Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles has been released in Japan, and we recently spent some time with an import copy of the game to see what Square came up with for its first game on a Nintendo console in many years. Much has been made of the fact that the game supports Game Boy Advance connectivity, and while this feature looks great on paper, it's not quite as enticing when you start the game and realize that absolutely everyone needs to have a GBA-GC link cable if you want to play a multiplayer game--you can't use any sort of controller-and-GBA combination. In any case, when you start a multiplayer game in Crystal Chronicles, you'll immediately find that the game puts a distinct emphasis on teamwork.

　　The first thing you have to do in Crystal Chronicles is create a character. There are essentially four different character types and eight variations within those types, including male and female characters. Each type of character has its own unique set of skills, abilities, and equipment at the beginning of the game, and each character type also starts out with a basic attack, a special attack, a secondary ability, and magic spells. Every character's special attack is executed by holding down the attack button, which causes a glowing circle to appear on the ground. You then move this circle around to target an enemy and release the button to unleash the attack. The secondary ability is different for each type of character. The human boy character can use his shield, for example, and the lanky armored characters can actually disappear and avoid attacks. To switch between all these options, you simply need to press the shoulder buttons on the GameCube controller or the Game Boy Advance.

　　Over the course of the game, you and your cohorts can pick up a variety of items, ranging from additional weapons and armor to magic spells. Magic comes in the form of orbs that usually appear after defeating enemies and can be equipped in a similar manner, but it appears that only two magic spells can be equipped at a single time for each character. In the multiplayer mode, items can be viewed or equipped by accessing the inventory through the Game Boy Advance.

　　Crystal Chronicles' gameplay revolves around the mana bucket, which projects an aura. One of the characters has to carry the bucket around, and all the other characters have to stay within the bucket's aura or they'll steadily sustain damage. In the single-player mode, the mana bucket can be carried by a moogle. Obviously, this is a blatant mechanic to keep players together and not have them venturing off in a scramble to find treasure chests or other items. This also promotes communication between players, particularly during boss battles. Since the mana bucket recharges a character's energy faster, a player might want to pick up the bucket during the battle and start running around to recharge energy and avoid enemy attacks. After that teammate is done, the team has to decide where to drop the bucket.

　　The actual combat in the game is pretty simplistic and basically revolves around identifying patterns in enemies. For example, when you first confront ogres, you'll discover that you can move in and hit one a few times before it even takes its first slash. The same applies for bosses, like the enormous ogre boss who has a pattern of attacks that is largely dependent on your relative location. Once your teammates discover this pattern and start working in tandem, it can be relatively easy to defeat a boss.

　　Crystal Chronicles definitely has the look of a Final Fantasy game. The characters are all quite stylized and sport some cool little details, such as the lanky, insect-looking knights, who have a cool fur effect on their arms. The characters also animate pretty well, though the best aspect of Crystal Chronicles' presentation are the environments. You'll see a distinct variety in the environments, even within the first few moments of the game, when you venture through a serene countryside setting to a land filled with overgrown mushrooms. The towns also look pretty good and are bustling with life.

　　We'll have more on Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles soon.