Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers



The first "true" game in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series for the Wii (the others were Wii Ware or a copy of the DS version), this game was announced very early on, but actual development did not begin until the developers actually had a gameplay concept in mind.

The game was an attempt to make a sandbox game, although some found it just a bunch of stuff to do instead of a true sandbox game.

Reviews were mixed, some complaining about the game in general, and others just that this was a game better in potential than in execution. Also since this is a Wii game, the graphics were largely dismissed as nothing special, despite the relative lack of such games on the Wii.

This game provides examples of:

 * Action RPG
 * After the End: It's more like after after the end.
 * The Alcatraz: The Aerial Prison. True to its name, the entire fortress is floating above the desert at a lethal distance. And even if you manage to escape your cell, make it outside and make the jump without dying, all you've managed to do is land yourself in the Prison Sands, another desert prison situated directly beneath.
 * Aliens Steal Cattle: Used with sheep.
 * Brick Joke / Fridge Brilliance: Much later in the game, in the, a handful of sheep are present, and the locals comment on them.
 * Ambition Is Evil: Both played straight and averted.
 * From the moment any Genre Savvy player is expecting him to betray you, but he's your buddy all the way.
 * , however, plays this straight, letting his ambition consume him.
 * Asteroids Monster: Flans.
 * Badass: Layle's first scene involves him being bored on a mission to protect an airship, which naturally causes a massive attack of monsters not a minute later. His response? Jump off the escort craft toting a massive gun to take out them all himself midair, not hesitating a moment even when the gun is knocked out of his hands, and simply grabs and fires it with his powers while still plummeting to the airship. And did I mention this was the opening sequence?
 * Blaze, who claims to have taught Layle everything he knows about using his bearer powers, had ridiculous villain potential despite showing up halfway through the story. In Hogwarts robes. He's a pyrokinetic loon with extensive scarring around both eyes and a voice that oozes Ax Crazy.
 * Beach Episode: Complete with a minigame that consists of bikini-clad Selkie girls playing Ass Kicks You with each other. WOW.
 * Bottomless Pit Rescue Service: Part of Layle's power. Fall into a hole (and it'll happen a lot), and he'll automatically fire a beam off to snatch hold of the nearest ledge.
 * Camera Centering
 * Chekhov's Gunman: That guy Layle and Bell steal a cart from early in the game? He's Blaze.
 * Continuity Nod:
 * Leo and Chime from My Life As a King appear as NPCs.
 * Two of the moogles from the first game, Stiltzkin (who gave the tutorial) and Archimedon (from the Striped Brigands) make appearances.
 * Also, one of the library sculptures is a crystal chalice, and several of their paintings are locations (or the map) from the first Crystal Chronicles game.
 * Red crystals always seem to be a good indicator of The Dark Side.
 * Controllable Helplessness: At one point, you're on a catwalk overlooking a large holding cell full of Selkies. The Big Bad is also in the cell, attacking them. You have a limited amount of ammo to throw at the Big Bad before you're forced to watch helplessly as the situation resolves itself without further input from you.
 * Cosmetic Award: Medals, which you get for everything from advancing the plot to playing minigames to finding items, but don't actually do anything. Some of them range through gold, silver and bronze, "rewarding" you for completing the objective multiple times or with high scores.
 * Cosmic Keystone: The four tribal crystals, which acts as the source of life for each of the four races. The ancient war ended with the Lilties and Yukes each trying to destroy the others' crystal, the Lilties succeeded, and the Yukes were doomed to a state of non-existance.
 * Cutscene Power to The Max: Layle. Some things are justifiable, such as when he picks up more than one item at a time with telekinesis. The only reason you can't do that is limitations of the technology, even taking into account that two players can manipulate one item on the screen each. But the barriers? Why are those only used in cutscenes? The C button is just sitting there unused; make it the shield button!
 * Dancesand Balls: A rhythm game to see the princess.
 * Differently Powered Individual: The Crystal Bearers.
 * The Empire: The Lilty Kingdom. One could argue that they've become progressively less evil since conquering the world centuries ago.
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait: Layle and Keiss, in keeping with the Squeenix tradition of Bishonen
