Square Enix recently confirmed that its upcoming remaster of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles will not feature offline or couch co-op.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles fans who were looking forward to some good old-fashioned side-by-side co-op are in for some bad news, as Square Enix announced that multiplayer on the remaster would be exclusively online.
The news broke via the game’s official Japanese Twitter account on July 15, citing “development reasons” as the main culprit behind the devs’ decision.
It has been confirmed that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered does not offer offline/local multiplayer due to development reasons. https://t.co/YoSZ0UMvI2
— Robert Sephazon (@Sephazon) July 15, 2020
What the developers had to say
While the tweet was in Japanese, a quick Google translation revealed that the devs had already divulged the lack of offline multiplayer in their official broadcasts.
Furthermore, according to the developers, the decision came down to choosing between offline and online multiplayer, since implementing both was not an option. They ultimately chose to stick with the online co-op to allow more people to enjoy the game.
A disappointment, yet not a surprise
Fans who played the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles would know that the Game Cube edition’s couch co-op was only available to those who owned a few Game Boy Advance consoles since the game required players to use the handhelds as controllers.
There was a good reason for this, however, as the Game Boy Advance’s display would be crucial in providing each individual gamer with player-specific information, while all the action goes down on a shared TV screen.
That being said, it comes as less of a shock that the developers were unable to find a way to overcome the local multiplayer hurdle in the remastered version, though it still remains a bit of a disappointment especially for fans who were holding out hope.
"The original Crystal Chronicles was released back in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube, and required four Game Boy Advance systems and link cables to play the full multiplayer experience." https://t.co/gaXQwSbDxo
— Game Over Videogames (@gameovergames) September 11, 2018
What’s new in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered
We may not be getting local co-op, but that doesn’t stop the Crystal Chronicles remaster from being an intriguing revival of a fairly low-key entry in the series that’s being brought into the new age with some cool new features.
As the name suggests, the game will be getting a pretty significant facelift, which is expected considering the fact that the offbeat RPG debuted more than 13 years ago.
Moreover, the remaster comes with English voice-overs that’ll be a first for the title, along with fresh additions to the soundtrack, an improved user interface, and a welcome new mini-map feature that returning Crystal Chronicles players are sure to love.
To top it all off, Square Enix is adding some tough endgame content for gamers looking for a bigger challenge after the credits roll.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition TGS 2019 gameplay, screenshots https://t.co/5RRq4AjjRM pic.twitter.com/XmA2VoNZrF
— Gematsu (@gematsu) September 13, 2019
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is set for release this August 27 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, and will include Cross-Play between all platforms.
Images [1] and [2] courtesy of Square Enix