I felt something when I played this game that I haven't felt in a long time: LIKE I WAS PLAYING A FINAL FANTASY!

User Rating: 8.5 | Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates DS
By Double_Wide | Review Date:
Despite the differences in genre from the main series, Ring of Fates manages to capture and deliver the classic essence that only a Final Fantasy can provide. Besides integrating the DS' dual screens into the game play, the game doesn't do anything revolutionary from a gameplay perspective. It's pretty basic button mashing, hack n' slash while collecting magical orbs to fire off spells. One of the cooler aspects of the game is actually something that is rarely seen in any Final Fantasy game...the cosmetic changes made to your party members when equipping new armor. If anyone is anything like me, your characters may end up looking pretty goofy looking due to the best equipment set up usually not being the most visual coordinated. However, there maybe those who are willing to sacrifice stats for style...to each their own I guess. The only game play related issues that I had were the incredibly unreliable AI of my computer controlled party members during the single play campaign and the unnecessarily cumbersome and ambivalent puzzle solving towards the end of the game. Besides this, I think the game does a great job at making each party member relevant as it usually puts certain obstacles in your path that only one or a particular combination allies can clear. Ring of Fates also provides something that hasn't been seen in a Square Enix game in a very long time...New Game +. Which needless to say, increases the replay value of the game. I can't comment too much on the multiplayer aspect of the game since I never played it but I do know that it does continue the game's story.

What really made this game a great addition to the overall Final Fantasy series though is how true it stayed to its ability to telling an amazingly wonderful (but at time confusing) story. The game does start of kind of "kiddie" and personally, it took a lot for me to continue playing long enough to give it a fair chance. However, not too soon after the first couple of missions on the game, the story takes a very dark turn and sort of sets the tone for the remainder of the game. Although, off and on the game does have humorous and lighter toned moments...but never reverting to the happy go lucky feel of the beginning of the story. The game definitely gives players many reasons to empathize with the 2 central characters of the game while it seems as if all others are there to merely help move the story along. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the story is on the top tier of the FF series but it definitely is of the same quality of the better games.

My Breakdown -

What's Good:

- Great story
- Good for long time fans of the series and newcomers
- Simplistic game play
- Good incorporation of the DS' dual screen functionality
- High replay value (New Game +)
- Customizing the appearance of party member can be fun

What's Not-So-Good:

- At times the story can become a bit confusing (even in the end) but most FF games are like that.

What's Bad:

- No lip movement to go with the voice acting is so '90s
- The painfully ambivalent puzzles found in the final dungeons of the game
- The computer AI isn't hardly ever all that reliable and other party members pretty much serve as diversions especially in boss battles

In all, don't be fooled by the innocent looking exterior. Ring of Fates is an excellent action RPG that delivers on quality game play and storytelling and shouldn't be passed up by fans of the series or genre alike.

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