The Chocobo debuted in 1988’s Final
Fantasy II, and was immediately adopted as the series’ de facto mascot. The
giant yellow birds have proved so popular that they star in their own spin-off
series, with entries spanning various genres: racing (Chocobo Racing), board
game (Chocobo Land), and dungeon-crawling RPG (Chocobo’s Dungeon 2). In 2007,
Square released Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the Nintendo DS, a
minigame-filled adventure which introduced several new elements to the Chocobo
series—notably a storybook-inspired visual design and Pop-Up Duels, a
collectable card game. Now, Square brings us Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s
Dungeon for the Nintendo Wii, a roguelike RPG that marries elements of Chocobo
Tales and the Chocobo’s Dungeon titles.
Chocobo’s Dungeon stars (of course)
Chocobo, who in this adventure is a treasure hunter with his partner Cid. When
we meet them, Cid and Chocobo are in search of the Timeless Power, said to be
kept in a tall tower in the middle of the desert. Just before reaching it,
however, the two adventurers are mysteriously whisked away to the town of
Lostime in the land of Memoria. At the center of town sits the Bell of Oblivion,
which erases the memories of anyone who hears it. The citizens of Lostime live a
life of blissful ignorance; only the white mage Shirma and her aunt Stella, who
live on the edge of town (out of earshot of the bell’s range), retain any of
their memories long-term. Events are complicated further by a mysterious object
seen falling from the sky, which turns out to be an egg containing a human baby;
the child, named Raffaello, quickly demonstrates the ability to enter a
citizen’s consciousness and retrieve their memories intact. Chocobo must follow
Raffaello into the minds of Lostime’s townspeople to restore their memories so
that he and Cid can piece together the mystery of what happened in Memoria and
what they can do to get back home. The game’s plot shows all the trademarks of
the Final Fantasy series—an evil power trying to take over the world; young
adventurers who must stop it; themes of friendship, redemption, and good
triumphing over evil—but the story manages to stay upbeat and lighthearted,
thanks to good writing, plenty of humor, and a cast of interesting characters.
The story’s also a great motivator to keep you playing, as the central
mystery—what happened in Lostime, and why are the townspeople glad to be rid of
the memories?—is strong enough to make you want to play more to see just what
happened.
The clock tower and the Bell of Oblivion are at the center of both the town of
Lostime and the game’s plot.
So, when Chocobo enters the mind of
one of Lostime’s citizens, what does it look like? Funnily enough, it looks
remarkably like a randomly-generated roguelike dungeon. You see, Chocobo’s
Dungeon is (ironically) the direct follow-up to Chocobo’s Dungeon 2, released in
1999 for the original Playstation. Chocobo’s Dungeon 2 was an offshoot of the
Mysterious Dungeon series of roguelike RPG, which also includes titles like the
Pokemon Rescue Team series and the granddaddy of them all, Shiren the Wanderer,
recently remade for Nintendo DS. For those of you unfamiliar with the Mystery
Dungeon series or the genre in general, roguelikes are turn-based dungeon
crawling RPGs, known mostly for their high difficulty levels, strict penalties
for dying, and incredibly deep, intricate gameplay. While their more hardcore
aspects can ostracize anyone unprepared for the challenge, roguelikes can be
incredibly satisfying and deeply rewarding for those with the skill and
determination to see them through. Chocobo’s Dungeon keeps the depth and
challenge the genre is known for, but also eases the difficulty and frustration
level, so more casual RPG fans won’t be left out in the cold.
Each Lostime citizen’s psyche is
represented by a randomly-generated dungeon. Players will need to explore every
dungeon methodically; in addition to the stairs that lead to the next dungeon
level, players will discover equipment to improve Chocobo’s statistics, magic
books used to cast spells, items that have a variety of uses, and traps that
range from mild inconveniences to potentially fatal. Dungeons are turn-based, in
that for every action Chocobo takes (taking a step, using an item, attacking,
etc.), every enemy in the dungeon gets to take one action. This means that the
player will always need to be on guard, as it’s always possible (if not easy) to
find yourself surrounded and cut off from any route of escape. Death comes with
a high price (all your money and most of your possessions), but unlike most
roguelikes, here you’re able to keep your experience level and whatever you’ve
got currently equipped, so death isn’t quite the devastating reset it is in
games like Shiren.
Every dungeon is filled with enemies, items, and traps.