 * Everythings Better With Princesses: The Lilty have a royal family, and the king has taken ill (at least that's the cover story), so the princess has to lead the kingdom.
 * Evil Is Hammy: Blaze.
 * Fan Service: Loads of it, especially that the Selkies are mostly dressed for the beach. Also of note is Keiss in a uniform. Or just Keiss in general.
 * Don't forget the Panty Shot of Belle early on right before she and Layle go into the cave. Okay, technically it's more like lace underwear than panties.
 * Fantastic Racism - A deep prejudice against Crystal Bearers, people born with he ability to use magic in a time where magic is all but dead outside of Magitek. Bearers are deeply mistrusted, their abilities feared, using their powers inside the Lilty capitol city is a crime, etc. Layle himself goes from "valuable mercenary" to "hunted criminal" because of one act of magic in the city. Oh, and no Selkie has ever been a Bearer. Take what you will from that.
 * Free Rotating Camera
 * Frickin Laser Beams: Scarecrows that protect crops with Eye Beams and cows that fire jets of laser milk from their udders when disturbed. The latter can be used as an attack by the player, at least until the cow runs dry.
 * Gravity Master: Layle.
 * Grievous Harm With a Body: One of the ways Layle can damage enemies.
 * Hated Hometown: Keiss, upon visiting his home, reluctantly says "home sweet home... I guess." He's not on good terms with the local leader.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:  and
 * Informed Ability: Apparently, Selkies can handle it solo.
 * Joker Immunity: Almost subverted; Layle uses his gravity powers to try and crush the Big Bad into the ground, but is interrupted by the princess' insistence (at gunpoint, ironically) that he must answer for his crimes instead.
 * Lady in Red: Belle
 * Literally Shattered Lives: The process of "crystalization" is about as fun as is sounds.
 * Magitek: In the form of Steampunk powered by "crystal reactors".
 * Mythology Gag: Several, mostly involving music.
 * At the start of the Unity Ball scene, the random guest whose outfit Layle steals is first seen walking through the hall, humming a very familiar tune.
 * All of the dances at the Unity Ball are remixes of songs from the original game.
 * The BGM for Moschet Manor, the level where you slaughter a monstrous dinner party (first the guests, then the Tonberry chefs, then the hosts), becomes a formal ballroom dance.
 * The game's ending theme (Starry Moonlit Night in English, Hoshizukiyo in Japanese), which was originally a sad and thoughtful tune with lyrics about missing home during a long journey, becomes a peppy, upbeat Riverdance-style jig.
 * The music of Veo Lu Sluice is remixed as a tango, but by far the most easily recognized. The soundtrack CD of Crystal Bearers didn't even bother giving it a different name.
 * Obviously Evil: The villains are pretty easily spotted from their introductions.
 * One Scene Wonder: Blaze, despite a fair number of mentions on this page, only appears in a very small section of the game.
 * One Winged Angel: In true Final Fantasy fashion, the Big Bad has one during the Final Battle. Except it's really just more of an arm. Layle looks like he has one, on the other hand.
 * Pimped Out Dress: The Lilty ladies, particularly Althea in the last half. Her dress actually has sparkles sewn into the pattern.
 * The Plan: The only reason Amidatelion was able to board the Alexis was because Layle used his powers to pull her out of the portal..
 * Powered By a Forsaken Child: uses his Bearer power to . Before he appeared on the scene, though, the only source for crystal shards were, so that wasn't all sunshine and roses either.
 * Pretty in Mink: The selkies of course, and Layle and Bell have fur trimmed jackets.
 * Red Right Hand: The ostracized Crystal Bearers are recognizable as such for having a small part of their body crystallized. The Big Bad has a literal Red Right Hand that he.
 * The Reveal:
 * Scenery Porn: Plenty of detailed scenes, and that's taking into account the graphics are actually held back to shorten the loading times.
 * Stocking Filler: Belle
 * Super Mode:
 * Telekinesis: Layle's main power, which is technically gravity based.
 * Tranquil Fury: Layle, while.
 * Tron Lines: Some of the ruins.
 * Unwilling Suspension: Althea
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: This is essentially Belle's hiding spot.
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: It not only lets you toss old ladies around. They encourage it by giving you the chance to rob them.
 * You can rob anyone by hurling them, actually, but old women carry the most money on them.
 * Wreaking Havok: A more limited form than most, but Layle's main form of attack is flinging objects at things with his gravity powers. Or just picking them up and flinging them around.