Originally released all the way back in 2003 on the Nintendo GameCube, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has a soft spot in the hearts of many longtime FF fans. Over the year, the game has gone on to become one of the most popular spin-offs in the long-running franchise. So much so, in fact, that Square Enix decided a couple of years back to bring back the title for a whole new generation.
Now, after a handful of different delays over the past few months, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition is finally set to make its way to new platforms later on in August. Ahead of its launch, we were able to briefly speak with Square Enix’s Ryoma Arakai, the director of the game, about this re-release and what it has in store for both new and old players.
DualShockers: What made Square decide to return to Crystal Chronicles and remaster it?
Ryoma Araki: At SQUARE ENIX, creating new titles is a given, but we also actively remaster or remake past titles to acquaint as many new players as we can with these games. This title was one that I enjoyed as a player myself, so I launched this project with the hope of getting many people acquainted with the game.
The reason why I decided to create this game in the form of a remastered version is since the original was so well made, instead of changing up the feel of the game completely as a remake, I wanted people to experience the great aspects of the game from back in the day. Therefore, I decided we should release the game as a remastered version.
DS: Are there any plans for future content? Perhaps new dungeons or additional classes/races?
RA: This is strictly a remastered version, so we have no plans of providing additional content as, for example, one would do for a live operation title.
DS: How has the team transitioned to working on the game’s development in the midst of a pandemic? Have there been any additional struggles?
RA: The pandemic hit right when we were at the height of our development, so it was very difficult to deal with. In response, we had to adjust our working environment so that people could work from home to continue development.
DS: What were the main challenges in adapting the experience of playing the original game on GameCube to modern platforms? (i.e. playing with the GBA link cables, etc.)
RA: In the original, people were able to play the game while looking at such things as map information on their Game Boy Advance, but as there’s only one screen for the Remaster, we reorganized and consolidated the information so it would work with this new setup. In order to accomplish this, we ended up needing to recreate most of the UI.
DS: Will there be any official online community events in the future?
RA: We currently don’t have any plans, but I would love to do an event. Whether it’d be official or unofficial, it would be great to gather loads of people for an exciting time with this game as the centerpiece!
DS: What’s one specific thing about this remaster that you would like to make new or returning players aware of?
RA: The co-op multiplayer mode is purely so much fun. As it can be enjoyed with cross-platform play, and since there is a free version, which lowers the barrier to start playing, I hope you ask your friends to join you and enjoy the game together!
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered will finally be making its return later this month when it releases on August 27 for PS4, Switch, iOS, and Android. Keep an eye out closer to launch as we should hopefully have a review to share with you on this new edition of the game at that time.
The post Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Interview — Square Explains Why it Returned to the Spin-Off by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.