form more powerful spells like Holy, Holyra, Haste, and Gravity. You can also combine focus attacks and magic to do things like Flame Strike, etc...

As far as the progression of the story, it's mainly relegated to minor and somewhat random cutscenes you come upon as you travel across the world map. These can be rather redundant however, and I frequently ran across the exact same scene more than once. There's also very little actual 'progression' of the story. Towns are really there for some minor bits of back story, and mainly just for buying/selling items and equipment creation. Most of the plot advancement occurs at the very end of the final dungeon. While it's not quite as hollow as the story in Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, the story in Crystal Chronicles is very light and not terribly deep or involving.

This is one of the major problem areas of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. I played with one other person for about 60 percent of the game. The game was relatively easy and we had very few problems. For the remaining portions of the game, I played alone. Things got a little harder, but still, relatively few problems. Put simply, for the first 95 percent of the game, I had an easy time of it. Then the tables turned and suddenly, at the final dungeon, the game became teeth-grindingly difficult. For a game that seems geared toward a slightly younger audience, this is doubly bad news.

Before I elaborate, let me explain how you 'level up' in Crystal Chronicles. There are no levels or experience points. Aside from equipment, the only way you get permanently stronger is through artifacts. You get to choose one artifact when you complete a dungeon, that will do things like increase your attack, defense, and magic. Or, it might give you an extra command slot or increase your maximum health. You can also gain treasures during a dungeon. These are like artifacts, except that you lose them when you finish the area. 'Leveling up' pretty much consists of going around clearing dungeons you've already finished over and over again.

Now, we never rushed through this game; we took our time. We didn't take the 'easy' way out and just complete simple dungeons we've already finished. We cleared all of them, even the hard ones, and I had pretty good equipment. Not the best, but pretty good. The game was quite easy up until the final dungeon, at which point the game became difficult to the point where I could not complete it. Enemies would kill me in two hits. I can only guess that the assumption is that, despite the fact that the player now has access to the final dungeon, they are expected to spend many hours going around and clearing the same old areas over and over again. That's just not a very thrilling prospect. While I'm sure it's easier with more people, the fact remains that I spent nearly 20 hours playing through this game, only to be put in front of a final boss I had zero hope of completing. I wouldn't have minded it being a really hard fight, but this was a fight I simply could not win. I was faced with the choice of either spending an extra 5-10 hours powering up in long dungeons I had already played through, over and over again, to see the end of a story that was humdrum at best, or just moving on to the long list of games I still needed to play. Oh well, I've heard the end is pretty neat. Maybe I'll finish it one day.

Equipment plays a very important role in this game. You must acquire weapon and armor plans, have the appropriate materials to make the item, and then talk to a blacksmith to have the item created. Not all smiths can make everything though, and it can be fairly irritating trying to track down just the right person to make the item you're looking for.

There are also several 'side quests' you can complete. These are very difficult to figure out however, and certain people are only in certain spots on certain years, so sometimes you'll have to go clear three dungeons to fill up your chalice, and change the year just to finish one step in the process. I would call that cumbersome at best.

While Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles has a solid gameplay foundation, things like the obscene difficulty spike at the end and quirky quest mechanics make it very tedious and cumbersome at the end of the game. The bottom line is that these dungeons are fun to go through the first time. Making people go through them over and over again at the end is just plain boring.