Nintendo DS - Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

Format
Nintendo DS
Publisher
Square Enix
Developer
h.a.n.d.
Country of origin
Japan
Genre
Action RPG

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

By David Rasmussen
14th Sep 07

2007 & 2008 seems to be a golden time for Final Fantasy players.
PS2, PSP & PS3. Nintendo DS & Wii. Even the PC. You can find something for everyone (even games nobody should play, like Final Fantasy on your cellphone or Final Fantasy meets Fighting Genre gaming on the PSP… what the?!?)
But before the glut of DS Final Fantasy games (which is where most of the Final Fantasy action will take place with four releases total for 2007-2008 in comparision to the meeker releases on other systems/consoles) let’s take a look at one of this year’s already released games, Final Fantasy Fables : Chocobo Tales for the DS.

This game represents one of the few times I broke ranks with X-Play on a review.
Most of the time it seems I am mostly of the same opinion as X-Play, which I respect reviewwise greatly.
However at times… we don’t see eye-to-eye. This is one of those times.
But consider the source. X-Play may be a great many things, but one thing they’re not is Final Fantasy fans.
So to see them totally bash down a Final Fantasy game? Not surprising. Sure, they do have their pet project likes in Final Fantasy… too few and far between though.

The thing is though this is a nitche game, which is probably one of the reasons why it got a 2 out of 5 from Xplay… though they gave similarly nitched in appeal Cooking Mama : Cook-Off for the Wii a 4 out of 5 despite it‘s lack of depth of gameplay and occasional controller issues.
Yes, Chocobo Tales won’t appeal to all (even all Final Fantasy players), I can admit to that much. But if you don’t mind the few requirements towards liking this game you might find an interesting addition to your DS collection in a quirky fun sort of way (if, again, you don’t mind the few “flaws” of the game).

As the opening sequence shows, and oh so interesting animation it is, the main character of the game is a cute little Chocobo (and what an interesting Chocobo it is). In this cutesy game obviously aimed towards kids, which isn’t a sin since some games (LEGO Star Wars for instance) proved kiddie games are fun too, you play as a Chocobo who has a love for reading. Yes, a reading enabled Chocobo might seem like a leap of faith for you the reader, but being a literate Chocobo is not the only leap of faith you’ll have to have in this game mind you. You’ll also have to believe it’s a literate storybook loving Chocobo who loves mini-games, and can card battle with the best of them (and it vital towards the salvation of the world from darkness untold). Not too much of a stretch is it?

Seemingly set in the world of Final Fantasy II or III your world is a small Chocobo filled island where your two human friends (a geeky male black mage and a kind hearted female white mage) work to raise you and your Chocobo pals right in the aftermath of a great war that raged across the planet.
You go to school, have a place to hang out and play arcade games (built by Cid who is not the same Cid from Final Fantasy VII), a fun playground and… oh, a place where your friend (the white mage) reads you stories. Which is how this whole mess starts off.

As the story start, however, her dark wizard pal returns with a “rare book” which turns out to be a cursed book holding the soul of an evil entity named Bebuzzu. It breaks loose after you accidentially break it’s seal, and captures all your friends by turning them into card (and several storybooks which become several Chocobos prisons). It then absconds with your pals, leaving you the task of hunting down the many friends of yours trapped on playing cards (which opens up the path to three different levels of gameplay featured in this game, as well as the plot where you end up having to stop this creature from “Evolving“ and destroying the world).

The first of the three game elements is storybook minigames.
You’ll find that your nemesis has strung about the books it swallowed all over the island, trapping certain pals inside each book (one each). Each book is a treasure trove of content (once you get a certain tool to explore it’s full potential) which allows you to open paths for further exploration of the island, score you cards for card battle combat, or freeing a pal of yours (which can be helpful in it‘s own way in unlocking Micro Games or providing help in your quest).

To do this you’ll have to play the two modes of minigames in each book, each focused on the story you are in. The Tortoise and the Hare, the Boy who Cried Wolf (Leviathan), The Ugly Duckling (Chocobo that seems to cry a lot in all the mini games with it in it), The Three Piggies, a story about Ifrit and Shiva and so on and so forth. Each game has an interesting use of the stylus, and it’s own playing style, ranging in difficulty from 5 year old could do it, to “Oh god find me a 5 year old to play this fricking hard mini game!!”. Each (represented by three alternate endings to each story) in turn either opens a path in the game exposing either cards (for card combat or an imprisoned friend), or paths to continue storymode or gives you cards (for card battle combat or releasing a captive Chocobo pal).
The endings are either the different endings to the same story (depending on who wrote the story) or takes several story ideas and merges them into one (for instance one Mini Red Riding Hood ending which combines an element from Cinderella with Red Riding Hood, or one of the The Boy Who Cried Levithan endings which combines The Boy Who Cried Wolf with Pinocchio).

