Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Ring Of Fates

Although I read the reviews and watched the videos on youtube, when I plunked the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates game into my Nintendo DS, I became a little apprehensive.

Would this title live up to the previous Final Fantasy video games I have played before, was just one of the many questions that played out in my mind as the game’s introduction took shape on my DS screen. I was in for a bit of a pleasant surprise.

Incorporating high quality graphics, voice acting in certain cut scene sequences and a magic system it took a while to get used to, what I found here is really a great game.

In it, you take the role of Yuri, a young adventurous lad who is accompanied by his twin sister, Chelinka. Even though she is with you, you or Yuri end up doing all the fighting, Legend Of Zelda, Link style. You are on a quest to save your world from vicious monsters and bosses, the gameplay is fun too.

You basically enter caves or dungeons, solve little puzzles to advance the game, fight off monsters with your Hatchet or Sword and use different colour magicites to unlock certain doors, and of course building up your hero’s levels as you play.

Unlike previous Final Fantasy games, you do not hoof it from one town to the next. Instead, after you have completed one area, you simply step out of the village you are in or home, after which you can automatically enter the next town or place.

Call me strange, but I sort of missed the hoofing it part. Or the use of an Airship. But it is a great little game, little because unlike longer Final Fantasy games, this particular one only contains eleven chapters.

And you, Yuri, have to keep the other comrades who join you along the quest alive or healthy. Enemies you encounter, will attack anyone at random. Even though I like the game, I found this to be especially frustating in the last few dungeons where the enemies were faster and tougher to fend off.

But if you are a lover of RPGs and games in the Final Fantasy series, this is one you might want in your collection. It reminds me much of The Legend Of Zelda series, especially when Yuri and Chelinka are exploring a new area, with Yuri doing all the hacking and slashing away.

Another unique aspect of this game are the off the story mode mini games. For example, if you want to take a break from all that hacking and slashing away, you can go to the Moogle character found at any of the save icons, talk to him where you will gain access to the Blazing Caravans racing game or Paint The Moogle one.

They are both fun and entertaining. I had fun painting the Moogle.