Review: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

This is a review that’s been over twenty years in the making – sort of. Back in 2004, before my wife and I had children, we would occasionally pass our time by playing video games. Back then, one of the systems we owned was the Nintendo GameCube. Since both of us liked to play, I made sure to try to buy as many multiplayer games as I could. I had always been a huge Final Fantasy fanatic, so when I saw that there was a multiplayer Final Fantasy title exclusive to the GameCube, I didn’t hesitate buying it. The game I’m referring to is, of course, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. To say that I was excited to jump into the game, would be an understatement. Sadly, however, my wife didn’t share the sentiment. I think the two of us played maybe two or three hours of the game together, before she admitted that it simply didn’t resonate with her. I tried completing the game on my own, but it just seemed to lose a little bit of magic whenever I’d try to play it solo. For this reason, I shelved the game and admittedly, I forgot about it.

Then, in 2020, a remaster of the game was announced for the Nintendo Switch and the Playstation 4. This announcement rekindled my interest and as soon as it became available, I snatched it up. By that time, however, I was already involved in this blog, so the Crystal Chronicles remained on my backlog. So, for the reasons I’ve outlined above, I started this post by saying this is a review that’s been a long time coming. Now, I’ve spent the last couple weeks playing through this game and at last I can finally say that I have a solid experience in the world of Crystal Chronicles. With that said, I have a lot of opinions.

For those of you who are interested in the playing the game today, the most logical option is going to be the modern remaster. This is the version that I played for this review. The remake is available for Switch and PS4/PS5 players. It features cross-platform multiplayer and even allows you to move your save games from one system to the other. Not to mention, it looks and performs leagues better than the original version. One important thing that is lost, however, is local multiplayer functionality. The original game allowed up to four players to plug into the GameCube and tackle the game side-by-side. This new version can still be played with four players, but all of the matchmaking has to be done online either via lobbies or through the use of friend codes. These matchmaking servers are operated by Square Enix, so there’s a very real possibility that the day will come when they will be pulled offline. This may not sound like a big deal for folks who just want to enjoy the single player content. But, as I’ll get into in a bit, some of the new content that was added in the remaster version is really designed to be tackled by groups of players.

At the time it was released, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was quite different from anything else that held the “Final Fantasy” name. For starters, its not a turn-based RPG. It’s an action game. And, as I mentioned earlier, it’s also a game that’s very much designed to be tackled by more than one player.

The backstory for the game involves a world that is plagued by a poisonous miasma. In order to survive in such a harsh environment, communities are protected by magical crystals that purify the air. These crystals require frequent recharging. However. In order the keep the crystal functioning, adventurers must set off and locate special trees that bear an energy called myrrh. Once enough myrrh is harvested, the adventurer will return home and recharge the crystal for another year. This process has now become a tradition among the people of the realm.

The game begins with the creation of a character. Players are able to choose from a number of racial tribes. Each race has its own advantages and disadvantages. Once the main character is created, players will name their starting community. Once this is complete, they will begin their trek out into the unknown. From here, the game works like this; players guide the caravan on an overworld map until the come across areas of interest. Sometimes these areas are other communities, but most often they are playable dungeons. At the end of each dungeon is a boss fight. Defeating the boss will reward the player with the discovery of a myrrh-bearing tree. Once the player has collected three units of myrrh, they have enough to return home and recharge their crystal. At this point, the calendar moves forward a year, and the player is able to embark again.

Dungeons are replayable and sometimes they can change from year-to-year. But the only way to really progress in the game is continue exploring and seeking out new areas. Occasionally, when traversing the overworld map, you will encounter a random cutscene. These short scenes sometimes reward the player with an item. But more often than not, they simply exist to provide in-game lore. Still, it’s important to pay attention to them as the final boss fight will ask players to recount some of these random events.

Entering dungeons is where the real gameplay happens. Crystal Chronicles is an action RPG – similar to games from the Mana series. The action is presented in a 3D rendered birds-eye-view. Combat takes place in real time, with players with hitting monsters with weapons or casting spells. This is where my biggest gripe with the game comes to light. The playcontrol is just… not good. I don’t want to say it’s terrible. I’ve played worse. But it’s not as good as it should be. The attacks don’t feel fluid and there almost seems to be a noticeable lag between tapping the attack button on the controller and seeing the attack executed on the screen. That being said, it is something that you get used to and it’s not terribly difficult to master. But I can’t help but feel like the whole combat system could have been polished considerably.

The default commands are Attack and Defend. You scroll through these options using the shoulder buttons on the controller. But at the end of the day, the “defend” option just seems useless because the amount of time it would take to select it and execute it just doesn’t seem to make much sense when you can just move out of the way of an attack instead.

As you explore the dungeons you will find items that will either boost your stats or allow you to cast magic spells. Once new spells are found, they are added to your command list for as long as you are inside that dungeon. Once the dungeon is complete, you lose the spells you’ve obtained, but you get to select one artifact to keep permanently. It is through these artifacts that you essentially, “level up” your character. This means that grinding dungeons is a big part of gameplay.

