Discovering more about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles with the games director
Square Enix have begun the getting some hype together for the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition, which is coming out at the end of August.
As part of that, we had the chance to learn a little more about the game and chat with Game Director Ryoma Araki, so read on and learn more about the most bizzare chapter in the Final Fantasy series.
Maxi-Geek: What was the reason you decided to remaster Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles?
Ryoma Araki: The original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was released in the same year that I joined Square Enix. At the time I was making GameCube games at another developer and I was very impressed by the craftsmanship and ability of the team that made it. It was actually the game that originally led me to come knocking at Square Enix, so it has strong significance for me personally. In addition, I have been working on online games for around 10 years now, so it also fit with a personal theme of mine to create games that people can all come together and enjoy. Those factors led me to raise my hand and take on this remaster.
MG: Are there any features or additions to the remaster, that you think will appeal to players, who have enjoyed the original?
RA: Various features make it easier to invite a friend along to play, such as the introduction of online play, cross-play and the Lite version. In addition to that, the new high difficulty dungeons provide great end-game content that adds even greater depth to the multiplayer experience.
We put a lot of emphasis on cross-platform play for this game to ensure as many players as possible were able to team up and enjoy the adventure together, regardless of which platform they play on, or even if they’re using the free Lite version of the game.
We understand that offline co-operative play was a feature in the original game many fans look back at fondly, so we hope both returning and new fans alike will be able to enjoy the game again by teaming up together across different consoles and smartphones and create new memories as they adventure together again.
MG: You mentioned a free Lite version of the game, can you explain what that is and what players can do with it?
RA: When a player with the full game is the host and other players join as guests using the Lite edition, everyone will be able to play up to 13 different dungeons together. The number of dungeons on the original GameCube version was 14, so you can play pretty much all of them. This lets owners of the full game easily invite a friend along when they want to enjoy multiplayer. You can also carry over your progress from the Lite version when you buy the full game, so won’t need to go through building up your character from scratch again when you decide to dive in to the story and end-game content (such as the new high-level dungeons).
MG: Have you had the chance to add new features into the game, or is this a straight remaster?
RA: There are so many, I'm not sure I can list them all. As this is a remaster rather than a remake, everything is based on the original game, but there are many exciting new additions and changes.
We have made numerous tweaks and additions to make sure that this version of the game stands up as a new title and meets the expectations of today's gamers. I have said in various places that there are no new additions to the story, but we have actually added in one new cut-scene. You are going to have to play and find it for yourselves though!
MG: How did you approach the design of the new battle mechanics like magic blast, spell fusion, and the magic timer?
RA: I designed these systems so that even people playing online can experience the same fun and satisfaction of timing their spellcasts together. Speaking more technically, I decided on the overall policy for the algorithms in the internal synchronisation processing that we use for these systems. We adjusted the difficulty level for the input timing needed to carry out Magic Blast with the Magic Timer, so it is easier to do than it was in the original version of the game.
MG: This is perhaps the most unique Final Fantasy game in the series, what would you say to people who are on the fence for it?
RA: The game has been set up to be as enjoyable as possible to play casually, both as an action game and a co-op game. I would suggest starting off with the Lite version (available for free when the full game launches on 27th August) to experience the charming world of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
MG: In your thoughts, what sets Crystal Chronicles apart from other entries in the Final Fantasy series?
RA: These days, Final Fantasy is seen as a more modern or sci-fi themed RPG, but Crystal Chronicles is actually closer to the series' roots, with a classic medieval fantasy setting and atmosphere. I hope players can have a lot of fun adventuring in this charming storybook fantasy world.
MG: Can you explain more about the end-game dungeons and new items?
RA: We have created 13 high-level end-game dungeons. To sum up, these are divided across three difficulty levels, with the hardest dungeons providing a real challenge, even if you have levelled your characters up and collected some powerful equipment. The new recipes and items added to the game are also comparatively easier to find in these harder dungeons. I recommend that you craft the new weapons and armour added for this edition to take on the hardest dungeon of them all (it might also be fun to just jump in with what you have and see if you can pull-through with skill alone though!).
MG: Final Fantasy has been a solo experience for most of its life, but Crystal Chronicles was different. Was it important for the team to include cross-platform support in the remaster?
RA: In the current era, lots of people enjoy playing games, but there are also a huge variety of play styles and different platforms that people play their games on. I wanted to make it so that players could easily invite their friends, family or partners along to play and create some good memories together, even if they owned different gaming platforms, so cross-platform compatibility was a must.
MG: The game has a very unique hook, at least compared to other entries in the series, what should every cooperative caravan group know before they play together?
RA: You don't have to be a veteran action game player to enjoy Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and can easily jump in once you understand the basic controls. As long as you listen to what the moogle Stiltzskin has to say, you should be fine!
You can combine magic of the same type together to create higher level magic. However, you can also mix magic of different types to create something different again. I would suggest trying out lots of different combinations, as you never know when you will create an unexpected new spell!
MG: There is a new system in the game, Mimic, how did that come about and how does it work?
RA: Mimic is a system that allows you to become the characters who appear in the story. After certain events, there are characters who no longer appear for certain reasons or whose continued presence might be a little odd and being able to use those as playable characters themselves might break immersion in the story. However, we wanted to make it possible to control various different characters as an added bonus, and so we implemented the "Mimic" system where your characters can dress up and become other characters.
We had such a great opportunity with the remaster that we added in all the little extras that we thought would be cool, but at the same time made sure that they did not damage the setting or story. The result of that approach was the Mimic system.
MG: Why was it important to include English voiceover for the game for the first time?
RA: Voiceovers are an important element for creating an even deeper connection to the world, so incorporating them was a must for the remaster. The Japanese version has Japanese voices, but the other versions have English.
For example, the pronunciations of the magic spell names differ between Japanese and English (E.g. in English it is "Firaga" but the Japanese is slightly shorter as "Figa"), and only having Japanese voices would feel odd here, so adding an English voiceover was essential.
Incidentally, we cast popular anime voice actors for the Japanese voiceover and they created some incredibly distinctive characters, so if you have the chance then I would recommend listening to the Japanese voices, too.
MG: Why did you want to remaster the music for the game? Do you have a favourite song from the soundtrack?
RA: We initially thought we would just have the original soundtrack in the remaster, but the sound team staff was so passionate about the project that we decided to remaster the music too. I personally really like the track Thoroughly Blue, which plays on the game's main menu. It always gives me the feeling of heading out on a new adventure.
MG: Do you have a favourite dungeon in the game and if so, what is it?
RA: Probably River Belle Path. This is the dungeon we created when testing things to develop the game, so I have played it more times than I can count. I could probably play it with my eyes closed (haha)! In terms of overall atmosphere, I would also recommend the high-level dungeon Frozen Sluice.
Many thanks to Square Enix for answering questions and remember the game is coming to Switch, PlayStation 4, iOS and Android devices on August 27th.
