Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles stands out as a unique take on the familiar enemies and themes typically found in the franchise, making it a perfect candidate of all the many Final Fantasy spin off titles for a remaster. At its core, the remaster delivers the gameplay and compelling story found in the original, but misses a few major selling points in regards to multiplayer that could turn some players away from the release. With the multiplayer experience being so vital to fully enjoying the game, this puts a damper on the adventure as a whole.
Of course, as a remaster of an older game, fans won't expect too much to be added, but what will end up shocking veterans of the franchise is what Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered removed. The multiplayer experience in the remaster has been stripped down quite a bit, to the point where although the game is more accessible, it can be rather difficult to fully enjoy the story with friends. Ultimately, though, how much a player enjoys Crystal Chronicles Remastered will depend entirely on how they view it. As a standalone game, there is a lot to love, but fans of the original might be more disappointed.
When viewed on its own, Crystal Chronicles Remastered stands out for its plethora of unique mechanics that somehow manage to not feel gimmicky, its charming art style, and its minimalist yet compelling storytelling. All of this and more combine to create a powerful experience that is likely to leave a lasting impression on players, especially if experienced with a friend or three. On top of all of that, the core gameplay loop encourages players to build their characters to their liking and makes almost any build viable.
In terms of story, Crystal Chronicles Remastered takes a somewhat safe approach. Players only need to immerse themselves in the lore and plot of the game as much as they want. Essentially, a large meteor struck years ago, causing a sheet of deadly Miasma to blanket the world. In order to survive these harsh conditions, the people of the world have gathered around large crystals at the center of each town capable of fending off the Miasma's negative effects. Players must go out in search of Myrrh each year in order to maintain its brilliance.
While this is pretty simple, players can dig into the lore by reading diary entries and paying close attention to certain random encounters that happen in between dungeons. Within these moments there are actually several subplots, and some of these may even have an effect on the end of the game. This format lets players make the choice of how seriously they should take the story, further allowing them to tailor the experience to their own preferences.
Visually speaking, Crystal Chronicles Remastered's art style scales up well with current generation hardware, providing a satisfying experience all around. There are certainly moments where the game shows its age, such as some of the awkward transitions found during the opening cutscene, but if anything these only work to add more charm. Where the visuals really shine is spell casting, as players are able to create magnificent effects that cover the entire screen, which really helps to make those spells feel as powerful as they are.
Finally, the gameplay of Crystal Chronicles Remastered feels smooth and satisfying. At its core, it is simple enough for beginners to pick up since only one button is required to use almost all the actions in the game, but its auxiliary systems give hardcore RPG fans something to do as well. Spell fusion will keep mage characters busy as they work together to create powerful spells both destructive and restorative, bonus objectives provide an interesting dichotomy of competitive and cooperative multiplayer, and artifact tables will have those that enjoy grinding for loot jumping for joy. Players can also manage their relationship with their family, upgrade their gear as they progress further and further into the game, and more.
Like the old Gamecube classic, the music of Crystal Chronicles Remastered stands out as one example of an amazing video game soundtrack. Composer Kumi Tanioka's music sounds strange and unfamiliar at times, invoking the feeling that this truly is a fantasy world, unlike reality. This is because Tanioka used primarily old and outdated instruments in its creation such as the Crumhorn and other Medieval or Renaissance instruments. The Remaster rerecorded some of these tracks, but the integrity of the original version still shines through for the most part.
Unfortunately, all of this falls apart after fully exploring the multiplayer aspects of the game. Even before launch, a lot of disappointing news was revealed, but it turns out some features (or lack thereof) were kept under wraps until launch day. Though players already knew that Crystal Chronicles Remastered does not have local co-op, it wasn't entirely clear that its multiplayer would be region locked and only allow the host to progress in the story. On top of that, some players have been having extensive trouble with connecting to the server and quite a bit of lag while in an online game, though a recent patch has improved that to a degree.
There is still a lot of good about the game's multiplayer aspects, though. Cross play in Crystal Chronicles Remastered ensures that people can play with their friends regardless of what system they prefer, and the lite version is a godsend for those that want to try the game out before buying it or that only have an interest in playing it with friends that already have the full version. New additions such as the spell fusion timer make certain mechanics much easier to perform than before, and the ability to transfer data from one console to another means players will never feel tied down.
Despite being only a remaster, Square Enix adds a lot of other new features as well, including 13 hard mode variants of the game's dungeons available after completing the main story and voice acting for cutscenes and certain dialogue within dungeons. These additions are not universally loved, however, as the hard mode dungeons are simply reskins of the 13 existing dungeons within the game and the voice acting in Crystal Chronicles Remastered is definitely hit or miss at times. Regardless, it shows that the developers did put care into creating this remake.
Overall, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is a fantastic game that is hindered by some multiplayer hindrances. With a few updates and some additional work, this game could overcome its flaws and relive its glory days. Unfortunately, there's no telling whether or not these changes will be made, or how serious Square Enix is about maintaining the title now that it has been released to the wild. Players should try and take the game at face value, as difficult as it may be to look past its differences from the original.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered is available now on Mobile, PS4, and Switch. Game Rant was provided a PS4 code for this review.