Crystal Chronicles for the Wii and DS: The directors’ thoughts

Given that much as been said and announced about the features that Square Enix‘s Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS) and FF CC: Crystal Bearers (Wii) will carry, we’ll be taking a short break to hear some words from their corresponding directors. That’s the topic of this latest interview 1Up’s wrapped up with Crystal Bearers director Toshiyuki Itahana, and Ring of Fates director Mitsuru Kamiyama.

First on the itinerary was Itahana-san’s view on Crystal Bearers, which he described was going to be more action-oriented compared to other Final Fantasy games. Itahana further elaborated that while the original Crystal Chronicles (GameCube) and Ring of Fates (DS) focused more on multiplayer gaming, Crystal Bearers “concentrates more on solo play and action”.

As for the matter of Ring of Fates, Kamiyama-san was quizzed whether the DS game would give players the MMO-style aspect of being able to create their own custom armor and weapons sets, much like in Crystal Chronicles for the GC. The director happily replied that Ring of Fates would indeed carry armor and weapons customizability, with the plus that the game’s varying equipment would each look different. And yes – you can carry the gear over during multiplayer battles.

The last segment of the interview delved into other game details. First up was Crystal Bearer‘s feel, which 1UP has described as a “Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast) meets the Little Prince (novel)” motif, given the combination of airships, and the main protagonists now-famous boyish appearance and golden, curly locks. Here were Itahana’s thoughts on the matter:

In terms of the hair, what we discussed before in how I want to portray the hero, I wanted more of a world-weary weather-beaten image, my image was not to design a hero with curly hair, but to make it appear a little disheveled because it’s supposed to be a little messy so that it appears that he’s been through a lot of stuff and wanted to convey a rugged look for the hero.

As for Kamiyama, and whether the GC game’s “moogle painting” feature would be carried over:

Here’s an insider story for you. First of all, yes, moogle painting is in the game. But in the original GameCube game, that feature was put in just two weeks before we finalized the data was ‘set,’ and it was kind of an afterthought at first. So I went to Itahana, and I said “Do something with this,” and he drew out the idea on a chopstick wrapper, and gave it to me, and I showed it to Mr. Kawazu (Akitoshi Kawazu, executive producer), who looked at it, and then left without saying anything.

That’s all for the moment. Just stick around in case the game’s dev team has more to say, or if we pick up any details on either game’s inter-connectivity. According to IGN, Crystal Bearers for the Wii is currently on TBA status for the US, is expected to launch in Japan this December 31, and in Europe this July 26. Ring of Fates for the DS is currently on TBA status for Europe, is expected to launch in Japan this August 23, and in the US this December 31.

Via 1up

Given that much as been said and announced about the features that Square Enix‘s Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS) and FF CC: Crystal Bearers (Wii) will carry, we’ll be taking a short break to hear some words from their corresponding directors. That’s the topic of this latest interview 1Up’s wrapped up with Crystal Bearers director Toshiyuki Itahana, and Ring of Fates director Mitsuru Kamiyama.

First on the itinerary was Itahana-san’s view on Crystal Bearers, which he described was going to be more action-oriented compared to other Final Fantasy games. Itahana further elaborated that while the original Crystal Chronicles (GameCube) and Ring of Fates (DS) focused more on multiplayer gaming, Crystal Bearers “concentrates more on solo play and action”.

As for the matter of Ring of Fates, Kamiyama-san was quizzed whether the DS game would give players the MMO-style aspect of being able to create their own custom armor and weapons sets, much like in Crystal Chronicles for the GC. The director happily replied that Ring of Fates would indeed carry armor and weapons customizability, with the plus that the game’s varying equipment would each look different. And yes – you can carry the gear over during multiplayer battles.

The last segment of the interview delved into other game details. First up was Crystal Bearer‘s feel, which 1UP has described as a “Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast) meets the Little Prince (novel)” motif, given the combination of airships, and the main protagonists now-famous boyish appearance and golden, curly locks. Here were Itahana’s thoughts on the matter:

In terms of the hair, what we discussed before in how I want to portray the hero, I wanted more of a world-weary weather-beaten image, my image was not to design a hero with curly hair, but to make it appear a little disheveled because it’s supposed to be a little messy so that it appears that he’s been through a lot of stuff and wanted to convey a rugged look for the hero.

As for Kamiyama, and whether the GC game’s “moogle painting” feature would be carried over:

Here’s an insider story for you. First of all, yes, moogle painting is in the game. But in the original GameCube game, that feature was put in just two weeks before we finalized the data was ‘set,’ and it was kind of an afterthought at first. So I went to Itahana, and I said “Do something with this,” and he drew out the idea on a chopstick wrapper, and gave it to me, and I showed it to Mr. Kawazu (Akitoshi Kawazu, executive producer), who looked at it, and then left without saying anything.

That’s all for the moment. Just stick around in case the game’s dev team has more to say, or if we pick up any details on either game’s inter-connectivity. According to IGN, Crystal Bearers for the Wii is currently on TBA status for the US, is expected to launch in Japan this December 31, and in Europe this July 26. Ring of Fates for the DS is currently on TBA status for Europe, is expected to launch in Japan this August 23, and in the US this December 31.

Via 1up