Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition

Some games are better lost to history. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition was a product of the technology of its time, and it simply doesn't translate well to the modern age. Modestly improved graphics, English voice actors, and the addition of a handful of new post-game dungeons check off some important boxes, but don't do nearly enough to update the experience on their own. Repetitive dungeon crawler design, antiquated combat controls, and unsatisfyingly simplistic characters and story all fail to live up to contemporary expectations. Even die-hard Final Fantasy fans who missed this one the first time around will likely find little of interest here beyond, perhaps, the pretty music and old-school character models. Indeed, there's really not much beyond these surface elements to distinguish Crystal Chronicles as a Final Fantasy adventure.

The real missed opportunity here is local play. Online co-op is handy when no one is around and you'd like some help in your next dungeon, and cross-platform play on various devices is a nice nod to the original experience (assuming you have enough available devices of the right type). But what could have modernized and elevated the Crystal Chronicles experience to something that would appeal to today's audiences is the ability to play with a friend (or three) on the couch using either a split or shared screen. It would have made the experience easier, less costly, more accessible, and a lot more social. Revisiting video games from years past can be a ton of fun, but Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition needed more than just some cosmetic updates and online play to make it compatible with 2020 gamer expectations.