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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
Platform: DS
Worthwhile experience for players who have beaten all the other RPGs.
Review by Sirus
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a spiritual successor of sorts to the Gamecube title of a similar name. This time the story is much more fleshed out and the fact that you don’t need link cables makes multiplayer somewhat easier. The story follows a pair of twins, Yuri and Chelinka, who live with their father in a small town along with a couple of other strange friends, Meeth and Alhanarlem. Their first outing into a dungeon is done more for exploration and introduces you to the basics of dungeon crawling. The story is more focused on the characters than overarching plot. The characters are developed enough that you care what happens to them in the end. The ultimate enemy you fight is a bit overused but the gameplay is fun enough that you’ll take any excuse to bash more baddies.
The game progresses rather linearly through one dungeon after another with very little in between to distract you. Dungeons are varied and filled with puzzles, although thankfully most of the puzzles are pretty easy to figure out. Every dungeon has a huge boss at the end to fight. Most of the bosses look intimidating but in the end only a few put up much of a fight when approached with the right tactics. Throughout the game you get access to four different characters. Yuri attacks with his sword and uses heavy armor. Alhanarlem uses a staff that shoots magic balls of energy at enemies and has the ability to channel magic from various larger staves that are positioned within dungeons. Gnash is a primitive bow user who is the only character you get who can double jump. Meeth is a short round creature who attacks with a hammer and is able to roll through obstacles in her strange pot. She is also able to use her pot for other sorts of puzzle solving in dungeons.
Most enemies are defeated with little problem using physical attacks although a few of them are weak against magic. Magic is cast using consumable orbs. You can carry up to ten of each element of orbs. To cast a spell you simply hold down the X button until a glowing circle appears in front of your character. Once the circle gets under the enemy you are trying to hit, you simply let go to let off the spell. Your characters will be able to upgrade their equipment in towns after most dungeons. Most equipment upgrades can be bought but if you have the right recipe, you can create the same equipment for less cost using the right components. It is refreshing to see each piece of armor and weapon look different on your character.
The single player story mode takes about 10 hours to complete, offering a satisfying conclusion. There is also an optional multiplayer mode that you can access to fight through dungeons with friends. Multiplayer mode requires that each player has a copy of the game and his own DS. I didn’t get a chance to test out multiplayer but I don’t really see much point in leveling up that way when the main game is already pretty easy. The game looks good for a DS game with detailed 3D characters. Environments are colorful and varied enough so that, even though the game is short, it feels packed full of content.
The game’s soundtrack is by the same composer who did music for the Gamecube game. While the music isn’t as memorable as the music in the original, it is fitting and makes good use of the limited musical capabilities of the DS. There is a decent amount of voice acting in the game as well. The characters’ voices fit them and the actors give solid performances. As a single player DS RPG, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fate isn’t the longest game available but it is a worthwhile experience for players who have beaten all the other RPGs. Anyone looking for a good multiplayer game will find some good mindless multiplayer fun.
Platform: DS
Worthwhile experience for players who have beaten all the other RPGs.
Review by Sirus
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a spiritual successor of sorts to the Gamecube title of a similar name. This time the story is much more fleshed out and the fact that you don’t need link cables makes multiplayer somewhat easier. The story follows a pair of twins, Yuri and Chelinka, who live with their father in a small town along with a couple of other strange friends, Meeth and Alhanarlem. Their first outing into a dungeon is done more for exploration and introduces you to the basics of dungeon crawling. The story is more focused on the characters than overarching plot. The characters are developed enough that you care what happens to them in the end. The ultimate enemy you fight is a bit overused but the gameplay is fun enough that you’ll take any excuse to bash more baddies.
The game progresses rather linearly through one dungeon after another with very little in between to distract you. Dungeons are varied and filled with puzzles, although thankfully most of the puzzles are pretty easy to figure out. Every dungeon has a huge boss at the end to fight. Most of the bosses look intimidating but in the end only a few put up much of a fight when approached with the right tactics. Throughout the game you get access to four different characters. Yuri attacks with his sword and uses heavy armor. Alhanarlem uses a staff that shoots magic balls of energy at enemies and has the ability to channel magic from various larger staves that are positioned within dungeons. Gnash is a primitive bow user who is the only character you get who can double jump. Meeth is a short round creature who attacks with a hammer and is able to roll through obstacles in her strange pot. She is also able to use her pot for other sorts of puzzle solving in dungeons.
Most enemies are defeated with little problem using physical attacks although a few of them are weak against magic. Magic is cast using consumable orbs. You can carry up to ten of each element of orbs. To cast a spell you simply hold down the X button until a glowing circle appears in front of your character. Once the circle gets under the enemy you are trying to hit, you simply let go to let off the spell. Your characters will be able to upgrade their equipment in towns after most dungeons. Most equipment upgrades can be bought but if you have the right recipe, you can create the same equipment for less cost using the right components. It is refreshing to see each piece of armor and weapon look different on your character.
The single player story mode takes about 10 hours to complete, offering a satisfying conclusion. There is also an optional multiplayer mode that you can access to fight through dungeons with friends. Multiplayer mode requires that each player has a copy of the game and his own DS. I didn’t get a chance to test out multiplayer but I don’t really see much point in leveling up that way when the main game is already pretty easy. The game looks good for a DS game with detailed 3D characters. Environments are colorful and varied enough so that, even though the game is short, it feels packed full of content.
The game’s soundtrack is by the same composer who did music for the Gamecube game. While the music isn’t as memorable as the music in the original, it is fitting and makes good use of the limited musical capabilities of the DS. There is a decent amount of voice acting in the game as well. The characters’ voices fit them and the actors give solid performances. As a single player DS RPG, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fate isn’t the longest game available but it is a worthwhile experience for players who have beaten all the other RPGs. Anyone looking for a good multiplayer game will find some good mindless multiplayer fun.
| 8/10 - Hacking through enemies never gets old. | ||||||
| 8/10 - Sharp 3D graphics that show off the power of the DS. | ||||||
| 7/10 - Good soundtrack that fits each scene. | ||||||
| 7/10 - Good story with decently developed characters. | ||||||
| 7/10 -10 hour single player quest with multiplayer option. | ||||||
| 7.4/10 (Good) | ||||||
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