Game Card
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales (DS)
- Publisher:
- Square Enix
- Developer:
- Hand
- US Release:
- 03.04.2007
- EU Release:
- n/a
- Number of players:
- 1 - 4
- Type:
- Action Adventure
- Extra:
- Other World
Review
We play Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales...
For those not in the know, Chocobos are large flightless birds that are often used as transportation in the Final Fantasy universe. Having worked so tirelessly to carry us all around for so many years, it is only fitting that they have their 15 minutes of fame in a game of their own. In the game you take on the mantle of a little yellow Chocobo who likes nothing better than listen to her mother read stories. But one particular book was enchanted by Darkmaster Bebuzzu, and it trapped a number of friends in books that were then thrown out across the world. And so the stage is set for much exploration and discovery.
As the game proceeds you explore the farm in which you live to locate the different books. When you discover a book a simple tap with the stylus activates its magic and you are sucked down into its paper pop-up world. Once inside you will discover a mini-game that needs to be beaten to free your trapped friends, open new areas or win trading cards. These games are largely re-imagined and re-worded versions of existing fairy tales. This leads us onto the third string to the game’s bow: card battling. You need to collect some of the 100 or so cards available in the game to prepare yourself for turn based boss battle card fights. During which you each select three cards and play them against each other. Each card has resistance or vulnerability to different coloured attacks, so cunning is required to win consistently.
The game itself appears at first look to be another simplistic kid’s game. This is essentially true, but it is a kid’s game in the best possible way. It manages to pull off the same trick as the best children’s television programmes. It is interesting and fun to both children and their parents. It is a rare game that actually encourages these two mutually exclusive groups to play together. The game uses stories and ideas that will be familiar and easy to understand for the younger audience. But it also develops these ideas to ensure that they are still interesting for those of us with a few more years under our belts. The result is a game that both you and your kids (should you have any) will enjoy, which is a rare and welcome success. Many breakfast conversations in our house have turned towards the right way to use a particular card, or which books we still need to find. It has even got us reading some of these old fables again as bedtime stories.
To get back to the game, the over-world section is well presented and serves its purpose of holding the game together into a coherent whole. Graphically this is somewhere between the usually Final Fantasy presentation and Animal Crossing. The mini-games themselves are surprisingly fun and well executed. Each one has its own distinct look and feel. This clever use of art direction perpetuates the idea of being locked inside a book by its pop-up book style. The majority of the mini-games offer some sort of practice mode where you can hone your skills before taking on the proper battle mode. Most of the games used the DS’s stylus to control the action, although this was to a varying success. The less enjoyable games often contain tasks that become repetitive and can become more of a chore to complete. But even the slower games count towards winning cards and opening areas so there is always some incentive to complete them.
The card battling game is where you can really get your teeth into some gaming tactics. Like many other card battling video games, and the physical games that preceded them (such as Magic the Gathering) every battle is unique because of the sheer number of combinations of different cards. Chocobo cards are grouped into four different colours. These colour groupings can be further divided into the different types of animals and creatures they produce. Each player lays a card in turn, which are then compared to see how their attack and guard zones compare. An attack with a yellow card can be neutralised if the opposing card has a yellow guard zone. Subsequent cards are then played until all three have been laid.
In addition to the in boss card battles you can also take your deck online. Once you have established a balanced collection you can connect to other players via Nintendo’s online service and see how your cards stand up to some real competition. Alternatively, providing your friends also have the cartridge, you can challenge them to a local wireless match which also includes the option of battling the mini-games.
Overall, the real success of the game is that it is attractive to both younger and older players. Even if you don’t have kids or younger siblings with which to share the experience it is still a great little game in its own right and well worth a purchase.
Top Game Moment: Having honed what I thought was a perfect deck; I took it online and found I still had a way to go before I was competitive. I went back to the game and doubled my play-time searching for those few elusive cards to bolster my collection.
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 |
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| Card battling extraordinaire | Pop-up book wonders, and strangely familiar stories |
As the game proceeds you explore the farm in which you live to locate the different books. When you discover a book a simple tap with the stylus activates its magic and you are sucked down into its paper pop-up world. Once inside you will discover a mini-game that needs to be beaten to free your trapped friends, open new areas or win trading cards. These games are largely re-imagined and re-worded versions of existing fairy tales. This leads us onto the third string to the game’s bow: card battling. You need to collect some of the 100 or so cards available in the game to prepare yourself for turn based boss battle card fights. During which you each select three cards and play them against each other. Each card has resistance or vulnerability to different coloured attacks, so cunning is required to win consistently.
The game itself appears at first look to be another simplistic kid’s game. This is essentially true, but it is a kid’s game in the best possible way. It manages to pull off the same trick as the best children’s television programmes. It is interesting and fun to both children and their parents. It is a rare game that actually encourages these two mutually exclusive groups to play together. The game uses stories and ideas that will be familiar and easy to understand for the younger audience. But it also develops these ideas to ensure that they are still interesting for those of us with a few more years under our belts. The result is a game that both you and your kids (should you have any) will enjoy, which is a rare and welcome success. Many breakfast conversations in our house have turned towards the right way to use a particular card, or which books we still need to find. It has even got us reading some of these old fables again as bedtime stories.
 |
 |
|
| The wonderful over world map, simple and effective | Multiple battles ahoy! |
To get back to the game, the over-world section is well presented and serves its purpose of holding the game together into a coherent whole. Graphically this is somewhere between the usually Final Fantasy presentation and Animal Crossing. The mini-games themselves are surprisingly fun and well executed. Each one has its own distinct look and feel. This clever use of art direction perpetuates the idea of being locked inside a book by its pop-up book style. The majority of the mini-games offer some sort of practice mode where you can hone your skills before taking on the proper battle mode. Most of the games used the DS’s stylus to control the action, although this was to a varying success. The less enjoyable games often contain tasks that become repetitive and can become more of a chore to complete. But even the slower games count towards winning cards and opening areas so there is always some incentive to complete them.
The card battling game is where you can really get your teeth into some gaming tactics. Like many other card battling video games, and the physical games that preceded them (such as Magic the Gathering) every battle is unique because of the sheer number of combinations of different cards. Chocobo cards are grouped into four different colours. These colour groupings can be further divided into the different types of animals and creatures they produce. Each player lays a card in turn, which are then compared to see how their attack and guard zones compare. An attack with a yellow card can be neutralised if the opposing card has a yellow guard zone. Subsequent cards are then played until all three have been laid.
In addition to the in boss card battles you can also take your deck online. Once you have established a balanced collection you can connect to other players via Nintendo’s online service and see how your cards stand up to some real competition. Alternatively, providing your friends also have the cartridge, you can challenge them to a local wireless match which also includes the option of battling the mini-games.
 |
| Animal crossing with a twist |
Overall, the real success of the game is that it is attractive to both younger and older players. Even if you don’t have kids or younger siblings with which to share the experience it is still a great little game in its own right and well worth a purchase.
Top Game Moment: Having honed what I thought was a perfect deck; I took it online and found I still had a way to go before I was competitive. I went back to the game and doubled my play-time searching for those few elusive cards to bolster my collection.