In the original version of the game, the story ends once you completed the final dungeon and uncover the secret to ridding the world of the miasma. But, in the remaster, completing the game also unlocks alternate (harder) versions of all the existing dungeons. This adds an extreme amount of replayability, especially when you team up with other players online. Which brings me back to an important point that I want to stress; this game was designed to be played with other players. Yes, it is possible to complete the game by yourself. But by doing so, you’re really robbing yourself of the true experience. Playing with other players not only makes the game much easier, but it also really highlights a number of little nuances that aren’t really obvious when playing alone. For example, tribal differences really come to light when playing a group. What do I mean by that? Well, certain monsters might be weak to magic. In this case, it’s best to let players from the Yuke tribe (the race with highest magic ability) take the lead when doing battle with these types of enemies.

Another interesting aspect of multiplayer that’s lost when playing alone is the “carrying of the chalice”. Remember, all of the dungeons are covered by miasma. In order to explore them, the player must carry a chalice filled with myrrh to purify the air around them. When playing in a group, one person has to carry the chalice around while the other players engage in combat. This is a mechanic that is designed to encourage teamwork and also to keep the group together on the same screen. When playing the game alone, the chalice is instead carried by a computer controlled Moogle.

I played the majority of this game alone. But, once I completed the final dungeon, I quickly found myself teaming up with other players to take on new challenges and to grind my character up in power. At the time of this writing, I still have yet to conquer the ultimate bosses (these are only available once the game is actually complete). To be honest, I’m not sure I’m up for the challenge. There’s plenty about this game that I enjoyed. But in the end, I’m just not sure I feel compelled to keep playing. Time will tell.

All of this makes Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles an extremely unique, but also somewhat odd, gaming experience. The daring originality of the development team is worthy of applause. I can honestly say that this game is unlike anything else I had played up this point. Still, the game has more than its share of flaws. To me, I can’t help but feel like its a recipe that just didn’t finish cooking long enough. It has all of the right ingredients… but it’s just not quite done yet. Even so, if you’re a fan of Final Fantasy or co-op action RPGs, this game is certainly worth a look.

Version Reviewed: PS4

Difficulty: Hard – The game starts off fairly easy and slowly moves up to a medium difficulty as you progress. However, the final dungeon ramps this difficulty up quite a bit. To conquer it alone, expect to do a considerable amount of grinding. Once the game is complete, a number of optional dungeons and even optional bosses are available. These new challenges are insanely difficult. But, this is by design, as they are done this way to encourage online play. Playing this game with a solid group can lower the challenge considerably.

Multiplayer: Yes. Online Co-Op.

Story: The story for this game is very unique and original. I found it to be refreshing, honestly. The situation regarding the caravans and the mission to preserve your homeland makes the game personal and motivating. Very well done.

Originality: This game is nothing if it’s not original. Everything from the story to the gameplay is unlike anything that had been seen before. Even today, it still feels completely different from most of what’s on the market. From the gameplay to the art direction, everything is unique.

Soundtrack: The music in this game is quality stuff. It has its own personality and feel and it fits in with the rural vibe that the game projects. That said, it does get a bit repetitive at times.

Fun: Starting out with the game was a bit slow at first. The combat and playcontrol was off-putting. But it did get the hang of it after a while. Even so, I can’t help but feel that everything should have been polished just a little more. Playing the game in single player mode left me with a very mediocre feeling. Playing with others is really the key. Finding other players is a bit tough, though. The remaster is now five years old and the playerbase has dwindled vastly. Weekends are the best time to find other players. Alternately, you can seek out an active community on places like Reddit or Discord to organize a game. (Which I think is a bit sad).

Graphics: The graphics are quite lovely. The aesthetic is unique compared with other Final Fantasy titles. I found the visuals to be colorful and stunning at times. The game looked great on the GameCube and it looks even better on the remaster. The PS4 version is noticeably sharper than the Switch release.

Playcontrol: This is probably my biggest issue with the game. The combat controls are rather unintuitive and seemed to have a noticeable lag for me. It’s something that you get used to, but it still feels wrong. Even the menu buttons just seem out of place. This wasn’t an issue I remembered having with the GameCube, so it might be something that popped up when the game was ported to modern systems.

Downloadable Content: YES. The game offers paid DLC in the form of cosmetics and pay-to-win like boosts. Items that increase currency drops and health regen are locked behind paid DLC. This is something that always puts a bad taste in my mouth. There’s also special weapons available for a price. These weapons are insanely overpowered. Frankly, they ruin the balance of the game, in my opinion. None of the DLC available actually unlocks any playable content or provides any more value to the game. It’s all just boost items and vanity.

Mature Content: None.

Value: Even now, five years after the remaster was released, the game still sells for $30.00. This seems a little steep to me, especially if you intend to experience it alone. If you have a dedicated group of friends to play with, it could easily be worth this price, however.

Overall score (1-100): 75 – I don’t want my score to trick you into thinking this is a bad game. It’s not. But it is subpar. Especially considering the price. Crystal Chronicles is filled with lots of good ideas. But at the end of the day, they seem to fall just short of their intended goal. Still, it’s a very interesting concept and I look forward to seeing what future entries of this side series bring to the table.

Original System: GameCube

Available today on: Switch PS4/PS5 – (Updated as of Summer 2025)

Best Experience: PS4/PS5 – (Updated as of Summer 2025)

Other Reviews In This Series:

Main Series:

I – II – III – IV – V – VI – VII – VIII – IX – X – X2 – XI – XII – XIII – XIII 2 – XIII Lightning Returns – XIV – XV – XVI