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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

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Balthier: I’m afraid the jury’s still out on that one.
This article is about a game that's still to be released. As such, some of the information might be inaccurate or likely to change.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
ファイナルファンタジー・クリスタルクロニクル
ザ・クリスタルベアラー
Fainaru Fantajī Kurisutaru Kuronikuru
Za Kurisutaru　Bearā
Developer(s) Square Enix
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Release date Japan November 12, 2009

United States/Canada December 26, 2009
Europe TBA

Genre Action-Adventure
Game modes Single player, two player co-op in special areas
Ratings PEGI: 12+ 12+

ESRB: T for Teen

Platform(s) Nintendo Wii

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a game currently in development for the Nintendo Wii, and is part of the Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles series exclusively on Nintendo consoles. The game will be directed by Toshiyuki Itahana who previously had done the artwork for all the Crystal Chronicles games currently released. The game's atmosphere is far more realistic and darker than previous Crystal Chronicles games, and focuses on a young man named Layle.

Contents

[edit] Story

Screenshot of the Airship featured in the trailer.

The story will take place long after the earlier Crystal Chronicles games and features advanced technology such as firearms and Airships. Crystals are used as the power supply for all sorts of common technologies.

The story will focus on a protagonist named Layle who, unlike previous characters in the Crystal Chronicles series who set off on a journey to become a hero, starts off already as an experienced hero. He is a Crystal Bearer, a person who has a piece of the Crystal embedding inside them and thus has magical powers. Director Toshiyuki Itahana explained this by saying that instead of being a story about growth, the story will show what the hero does in certain situations. The game opens with an airship getting into an accident of some form. The main character comes in to save the day and then tries to figure out what and who caused this accident. Other specifics given were mentions of basic Final Fantasy elements showing up, such as airships, chocobos, magic, and monsters. It is set during a time in the Crystal Chronicles world when magic no longer exists, Yukes have been gone for thousands of years, the world runs on technology created by the Lilties, and crystals are now used for industrial purposes.

Itahana has said that the game will have a more mature look then the previous Crystal Chronicles games and take place in the skies.

[edit] Characters

Screenshot of Layle.
  • Layle - The main protagonist is a male Clavat, and already a famous hero at the beginning of the game. He is seen holding a crystal which gives him the abilities to lift objects, people, and enemies into the air.
  • Keiss - A Selkie man with red hair and a blue bandanna. He is a trustworthy friend of Layle.
  • Belle - A female Selkie who is seen being saved by Layle from large Lilty guards.
    Belle.
  • Althea - A Lilty Princess with blond hair and glasses. She is accompanied by a ferret.
  • Amidatelion - a Yuke with ornate headgear, she is one of the eponymous Crystal Bearers, and also appears to be an antagonist. Her abilities are able to counter Layle's powers, as seen in one scene where Layle tosses a log at her that she makes vanish and fires back at Keiss.
  • Jegran - a male Lilty who is commander of the Lilty army.
  • Cid - An engineer for the Lilty kingdom.
  • Vaigali - A Selkie chief rebelling against the Lilty kingdom.
  • Blaze - A male Clavat and Crystal Bearer who can create fire.
  • Stiltzkin - A traveling moogle with white hair.

[edit] Gameplay

Gameplay in The Crystal Bearers.

Unlike previous Crystal Chronicles games, which focused on multiplayer, The Crystal Bearers will be a more single-player experience with open-world gameplay, similar to a Grand Theft Auto title. Trailers have shown Layle battling both on the ground and in the air. He is shown able to pick up objects and even enemies with his abilities, tossing them around. He is also shown using magic that causes a certain effect in the environment, such as Cactuar growing after having used a water attack on it. Executive producer Akitoshi Kawazu mentioned that characters will make use of their abilities in battle while also using standard weapons. It is also possible to control an airship, as seen in the trailer. There is no separation between battle elements, making it an open-world real-time game.

The Wiimote is used to grab objects and move them. If large objects are grabbed, Lalye's powers work as a grappling hook to launch him up. Nearly every object in the game can be interacted with, including people in towns who will react to Layle differently depending upon the player's actions. As the game progresses, enemies do not become more difficult per se, but the amount of things that they can do increases. There will be no leveling-up system in the game, but instead new equipment that increases Layle's abilities, such as being to grab objects farther away.

[edit] Development

Original logo shown when the game was first announced.

The original video trailer released showed an art direction style similar to the original Crystal Chronicles game. Steampunk style airships were shown flying across the sky, three crystal caravans racing on a desert-like plain, and a blonde-haired Clavat boy holding a crystal in his hand. During the Square Enix Party 2007 a new trailer was unveiled showing the new direction the game was taken in. Plans were to have a running demo at Square Enix Party 2007 but due to lack of time, only a trailer was shown. They were hoping to have one ready by the Tokyo Game Show 2007, but the event came and passed with no demo or even a trailer.

Clavat hero shown during the original E3 2006 trailer.

Four Crystal Chronicles games (namely Ring of Fates, My Life as a King, Echoes of Time, and My Life as a Darklord) have been released since the initial announcement of The Crystal Bearers in May 2006. The developers of My Life as a King refused to comment when asked about the status of The Crystal Bearers at the Game Developers Conference of February 2008, stating only that the public should "wait for a press release". Three years since the game's initial announcement, the game still doesn't have a solid release date. The first new trailer since 2007 was released with the Wii version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time in January 2009. In March 2009, the Official Global website opened for The Crystal Bearers that updates with short videos on the game and revealed a new logo. The European page revealed that Europe has already received a rating for the game before both North America and Japan. A newsletter was also E-mailed to people who signed up to receive info on the game from the European website. In a issue of Famitsu released in April, the Game Producer and Scriptwriter of The Crystal Bearers Akitoshi Kawazu, revealed that the long delay was due to the game being in early development when it had originally been announced and not having a full development team when they began work.

[edit] Packaging artwork

Japan

North America

[edit] Videos

[edit] Trailers

[edit] External links

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