Customer Reviews

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Coming to Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales was actually somewhat awkward at first. Final Fantasy spin offs are usually hit or miss. On one hand there are spin offs like Final Fantasy Tactics that are absolutely amazing. On the other hand you have games like Dirge of Cerberus that aren't exactly wonderful, and then you've got the downright horrible like the Chocobo Dungeon games. So you can't blame Final Fantasy fans for being skeptical when the next spin off comes around. Thankfully, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales isn't a bad experience at all. It's just too bad that the kiddie look and feel of this game will probably turn older, more experienced Final Fantasy fans away.

In Chocobo Tales, your buddies have been sucked into an evil book and turned into cards. In the process the book also managed to suck up a bunch of fables. Now these fables have been scattered across the land and so you'll need to go into these fables and complete the stories. Completing the fables opens up new routes in your adventures. Completing fables also might help you save some of your friends, or they'll net you cards for the boss battles.

Progressing through the adventure itself is no arduous task. The game is pretty straightforward, and the fables are mini-games. These mini-games are not frustrating at all. They're really simple to pick up on and play actually. Most of them are very well designed as well, taking complete advantage of the touch screen controls to have you perform certain tasks. Even better, the progress in difficulty is exactly how a game of this caliber should be. The game starts off pretty easy, but as you get further the mini-games become more difficult to master. But they still maintain being fun and intuitive without making you want to smash something.

As noted above, there's a card battling system in this game. These are moments where you'll face off against the games bosses. It's so simple to play. You create a deck of cards, and you hold three in hand. Whoever plays their card first will deal damage first. There are certain complexities to battling with cards, though. Cards require crystals to play in battle. If you have no crystals, however, the card doesn't really do anything. Still there is an emphasis on strategy seeing as how you need to be fast. It seems complicated, but in the long run it's pretty simple to pick up on, just like every other mini game here. There are hundreds of cards in Chocobo Tales, so collecting each and every one in and of itself is a quest. And you'll especially want to when you discover the wonderful world of wi-fi.

The mini-games aren't just to be played throughout your adventure either. You'll be able to play these games with friends or online. It uses the DS download play so only one person needs to actually own the game, and as long as you've got a wi-fi connection, you'll be able to play online against other people.

In addition to the games mini-games there are also micro games. These games don't have to be completed to advance the storyline, but doing so can net you some rare cards for your collection. Much like the mini-games, the micro games are easy to pick up on and fun to play.

Graphically, Chocobo Tales is gorgeous looking. There aren't that many games out there that take advantage of the Nintendo DS's 3D capabilities, but when a game does, it's usually not a bad feat, and that's exactly what's happened here. The games graphics are on par with Final Fantasy III, except in this game it looks smoother and the art design just works better. Not only that, but there are countless Final Fantasy references to be found throughout the game. If you're a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, the references to the main series itself can--even for the die-hard fan--be overwhelming! Yet its enjoyable. The music is also really good and charming. You'll recognize some tunes from the Final Fantasy games, and there are some original tunes here that also sound really good. In truth, this is a high quality Nintendo DS game.

Chocobo Tales probably won't appeal to most Final Fantasy fans, and that's rather sad because it's actually a really fun, really good game. If you can get past the kiddie storyline and appeal, you're in for a real treat, and even the storyline isn't all that bad as you get deeper into the game. In fact, it's rewarding. There's not a whole lot that holds this game down really. If anything, there are some mini-games that just aren't great, but that's to be expected in a game that's packed full of mini-games. The other is simply that the game isn't all that long.

Despite these small shortcomings, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is a promising game that Final Fantasy fans will love and enjoy.

On the Positive Side

+There's actually an interesting story here
+Simple mini-games, that are easy to pick up on
+Simple course of gameplay
+Tons of Final Fantasy references for fans of the series
+Great soundtrack
+Fantastic visual art style

On the Negative Side
-Some mini games aren't great, but in a game full of mini-games you couldn't possibly expect all of them to be good, could you?
-It's too bad that many gamers will be turned off by the games "kiddie" appeal and nature
-The game is on the short side

I must say that I am a 33-year-old female DS user, and a mom to 2 boys (ages 10 and 7) who also have their own DS system. We all have a copy of this game. I didn't think that I would like the card-based battle system but I thought that I would give it a try, if only to be able to play multi-player with them. First of all, the game is absolutely adorable and the graphics are great. It's fun to see all of the Final Fantasy characters in a kid-friendly setting (we all liked Kingdom Hearts, too). The card-based play turned out to be really easy to get the hang of with this game. The mini-games can be tough for those of us who are beyond our best years of hand/eye coordination (but, hey, I rolled Asteroids when I was 8). I'm a bit behind the boys, but getting through the game anyway.

