Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon

Taking a basic run-of-the-mill dungeon crawler and adding the iconic Chocobos from the Final Fantasy universe is a lot like taking an average sandwich and adding bacon: what was once a staid and ordinary item suddenly becomes a delicious treat.

That's not to say that Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is perfect-the gameplay is shallow and repetitive, for one-but despite its many faults, the game somehow manages to deliver its fair share of fun.

Lasting Memories

One of the things that Chocobo's Dungeon does right is the story, which was one of the elements that kept me playing long after my patience for the game's faults had run out. The cute and cuddly Chocobo, along with series icon Cid, are mysteriously transported to Memoira, a land where memories are considered bad. Every night, when the town's bell chimes, the inhabitants of the land lose their memory, to start anew the next day. Through a bizarre twist of events that involve the appearance of a flying baby-it makes more sense in the game-Chocobo must enter the minds of his friends to retrieve their memories and set the land free from a hidden evil.

For the most part, the dungeons, or in this case, the minds of the towns in habitants, offer up an interesting set of battlegrounds to romp around in. Gameplay is a mix of tactical and turn based RPGs-the dungeons are laid out as grids, and characters can only complete one move per turn. This requires a lot of strategy on the part of the gamer, as you'll have to often plan ahead and plot carefully if you're to get to the end of the dungeon safely. Blindly charging down hallways usually leads to a quick death, so you have to plan carefully. Unfortunately, while the tactical component adds a nice layer, the rest of the gameplay elements feels rather basic.

A Game Of Chicken

For the most part, I found myself getting through most battles simply by hitting one button, which really makes for a limited playing experience. There are other attacks and actions that you can use, but I seldom found that I needed anything beyond my standard attack. Chocobo's hunger meter is a nice twist that adds some variety to the otherwise one-note gameplay, however: You must keep his hunger under control or he will start losing HP, which adds just enough of a strategic wrinkle to keep you on your toes. There is also a blacksmith that Chocobo can go to in order to upgrade his weapons and armor; it's just too bad that Chocobo only has two real pieces of equipment that you need to manage.

As I said, the game isn't perfect but it still manages to offer up enough fun to make you keep going. It may not be the robust adventure that Final Fantasy fans are accustomed to, but it does offer an interesting dungeon crawl experience that series fans will no doubt enjoy hacking and slashing their way through.

Pros: Captivating graphics tie in nicely with an engaging story; interesting dungeon crawl experience.
Cons: The overly simple gameplay can get repetitive and shallow; hardcore FF fans may be disappointed.