Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
is a Wii and Nintendo DS action role-playing game in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series developed by Square Enix. The game was released in Japan on January 29, 2009, in North America on March 24, in Europe on March 27, and in Australia on April 2. Gameplay Echoes of Time is a hack and slash action role-playing game, that allows the players to create their own character by choosing one of the tribes: Clavats (swords), Yukes (magic), Selkies (jumping) and Lilties (spears). Each dungeon is filled with monsters that need to be defeated and puzzles to solve (pushing blocks, activating switches, etc...) in order to progress. Certain parts of the game consist of platforming in isometric view. All the non-player characters (some voice-acted) exist in two separate locations, one of them being reserved for guilds and shops. Their statements will change along with the plot progression. The real-time combat system requires the player to be close to the enemies rather than select items, which makes it different from the main entries of the Final Fantasy series. The players can visit towns to receive quests, recruit allies or to buy and craft armor or weapons. When a certain level is reached, a new ability will be unlocked. The weapons can also level up, and materials can be combined to create new ones. Besides physical attacks, there are seven spell types which can be combined and are represented by symbols on the screen: Blizzard, Cure, Clear, Fire, Rise and Thunder. Both the Nintendo DS and Wii versions can link up via wireless, where four players can play together, online or offline. Synopsis Setting and characters Echoes of Time takes place on the same unnamed world as other entries in the Crystal Chronicles series, inhabited by four tribes; the Clavats, Lilties, Yukes and Selkies. It chronologically takes place during the "Golden Age" between the events of Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates and original Crystal Chronicles. Two thousand years prior to the game's events, a great civilization harnessed advanced technology using the power of Crystals, but a magical catastrophe in their future triggered the vanishing of crystals. The game's lead is the player-created protagonist from one of the four races, raised in an isolated settlement called the Village, which is near a great crystal dubbed the Crystal Core. The protagonist is guided on their quest by the cat-like Clavat Sherlotta, who holds strange powers, must confront the Clavat scientist Larkeicus, and receives aid from the immortal Yuke Veriaude. Plot The protagonist completes a coming-of-age ceremony, receiving a personal crystal shard from Sherlotta at the Crystal Core. Upon returning to the village, the protagonist learns one of the villagers has fallen ill with "crystal sickness". Setting out beyond the Village, the protagonist learns that the crystals have been gone for two thousand years. In the nearest town, they strike a bargain with Larkeicus, who agrees to make a cure in exchange for the activation of two towers. When this task is complete, a larger