You’ve also got several ways to tip
the scales in your favor. By visiting Freja’s Forge, Chocobo can improve,
modify, and customize his equipment to his liking. For a small fee, Freja will
improve a piece of equipment’s defining statistic (a weapon’s attack strength or
armor’s defense). Freja can also combine two pieces of equipment, transferring
the bonuses of one to another, or add and remove seals, which confer special
helpful characteristics (a fire seal, for instance, adds fire status to a
weapon’s attack or provides fire resistance when attached to armor). You can
also tailor Chocobo’s abilities to your liking by utilizing different Jobs. As
you progress, Chocobo can find the memories of the various Final Fantasy Jobs,
including White Mage, Knight, and Ninja, among many others. Each Job bestows
both statistic bonuses and new skills and attacks, allowing you to adapt Chocobo
to the dungeon at hand. Beset by ice creatures? Switch over to Black Mage to
stock up on Fire skills. Surrounded by enemies that refuse to part with their
rare items? With a quick switch to Thief, Chocobo will be able to relieve them
of their possessions with ease. The Job system gives you tons of options to
approach the game however you want.
Job changes come complete with job-appropriate costumes.
There are plenty of activities to
keep you busy outside of dungeon crawling. Chocobo can go fishing, or raise a
garden, both of which can be used to earn some extra cash. Mog, another Final
Fantasy staple, runs an arcade, and several arcade games are playable for some
quick action-oriented diversions. The Pop-Up Duel card game, which debuted in
Chocobo Tales on DS, is playable here as well, with new cards to be found in the
dungeons and after defeating enemies. You can even take your deck online and
play against the world with Nintendo WiFi Connection. The card game’s not very
deep, but it’s reasonably fun, especially against other players.
Ever since Final Fantasy VII wowed
players with an impressive 3D world full of flashy magic effects, the series has
been known for stunning visuals, and Chocobo’s Dungeon is no exception, with a
beautiful pastel art style that makes the game look like a painting come to
life. The dungeons themselves sometimes suffer from a lack of variety, with
little to visually distinguish one from the next, the town environments are
highly detailed, and characters and enemies animate fluidly. The game’s audio
also lives up to the series’ high standards, with a beautiful orchestral score
and tons of high-quality voice acting (with the possible exception of Mog, whose
voice can grate on the nerves).
If I hear Mog shout “Dungeon-Hero X is here, kupo!” ever again, it’ll be too
soon.
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s
Dungeon won’t make everybody happy (especially genre fans who prefer the more
traditional RPG structure), but when judged on its own merits, it’s excellent.
With tons of depth, plenty of dungeons to explore, and a huge amount of
activities to keep you busy, there’s quite a lot of entertainment to be found
here. Any Wii-owning role-playing fan should check it out, as it’s definitely
one of the top genre entries on the system.
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Review Scoring Details |
Gameplay: 8.9
It’s hard to fault the gameplay—it nails just about every element crucial to
roguelikes. Between the weapon customization system, the Job system, and the
various optional dungeons and side quests, there’s plenty of depth for players
willing to invest the time and energy.
Graphics: 8.3
The game’s visuals are gorgeous, thanks mainly to the fantastic art style. The
town of Lostime is detailed and unique, and the people, creatures, and enemies
that populate it all look great (although the lack of lip-synch to the
voice-overs might bother some). If the graphics have one flaw, it’s the
dungeons, which don’t have a great deal of variety and begin to blur together
after a while.
Sound: 8.0
The score mainly uses new versions of songs from previous Final Fantasy titles
(including the theme, a music box-style version of the Chocobo theme), but the
new versions sound great and fit the game perfectly. The voice acting is
remarkably good overall, but there are a few characters that can grate on your
nerves.
Difficulty: Hard
Although the game’s difficulty curve is as silky-smooth as they come, and you
never get dropped into a situation the game hasn’t adequately prepared you for,
it’s still a roguelike, so brutal difficulty is pretty much par for the course.
Still, the designers have done an excellent job of keeping the frustration
factor as low as possible.
Concept: 8.9
They’ve done a fantastic job of integrating the standard elements of the Final
Fantasy series into the roguelike style. The story is also well-done, with
quality writing and an interesting mystery.
Multiplayer: 7.1
Some people might really get into the Pop-Up Duels online, but the card game’s
pretty simple, and not really the sort of thing that held my interest in the
long-term.
Overall: 9.0
Not everybody will enjoy it, but genre fans really owe it to themselves to try
Chocobo’s Dungeon. It’s a beautiful, deep, fun role-playing adventure, and
certainly one of the best RPGs available for Wii.
