Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition

This remaster offers a good experience in everything as far as the game itself is concerned. Unfortunately, many of its mechanics have become somewhat outdated and can become repetitive for those who didn't enjoy it on Game Cube. The multiplayer mode is also missed.

Remake of a mediocre and seemingly outdated action roleplaying game with only little Final Fantasy flair.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is another classic FF game that featured a lot of revolutionary features for its time. Unlike other re-released FF games that aged like fine wine, however, Crystal Chronicles’ antiquated controls and half-step multiplayer additions don’t nearly stand the test of time, especially when there are so many games available that do loot-based dungeon-crawling far better and far more streamlined. For many modern gamers accustomed to the faster pace and tighter controls of said games, Crystal Chronicles may feel like an old relic that requires a hefty amount of patience. There’s no lack of charm in the visuals and character designs, and getting four synchronized party members together that can effortlessly chain spells together to unleash a powered-up super spell can lead to a decent time, but it also shows that some old games can be harder to revisit due to the rapidly-evolving technology surrounding videogames.

The work remains anchored to an obsolete and far too sparse play structure.

Square Enix should have gone the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Trials of Mana route and made a full, ground-up remake of the original Crystal Chronicles that did away with the more antiquated design choices, and opened up the multiplayer modes to make it easier to play with friends. As it stands, this multiplayer game makes it as hard and unsatisfying as possible to play with multiple people. Those who can endure the design choices might find things to enjoy in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition, but the developers won't make it easy for them.

The decisions in many aspects of gameplay are correct for the time and even now, but Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition has some flaws that can't be put aside. It fails to be the cooperative and adventurous Final Fantasy that fans have long sought.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered recreates the original's flaws, and like before, it's best enjoyed as a multiplayer-only game.

While the most dedicated players will find a game containing dozens of hours of grinding and challenge to overcome, most are likely to encounter repetitive and simplistic gameplay with no major story to reward their endeavoring. Many will no doubt find the final main game dungeon to be too great an obstacle to overcome. Without nostalgia to buoy its lackluster gameplay loop and online functionality, Crystal Chronicles is one caravan ride you may want to skip.

Whereas the original rewarded players for bringing friends, this version is frustrating and downright inconvenient if you want to enjoy it with others. It’s sad because Crystal Chronicles is still a fun game with a deep story and interesting mechanics, one which I truly wanted to enjoy again. Perhaps when we can meet in person, my old party can hang out and play through a couple of raids. Maybe meeting in person really is the only way this game can be fun. As it is right now, with social distancing and self-quarantining being the norm in the United States, I can’t recommend this title.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is the kind of game that will unfortunately only appeal to a relatively limited demographic. Enjoyable co-op chaos with your friends is the main draw here, but the lack of same screen or even local Switch multiplayer substantially hobbles that appeal. Couple that with simplistic gameplay that fails to provide you with much of a hook to stay with it long term, and you’re left with a rather middling experience that doesn’t do much to incite strong feelings one way or another. Newly remastered graphics and extra content certainly sweeten the deal, but we’d advise you take a good look at why you’re interested in this game before jumping in. If you intend on mostly playing solo, we’d firmly advise you to pass and instead look to the litany of other excellent solo RPG’s on the Switch, many of which are in the Final Fantasy series. If you intend on getting a new multiplayer game to play with your mates, we’d give this a light recommendation and encourage you to evaluate how much playtime you really think this will offer. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is far from being the worst co-op focused game on the Switch, but it’s far from the best, too, leaving it somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Not the best Final fantasy to choose for a re-release and not the best remaster at all, with cumbersome online multiplayer and n o local co-op. Better save your money for the next entry in the franchise.

Quotation forthcoming.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered sadly isn’t going to appeal to new fans due to its poor multiplayer and outdated gameplay mechanics, while those who played the original may find their nostalgic memories aren’t quite as satisfying as they remember.

So, what's left? What reason is there to purchase Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition? That's really the problem here. There isn't one. This isn't Trials of Mana with its breathtaking scope, characters, and narrative reborn for a new generation. This isn't even a port of a beloved classic like Star Ocean or Romancing SaGa, because unlike those faithful ports, Crystal Chronicles Remastered doesn't preserve the reason people loved the original. There's something of a hit of nostalgia in playing through the single-player game... but it's the nostalgia of how much you loved playing that original game, with friends, and the realisation that you can't do it as well as you'd like to, in classic local multiplayer action, bites.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is a clunky release which feels older than it even was in 2003 and plays significantly worse as a multiplayer game.

For every improvement it offers, the Remastered Edition also takes some serious steps backwards that I can’t imagine longtime fans enjoying this one for too long either. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a game that I hoped to love, but with all of its shortcomings in the Remastered Edition, maybe some things are just better left in the past.