The second is “Micro Games” (mini mini games)
These are carnival style games, some taking on familiar forms (like a BeJeweled style game, for instance), and some entirely new (an innovative climbing game for instance). The best thing about these games is that several games uses the microphone for playing the game, which means lots of blowing on the microphone for several things like keeping objects up or shooting darts. Also it provides quite abit of mini game content in this one game (and remember some people think the playing of mini-games is good for staving off the effects of Alzheimers by keeping your brain busy!)
The prize for mastering these Micro Games (which take abit of effort) is cards for card battle combat (one for a Silver win, one for the hard as hell to complete Gold win).

Finally you have “Card Battle” combat, which is the major thrust of “combat” in this game.
Combining the Dragon Rush style of DBZ : Budokai 3 (the matching of attack/defense symbols on a four elemental spheres “rock paper scissor” style format) and a simple to master (yet addictive) combat system (with summoned monster graphics reminiscient of Paper Mario but with a bit of a twist in Crystal Abilities and the various powerups the card triggers for successful attacks or defenses).
You’ll build a deck up to 15 cards (once you master it) and go all out against rivals (with over 100 cards set in five “categories” listed in elements). The only problem with this gameplay is that challenges are too few and far between in storymode, and the game lacks a pop-up duel area on the main menu to expand your gameplay options in this area. Sure, once you beat the game you can relive all your battles with Bebuzzu but that still isn’t enough. Only playing online via WiFi will yield the most challengers (which includes Japanese players who are still going at this game since I played worldwide challenge and found one Japanese opponent still going at the game even now as of this review).
Sure, eventually people will stop playing this game (like they have stopped playing Final Fantasy XI online) and the WiFi mode will be useless… but that’s in the future, let’s focus on the here and now shall we?

With all this content what could possibly be wrong with this game?
Actually, there are a few things you have to consider before rushing out to get this game.

One - The game is for children.
It’s simple, the storyline may not be award winning material, and the only way to squeeze the most out of the card combat system is being online… but still it’s a good game if you don’t mind the youthful approach.
Still, consider this. This game’s storymode? 20 solid hours of gameplay. That’s more than more than a few games geared to teens or adults I’ve seen in the past (clocking in at only 12 to 15 hours)! For a children’s game it does seem to have more than a fair share of gameplay time under it’s hood to offer you!
(Of course if you’re a total RPG guru you’ll might be able to finish the game in 17 or so hours with your mad skills and all… but still, with online play and multiplayer (which I couldn’t utilize since I couldn’t find 1-3 other players to go multiplayer against) 20 hours is still nice if not impressive for a game like this).

Two - People Hate Cutesy Gaming
That seems to be the tripe X-Play hates about the game. It’s cutesy and shallow and whatever. So? Considering they fell in love with total crap like Arc the Lad : End of Darkness I’m not totally surprised they dissed on Chocobo Tales. So then is the game as shallow as it seems? Well, it is in a sense but that is because it’s a game for kids, hence it is supposed to be abit on the light side. But still a nice selection of mini and micro games, and card battle combat that isn’t entirely sucks? If you don’t mind that, and can look past that to find the interesting content in it then good for you.

Anyway it’s a DS game. It’s not like we’re talking a PSP title like Final Fantasy II here, are we? And if you want a serious DS game get Final Fantasy III, not this… except of course if you already played that and want more… uh… wait for Final Fantasy IV? I heard they’re doing that… I think.

OK. If you don’t mind a not so challenging (except some mini slash micro games are really hard to master and get a perfect score on) kiddy game with a cutesy cast, villains that are not always so villainous (I bet you’ll see who amongst the “evil” people is going to turn out to be more than meets the eye almost immediately), and an overall set of fun mini/micro games that’ll fill the gap between Final Fantasy DS games? This should be a nice treat to snack on until the next DS game in the Fall.
4 literate Chocobos out of 5.

-- David Rasmussen 14th Sep 07

Nintendo DS Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales Images