Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

Unreleased

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a game currently in development for the Nintendo Wii. It is part of the Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles series exclusively on Nintendo consoles which include the original GameCube game, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for the Nintendo DS, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King which is downloadable via WiiWare for the Nintendo Wii. The game will be directed by Toshiyuki Itahana who previously had done the artwork for all the Crystal Chronicles games currently released.

Story
The story will focus on a protagonist who unlike previous characters in the Crystal Chronicles series who set off on a journey to become a hero, starts off already as a complete hero. Director Toshiyuki Itahana explained this by saying that instead of being a story about growth, the story will show what the hero does in certain situations. The game opens with an airship getting into an accident of some form. The main character comes in to save the day and then tries to figure out what and who caused this accident. Other specifics given were mentions of basic Final Fantasy elements showing up such as airship, chocobos, magic and monsters.

Itahana has said the the game will have a more mature look then the previous Crystal Chronicles games, take place in the skies, and set further into the future of the Crystal Chronicles world.

Characters
The main protagonist was revealed to be a blonde Clavat man, who is said to be a hero. His name is hinted at in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates as Layle, though there is no confirmation. A male Selkie with red hair has also been shown in a trailer.

Gameplay
Unlike previous Crystal Chronicles games which focused on Multiplayer, The Crystal Bearers will be a more single player experience. The latest trailer has shown the main protagonist battling on both the ground and in the air. Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu mentioned that characters will make use of their abilities in battle while also using standard weapons. It is also possible to control an Airship as seen in the trailer. No other info has been released about the controls other than players will use both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck attachment while playing and that the developers are trying to keep the controls simple.

Development
The original video trailer released showed graphics similar to the GameCube's Crystal Chronicles game. Steampunk style airships were shown flying across the sky, three crystal caravans racing on a desert-like plain, and a blond figure (supposedly a Clavat) holding a crystal in his hand. During the Square Enix Party 2007 a new trailer was unveiled showing the new direction the game was taken in. Plans were to have a running demo at Square Enix Party 2007 but due to lack of time, only a trailer was shown. They were hoping to have one ready by the Tokyo Game Show 2007 but the event came and passed with no demo or even a trailer. No new information on the game has been released since.

Trivia

 * There may be a hint about the protagonist's name in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, where an armor called the Layle's Jacket has the exact same design as this character's clothes.
 * In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, after an airship arrives in the Kingdom a random NPC will mention that it's the only kind in the world but perhaps in the future there will be more. This seems to be a hint about Crystal Bearers and how airships appear in the game.