The first thing you may notice about Final Fantasy Fables is that even though it bears the Final Fantasy name, this game is pretty much aimed at kids. That being said, what's to be found here with Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is actually pretty good. Pretty much a collection of card battles and mini-games to go along with some tried but true Final Fantasy stule gameplay, Chocobo Tales puts you in the role of the feathered, friendly animal that's become a mainstay of the series over the years. As far as the story goes, you get sucked into a book and have to progress through the various challenges to get back out. Throughout the game, you'll play through various mini-games and card challenges with a fairy tale flavor, which gets accelerated even more thanks to the game's uniquely charming look which is a very nice blend of 2-D and 3-D. Most of the mini-games are fun, and the card games are surprisingly even more fun and can be played via the DS' Wi-Fi capabilities. The only downsides to Chocobo Tales are that some of the mini-games aren't very fun, besides the card games, only microgames can be played via the Wi-Fi, and the overall look of the game may be a turn off for older players. All that aside, thanks to it's charming appearance and addictively fun multiplayer, Chocobo Tales is definitely a pleasent surprise that Final Fantasy fans young and old should check out.

tons of mini games, not too easy, not too hard, just right! awesome game.

First, let me explain why I bought this game. A long time ago, I played Chocobo Racing and really enjoyed the short story mode. I'd only wished it had been longer. So, I bought Chocobo's Dungeon 2, thinking it would have a better developed story and be a true RPG. Wrong! It was a hideously boring dungeon crawler that had even less story in it than the racing game. So, when I heard that Chocobo Tales was coming out, I hoped that this would be a true RPG with an excellent story revolving around the cute protagonist, Chocobo. Well, I was half right, it gets the cute (if overly simple) story down, but the gameplay just isn't up to par. Sigh, maybe someday Squeenix will get it just right...

Graphics (score 8/10): The graphics look very nice. Characters and backgrounds are bright and crisp. Plus, the characters are fully 3-D and still look good.

Music (score 8/10): Most of the music is remixed chocobo themes from the final fantasy games. They all sound quite catchy and upbeat, but there's only so much of it you can stand to listen to before you hit that volume button on your DS. Overall, however, music was handled very well and is pleasant enough.

Characters (score 8/10): Given the type of game this is, I didn't expect much character depth. Even so, the characters are handled pretty well given the simplicity of the story. Your main character, Choco, never says anything (the stereotypical silent protagonist, I suppose). However, everyone else is imbued with sufficient personality to make them likeable and even humorous despite their somewhat one-dimensional personalities. Normally, character personalities that are this simplistic (for example, Chubby chocobo likes food--end of character development) would merit a bad score from me, but given the overall simple, light-hearted feel of the game, it seems appropriate.

Story (score 8/10): Like the rest of this game, the storyline is pretty simple. An evil entity called Bebuzzu has been trapped in a book. After he is unintentionally released, he starts trying to take over the world, and Chocobo must stop him. Pretty simple stuff. Even so, this story is still better than the non-existent crap found in Chocobo's Dungeon 2, so I'm pleased. The story gets the job done, and even adds in a few small twists to keep things interesting, so I'm satisfied with it.

Battle System (score 6/10): I really wish there had been regular combat. Instead, the player is forced to take part in "card battles" with opponents. This wouldn't be so bad if the games weren't based largely on luck. You basically have a deck of cards, which you use in battle. You choose what cards go into the deck, but that's where control ends. When in battle, three cards randomly pop up from your deck, and you must choose one of the three to put into play. There's four sides on a card, and each one has either a sword, shield or empty icon on it. The sides on your card matches up with the opponent's , and if you have a sword icon matched to their nothing icon, then you do full damage. If the sword is against another sword, then you do half damage, if it's against a shield, you do no damage. This also works the other way around with the opponent's sword icons up against your shield, sword, etc. Anyway, my main complaint is that it's random which three cards goes into your hand, so it removes a great deal of strategy. It would've been better if you could choose which card to use and when to use it. In fact, I would've preferred regular turn-based combat with an attack, defend, item, etc. commands. I find the card games much more tedious than regular combat, and I'd really wish they hadn't used that system.

Gameplay (score 5/10): This is a bit of a catch-all category for me. Well, remember those card battles? The way you get cards is by winning numerous mini-games all over this game. If I didn't know any better, I would say this game's story was a flimsy excuse to release a game composed entirely of minigames. The vast majority of your time is spent playing mini-games that range from fun to irritating. I'm the sort of person who feels mini-games are better taking a back seat to the action (hence the name "mini" which implies that it should be a smaller part of the game). Unfortunately, 80% of Chocobo Tales is mini-games, which really gets old after awhile. I really wished they'd fleshed out the story with regular RPG conventions like dungeons, battles, leveling-up, etc. instead of mini-game after mini-game. Of course, the way the story is set up, you really can't get away from these mini-games as they are integral to the story. I guess what I'm trying to say is that playing endless mini-games gets really annoying after awhile. Other than that issue, the controls are very nicely done. You can move either with the stylus or D-pad, and the mini-games all controlled nicely. Good thing too, since you'll be playing alot of them (did I say that already?).

