Chocobos, Square-Enix's mascot of choice. These little guys started as form of transport in the Final Fantasy series and gained a lot of popularity through time. Finally, Chocobo has his own game on the
Wii, but is it worth it?
As with making transport an ease, Chocobo's Dungeon has to be one of the more easy-going games. If you enjoy giant yellow chickens running around places such as hell and Atlantis in search of giant beasts like the Phoenix and Leviathan, read on.
Console: Nintendo
Wii
Release Date: September 8, 2008 (US)
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: h.a.n.d. Inc.
Players: One Player
ESRB Rating: E10+
Storyline
You start off as a cute little Chocobo with your partner Cid (whose name in Japanese is Shido, coincidentally) in search of the Timeless Power. Just before obtaining the sought-after gem, Cid's rival Irma finds it and awakens a power in the gem which sends Cid and Chocobo to another place. Our team finds themselves stranded in Lostime, a city which had disappeared years before. From the peculiar clock tower in the middle of the town, every ring erases memories of the townspeople, sending them into a world of confusion. With his new found friend, Rafaello (who hatches from a mysterious egg later), Chocobo has to help restore the memories of the townspeople and reveal an arcane history.
Irma and her chocobo, Volg
Chocobo's Dungeon's graphic style is well-made and has no major flaws. Though not as detailed as Killzone 2, Chocobo's Dungeon has excellent graphics for its style - artistic. It gives a cartoon-ish vibe similar to that of Kingdom Hearts, easy on the eyes and very appealing to most audiences. The dungeons have fully-developed themes ranging from the infernos of the Phoenix to the aquatic abyss of the Leviathan. The skills are beautifully done-- at least the ones with effects anyway. Overall, the graphics are pleasing to look at and have no daunting flaws.
RAWRRRR PHOENIX
The game play has to be what distinguishes Chocobo's Dungeon from other games. As the name suggests, it's a dungeon game, similar to that of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. Using default controls on the Wiimote, you traverse the tiles of the dungeon using the directional pad sideways in your left hand, and the 1 and 2 buttons to use attacks and abilities.
Going through randomly-generated dungeons of peoples' memories, you try to advance the floors to reach the last floor holding the memories of the forgotten. As this can become repetitive, Chocobo can transform into a myriad of jobs, nine unique jobs, including Dragoon and Dancer. Each job has its own unique set of skills, gaining at least one skill each level. Aside from the actual storyline, you can play minigames such as Pop-Up Duel and go fishing or gardening.
Thief's skills
After completing the game, there are numerous things you can do to fully finish the game. First of all, you gain talons and saddles which raise attack and defense respectively. Not only are there multitudinous of talons and saddles to collect, but you can upgrade the attack/defense and add special effects onto them as well. Not to mention, you are able to level your Chocobo
and your jobs as well. Aside from seeking perfection, Pop-Up Duels also has hordes of cards to collect and even a Wi-Fi feature to battle against other players around the world. Lastly, there are optional dungeons and fishing/gardening to take up some a good amount of time to finish.
Pretty cards ;o
As expected from a Final Fantasy game, the soundtrack and miscellaneous sounds are beautifully done, even if they are from most other Final Fantasy games. If you've played a Final Fantasy game before, you should know how good their soundtracks are, especially the chocobo song. If you haven't heard the chocobo song, WATCH IT NOW AND LISTEN.
Enough of the soundtrack, now onto the other sounds. Most of the other sounds you'll hear will probably be coming from Chocobo and his oodles of attacks. Every time you hear Chocobo's kick, you'll remember reading this and laugh. Every time.
Overall
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is definitely a unique title for the
Wii and is worth getting if you're into turn-based strategy games. I personally played this for weeks before summer vacation for the endless amounts of dungeons. When I brought it to my six-year-old cousin's house, he enjoyed fishing to no end. This game can be suited to anyone from hardcore perfectionists(myself) and very casual gamers (my cousin).
Linear Mode
