A fan translation has revealed the status of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered local offline co-op, and it's a disappointing outcome for many who praised the feature as one of the original game's biggest draws, as it's apparently going to be absent in the new version of the title. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is an often underrated entry into the franchise, debuting for the GameCube in Japan during 2003 and reviewing well while going on to decent sales success. Unfortunately, the game's status as a GameCube exclusive hindered many fans' ability to play the title, since Final Fantasy X being exclusive to PlayStation meant many Final Fantasy veterans owned that console.
The Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered announcement came as a surprise to many, but a welcome one, as it finally means the game becomes more accessible to fans. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered will feature better graphics, new musical arrangements, voice acting, and cross-platform online multiplayer among more additions, and the game has been delayed once already in order to accommodate these changes and polish them further. Cross-platform online multiplayer being a feature is huge, since it means playing with friends won't be restricted to console choice - but it also comes at the cost of a beloved original feature, according to a new interview.
A fan recently translated a tweet from the Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Japanese Twitter that indicates the game will not offer offline local multiplayer. The reason cited by the is simply "development reasons," which doesn't offer much in the way of explanation. The announcement means that those playing on Nintendo Switch and planning to a friend's host copy will need to have a monthly Nintendo subscription to do so, and beyond that, it also means that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles couch co-op - a fan favorite feature of the original - won't be a possibility.
It's important to note that this statement was released in Japanese, was translated by an unofficial (but reliable) source, and may be expanded upon further to elaborate on the development reasons that prevented the feature from being implemented. Though there's the potential here for some misinformation, it doesn't seem likely given the translating 's reliability in the past. What's unclear is whether or not local sessions can still be hosted online - or if they simply won't exist at all.
Either way, the lack of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles local offline co-op is a major blow to some fans who wanted to relive what they felt made the game special in the first place. For a lot of consumers, having online cross-platform capability will be more than enough to enjoy the game, but there's no replacing the feeling of having a local group of friends all playing through the game in the same room. Hopefully, that's still possible through some sort of online setup, but it seems like it won't be. That's a real shame, and it would've been nice for those still clinging to old school gaming traditions to be given the option to re-enact them in a release as already Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered releases on August 27, 2020 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS & Android mobile devices.
Source: FFCC_PR/Twitter (via Robert Sephazon/Twitter)