Overall (score 6/10): NOTE this score is not an average; it's my subjective overall score. This game really is very cute, and can be enjoyable on the first play-through. The major drawback, though, is that you may never make it through a second play-through since the game becomes rather boring after the first time. Trust me, I tried and just lost interest half-way through. Too bad, I was hoping this would be an awesome RPG starring my favorite Chocobo, but I guess I'll have to keep waiting for that (maybe Squeenix will release a good Chocobo RPG someday!). Anyway, if you can find this game for a good price (less than $20, I'd say), then it might be worth your time since it really is quite enjoyable on the first play-through. Just don't expect any replay value out of this one.

Being a young adult, when I first saw this game I thought it looked really cute but maybe a little more geared for kids. Wow was I ever wrong, and I'm really glad I chose to get it. Hands down this is my favorite DS game so far, and I haven't even finished it yet.

You play as a chocobo and can name yourself whatever you want. A friend of yours has you open this book he got, and it ends up stealing the souls of all your friends. You are then sent on a mission to go defeat this book/evil spirit and get all your friends back. More storyline develops afterwards that I won't spoil.

The thing I just LOVE about Chocobo tales is all the mini games. Most of the time I don't like mini games because they're annoying and not well made, but the ones in this game are very enjoyable. That's also pretty much the main focus of the game: jumping into pop-up story books and beating the mini game inside. Then the story proceeds and you learn more about the plot and what not. There's also a card game worked into the system, and normally I hate that because they make it too complex. But this one is very simple and fun!

There's nothing about this game that needs to be improved, and I can't really think of any cons at all, so I give it 5 stars for sure. A must have for anyone.

I didnt really know what to expect from this game, other than it being really cutesy. But after playing it for an hour, i realized this game is a lot of fun, esp. if you other friends who play it too! Pop-up card dueling is fun, and the mini-games add entertainment to the story. Stories in this game are *Final Fantasized* so be ready to chuckle a bit. Recommended indeed!

Final Fantasy Fables - Chocobo Tales takes the intriguing world of Final Fantasy and turns it into a young kid friendly mixture of minigames and simple storyline.

Where most other Final Fantasy games involve storylines and in-game management that might be too complex for the younger set, with Final Fantasy Fables - Chocobo Tales we have a storyline that is very sanitized and gentle. Perhaps my only real complaint here is that they make fun of a friend they call "chubby" who likes to eat all the time. I'm sorry, if I saw a bunch of kids constantly making fun of a kid and calling him "Chubby", I'd be less than pleased. There'd be a real outcry if the characters were making ethnic slurs about kids, but apparently picking on the overweight is great fun.

You've got friends to save, cards to collect, and books to jump into. The books have a moral-promoting story and then related games to play. The games, again, are on a non-violent, child-friendly level. Given that pleasant situation, I was a little sad to find that the difficulty level of the games seem to vary wildly. Some games are incredibly easy to "win" - gamers of all level of skill do so easily. Other games are so difficult that even very experienced gamers find them nigh on impossible.

The graphics are an intriguing attempt at mixing 2D and 3D graphics. Sometimes it works reasonably well - but sometimes the developers do a poor job at laying out their screen. Things that appear easy to get to are actually impossible - while in other situations items that you should go to aren't drawn well enough to see. With this being a game geared at beginner gamers, it can become quite frustrating.

I do appreciate that this is a basic game that will help to lure in gamers unfamiliar with the Final Fantasy genre, helping them pick up the basics of the characters and card game style without having to spend months memorizing sphere grids or skill trees. I'm all for adult gamers and experienced gamers enjoying simple-style games. I adore Paper Mario, still enjoy Adventure with its duck-dragons, and love puzzle games that all ages can enjoy.

So while I think the concept here is great, they should have done some more work on the testing phase to work out the kinks with the graphics and mini-games. Perhaps a next version will be worthy of five stars to me, but I'll give this one four for coming close.

At first I was a little skeptical with the whole "storybook" approach. After the first few mini-games though I became hooked. All the main mini-games are a lot of fun, plus there are tons of other sidequest mini-games. The card duel style is interesting but nonetheless fun. I think any Final Fantasy fan would enjoy all of the references to classic monsters and characters. The games are fun, and some are suprisingly challenging to fully unlock. Overall I give this game a 4/5.

This game brings in a lot of classic Final Fantasy characters and music. Its great for nostalgia, and a solid addition to any Square / Enix collection.