Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a charming action RPG that emphasizes cooperative play. You'll create a member of a caravan dedicated to collecting precious Myrrh, essential for protecting villages from a poisonous Miasma. The focus on multiplayer means the solo experience can feel slow and repetitive, but the beautiful worldbuilding, evocative soundtrack, and emphasis on teamwork create a unique atmosphere. While it has its flaws, Crystal Chronicles holds a nostalgic charm for those seeking a heartwarming, cooperative journey.

What a delightful little game. The aesthetics, the music, the world-building are all marvelous. It does a good and rather optimistic take on "post-apocalyptic world" trope, where it feels like everyone is hanging on the best they can. I remember the few "shit got real" moments in the game like Tida Village where the caravan failed to return, or Rebena Te Ra as a bastion of lost civilization. The game had a lot of mood pieces gave the world an ethereal feeling.

So how is it as a game? It's fine enough, good even. The biggest caveat is how much of an ordeal it was to get things running proper as a multiplayer game. Four GBAs with attachment cords to your GCN; it was matched really only by PSO for weird peripherals you needed to enjoy the game. But given the simplistic button set-up of the GBAs, the combat and depth of FF:CC isn't particularly deep unless you're combining spells with your partners. But the exploration and puzzle elements of the game are enough to keep busy. As a single-player experience it's solitary and lonely, but the game is still definitely playable and it's what I spent most of my tenure with the game with.

Real talk, I mostly play this game for the vibe. The vibe is immaculate, and I think few games especially in the same series does a good job of capturing that. It's sorta a shame that I haven't heard great things about the HD Remaster, but we'll always have some obtuse way of playing together if you can track down the stuff to actually play the game with.