Parents' Guide to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time

Echoes of Time is cleverly designed to allow players to experience the game in its entirety by themselves, with friends, or alternating between solo and multiplayer play. The action is easier going and faster when friends are around to help, but monsters can be dealt with individually so long as you don't run around the dungeons haphazardly, which will cause multiple beasts to spawn at the same time. If you find that one area is simply too taxing, simply hop online by approaching a save crystal and recruit some help. Should you not happen to have access to a wireless connection, you can also recruit up to three computer-controlled allies to lend a hand. The range of multiplayer, multi-character options are nothing if not impressive.

However, once you get past the novelty and ingenuity of the multiplayer element, Echoes of Time is a pretty traditional action role-playing game. Level design is kind of neat -- we get to discover and follow narrow paths up to higher levels and swim in deep pools of water -- but battles are limited to hammering an attack button and using specific magic spells on certain enemies. What's more, the flip-switching, block-pushing puzzles are generously described as quaint. And the save-the-girl plot, while modestly entertaining, is interchangeable with those of dozens of other such games. Echoes of Time is an undeniably competent and fairly kid-friendly adventure, and it has some great multiplayer functionality, but it lacks the sort of memorable characters, puzzles, and battles found in the very best action role-playing games.