Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series


 * For the first game in the series, see Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.

The Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series is a Final Fantasy sub-franchise made exclusively on Nintendo consoles. The series is based off of the original game, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which was released in 2004. At E3 2005, it was announced that a series of games would be released based around the world of the first game.

Games
The following are the games released and announced for the series so far.
 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is the original game released for the GameCube.


 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a prequel of Crystal Chronicles released for the Nintendo DS. It follows the tales of twin siblings Yuri and Chelinka.


 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is a sequel for the Wii available only through WiiWare. It takes place directly after the original game when the Miasma has cleared up and the young King Leo begins to restore his Kingdom.


 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a sequel to Ring of Fates. A game for both the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS, it follows the tale of a girl named Sherlotta and a mysterious crystal.


 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord is a sequel to My Life as a King for the Nintendo Wii available only through WiiWare. It follows the daughter of the former Darklord, the villainous Mira, who protects the Dark Crystal in her tower from heroes.


 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a sequel currently in development for the Nintendo Wii, taking place long, long after the original Crystal Chronicles. It follows the adventures of the heroic Layle.

Manga
Two manga adaptations based on the series have also been made. Neither have seen an official release outside of Japan.
 * ファイナルファンタジー・クリスタルクロニクル はてなきそらのむこうに (Fainaru Fantajī Kurisutaru Kuronikuru Hatenaki Sora no Mukō ni, lit. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Beyond the Endless Sky): A three-volume manga based on the original game. Art by Ryunosuke Ichikawa.
 * ファイナルファンタジー・クリスタルクロニクル リング・オブ・フェイト 4コマアンソロジーコミック (lit. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates 4-Panel Anthology Comic): A manga based on Ring of Fates.

Creation and development
The series was created by Akitoshi Kawazu. The original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was released on August 8 2003, and was the first Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy VI, for the SNES in 1994, to be released for a Nintendo console. While doing this, the creators tried to make Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles a unique game, separating itself from other Final Fantasy games.



At E3 in May 2005, two games, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for Nintendo DS, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for Wii, were announced as part of a sub-series to the Final Fantasy series, sharing common themes and based on the world with the original game.

Though four games have been released, and two in current development as of May 2009, since the announcement of The Crystal Bearers, the game's release and details about the game are very scarce. The first new trailer since 2007 was released with the Wii version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time in January 2009. In November 2008, in an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that the game had been "quietly cancelled", though Square Enix responded saying that they fully intend to release the game. There are still no details regarding the release date.

Key Staff

 * Akitoshi Kawazu — Executive Producer of the Crystal Chronicles series.
 * Toshiyuki Itahana — Character designer for the Crystal Chronicles games; director of The Crystal Bearers.
 * Kumi Tanioka — Music composer for the Crystal Chronicles games.

Themes and elements
All games in the Crystal Chronicles series take place in the same world, though at different periods of time, as with the Ivalice Alliance project. One main aspect involves the four tribes of the Crystal Chronicles universe: Clavat, Selkie, Yuke, and Lilties, all with different physical aspects and unique traits. Another creature that commonly appears are the Carbuncles, based on the summon from the Final Fantasy series, Carbuncle.

The series also has several recurring characters. Stiltzkin, the traveling Moogle, is the only character to appear in every installment to date. Lich has made a few appearances as both a character and a boss. There are also four recurring locations thus far; Kilanda Islands, Rebena Te Ra, River Belle Path, and Alfitaria.



In terms of gameplay, the Crystal Chronicles games differ greatly from the main Final Fantasy series, and are more action and multiplayer-based. There is also a recurring mini-game, Moogle Paint, where the player has the option of painting a Moogle.

Several recurring themes include:
 * Crystals are usually a main part of the story and revolve around a piece of the Great Crystal or the Great Crystal itself. In Crystal Chronicles shards of the Great Crystal protected everyone from the Miasma. In Ring of Fates the main antagonist Pope Galdes is trying to obtain the power of the Great Crystal. Crystals are also part of peoples everyday life, one specifically Chelinka held when she was born plays an important role in the life of her and her brother Yuri. In My Life as a King a shard of the Great Crystal grants King Leo the power of "Architek" to help rebuild his Kingdom. In Echoes of Time the village that the Hero inhabits, the crystal keeps the villagers in the physical realm


 * Family plays a role in the life of the main characters. In Crystal Chronicles characters receive letters from family members and the players reply to the letter effect the type of gifts they receive from family members. In Ring of Fates the story revolves around the relationship between the twin brother and sister, Yuri and Chelinka. In My Life as a King the story deals with King Leo relationship with his father, the former King, King Epitav. Also, the relationship citizens have with their families help in the reconstruction of Padarak. In Echoes of time, the Hero has close knit relationships with the whole of the village and with its leader Sherlotta.


 * Memories sometimes play a large or small role in the story. In Crystal Chronicles, many characters start to forget things or in some cases lose huge chunks of their memories, such as the case with the Black Knight. In Ring of Fates, Yuri and Chelinka must help heal the soul of their father with his memories of the past. In My Life as a King, King Leo's memories of his old kingdom are what help create the buildings using Architek. Some buildings that he has never seen before are created with the help of the Moogle Brothers' memories of their old homeland. In Echoes of Time, memories surface as flashbacks when the Hero places a fragment of the crystal in the pool, and when Sherlotta reveals her story.

Physical Connections
While Square Enix has stated that the Crystal Chronicles games take place in the same world, it has not been made very clear how they are connected, though there have been a handful of hints.

History
 Ring of Fates takes place during the legendary "Golden Age" where all the races lived in peace, and when the Great Crystal—into which "all fates are etched"—protected the people from the "malefic glow of the blood-red moon". The world is protected from miasma by the Great Crystal, which uses memories as the source of its protective effect. Rebena Te Ra stands as an illustrious city and capital of the Age.

Thousands of years later, a meteor strikes and fragments the Great Crystal and creating Raem and Mio, setting up the events of the original Crystal Chronicles. In this time, the world is covered in a noxious gas known as "miasma", to which direct exposure can prove fatal to humanoids. Monsters are immune, but towns, villages and other settlements throughout must be protected from the ill effects of miasma by fragments of the Great Crystal, which generate a barrier that miasma cannot penetrate. The crystals' effect last for about a year before they must be recharged with the liquid substance "myrrh" obtained from "myrrh trees". Due to its close proximity to the Meteor's point of impact, Rebena Te Ra became a monster-filled ruins that was rendered as such almost immediately after the Meteor fell. The players, the Tipa Caravan, eventually defeat Raem, ridding the world of miasma.

 My Life as a King and  My Life as a Darklord takes place shortly after Crystal Chronicles and portrays the world as free from the effects of miasma as kingdoms are rebuilding.

An unknown (but fairly large) amount of time later, the Lities and Yukes engage in a war that eventually results in the extinction of the Yukes, as mentioned in  The Crystal Bearers. Magic disappeared, and the world began to run on crystals. During this time, the Crystal Bearers begin to emerge, as people with magically-infused crystal shards in their bodies, giving them powers. This will be further explained in the game.

Game Timeline

 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
 * Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers