Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a spin - off / companion game outside the main " Final Fantasy " series . Released in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube , it marked the first return of " Final Fantasy " to a Nintendo console since " Final Fantasy VI " . This " Final Fantasy " game features many new gameplay elements previously unseen in " Final Fantasy " , like real time fighting , as well as being the first RPG to incorporate GameCube - Game Boy Advance compatibility . The music was scored by Kumi Tanioka . Gameplay . The game can be broken down into three general actions that players are able to choose from : exploration , interaction , and fighting . Like many RPGs , these will constitute the bulk of the game . Exploration . In " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " , players assume the role of various characters who must venture out into the wilderness in a caravan to protect their village from a poisonous gas cloud known as the Miasma that engulfs the entire world . They must find magical trees called Myrrh trees out in the wilderness . These trees produce one droplet of Myrrh every two game years , meaning the caravans must explore more of the world to replenish their supply of myrrh . Three droplets are needed every year to purify the town ' s crystal , which wards off miasma . The trees are guarded by a host of creatures bent on killing the caravanners . The passage of time plays an important role in the game , for as the years progress the challenges the players face grow increasingly stronger . Interaction . Like the other games in the " Final Fantasy " series , the story includes characters traveling across the world to accomplish some world - saving event by completing other quests along the way which furthers their progress . On their journey , events unfold which change what abilities the players have , where they are able to explore , and ultimately what they can do in the game . While in the World Map , the player views a graph of the area they are in with their current location marked by a caravan . The player can travel along plotted roads from one town or dungeon to another , occasionally being stopped to view a brief cut scene . Cutscenes often add to the story or change items from the player ' s inventory , but they can also be mundane clips of interacting with another caravan along their path . While in a town or dungeon the camera switches to a third - person perspective , following the crystal chalice in dungeons or the players themselves in towns , viewing them from above as they move throughout the stage . This can cause problems should the chalice be left in a location without anyone carrying it as the player can move off screen . In multiplayer games , players are restricted to being a certain distance from one another in towns , but they can still run out of view in dungeon stages . In towns or other urban environments , NPCs will talk to the characters , offer them advice , or sell them items by pressing the B button , while dungeons allows for different commands ( attacking , casting magic , using items , etc . ) by switching the options with R or L and confirming the command with A . Combat . Combat in " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " is real - time based and takes place in the regular movement mode unlike many games in the " Final Fantasy " series which use a turn based combat system or active time battle combat system . The player has free movement in the stage and acts in real time depending on the option selected . Combat is comprised mostly of physical attacks or magic spells . Attack is permanently a part of the player ' s ability slots , along with Defend . Using this command swings the player ' s weapon once . Pressing A with correct timing multiple times in a row will cause a three hit combo faster than three individual attacks . Holding the A button down will have the caravanner start charging a focus attack , which has a special effect depending on the weapon used . In order to cast a spell , a magicite orb or magic ring must be assigned to an ability slot . Holding the A button charges the spell , then releasing the button will cast the spell wherever the casting circle is at the time . Overlapping casting circles or combining a casting circle with a focus attack will result in a stronger fusion of the two . In a single player game , this fusion is possible by placing the necessary items in order in the ability screen or combining with Mog ' s spells which he uses randomly based on how far the player is from him and whether Mog is moving or not . Experience . At the end of each dungeon lies a myrrh tree and a selection of prizes . These prizes , called " artifacts " , permanently increase one stat ( strength , defense , or magic ) by a certain amount or maximum health points or number of activity slots by one or be able to cast a specific spell without magicite . In addition , artifacts encountered inside the dungeon temporarily increase the stat the artifact controls until the player exits the dungeon . Notably , in this game , spells and skills are not learned - special items called magicite must be acquired once per level to cast specific spells . The story unfolds as the players journey from territory to territory , talking with people and completing quests set before them . While traveling , a caravan may encounter other travelers , which is displayed in cutscene . These movie - like breaks in the game further enhance the story and can be random or part of the storyline . Each encounter is recorded in the caravans journal and is recorded as a memory . By piecing memories together , the player learns the history of the world , nature of the miasmas , or subplots of the game , depending on what they have seen . One interesting role - playing aspect of " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " , is that the players can and should interact with their in - game parents . The players actually choose the occupation of their parents at the start of the game , and based upon this occupation the parents will aid the players in various ways . Blacksmith parents , for example , will forge new equipment for the players , merchant parents will sell rare items , alchemist parents can create designs for new equipment , and so on . Additionally , players will have opportunities at the end of each dungeon to write home or send gifts to their parents . Players with good relationships with their parents are more likely to receive gifts from them in return , as well as gain discounts on their wares . Characters . Playable tribes . There are four Tribes ( character classes ) that players can choose from , each with its own unique strengths . A well - balanced party will draw upon the strengths of each race , which makes the game ideal to play with four players . The four Tribes are : Story . The story of " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " is highly non - linear , though there are certain quests which require the player to perform in a particular order to proceed . The main story itself is followed through several in game years . The game takes place in a world covered in a poisonous gas called Miasma . Settlements have gathered around large crystals which ward off the mist and protects the people from danger . In order to preserve the crystals ' radiance , the towns send out caravans to collect three drops of Myrrh to purify the crystal . Myrrh collects in myrrh trees , often guarded by monsters , every two years in their Crystal Chalice . In the very beginning of the game , a caravan sets out from the town of Tipa to collect myrrh for their town . The myrrh is used at the end of the year in a purification ceremony to keep them safe for another year . After leaving home , the caravan meets a Lilty named Sol Racht and a moogle named Stiltzkin who offer advice on traveling in a caravan . Each year the caravan is told a story by the village elder , Roland , about a young man who journeyed around the world trying to find a way to rid the world of Miasma and end the people ' s reliance on myrrh and crystals to protect them from monsters . The caravan ventures out into the wild to collect the precious myrrh every year , running into other caravans from neighboring towns doing the same thing . Eventually the caravan meets a Lilty donning black armor and swinging his lance wildly called the Black Knight . He screams violently that a light has stolen his memories and thus he cannot remember who he is . Later in their journey , the caravan encounters an eccentric Clavat poet named Gurdy . Over the years he is repeatedly abandoned by whichever group of people he ' s most recently deceived . Upon these encounters , Gurdy recites a short and mysterious rhyme before leaving the party . Occasionally the caravan will meet an eerily similar Clavat named Hurdy , claiming to be Gurdy ' s brother who he has never met . Years after they originally left their homes for the first time , the journeyers , trekking across the ocean and deep into the Lynari Desert , are able to transform their crystal chalice ' s aura into an unknown element able to break the barrier of any Miasma Stream , including the mysterious cave beyond Rebena Plains . On the other side , the caravan finds themselves in Mag Mell , the home of the Carbuncles at the base of Mount Vellenge . After navigating the labyrinth of the mountain , the party finds a hideous creature emitting miasma from its body , the Meteor Parasite . Before they can destroy the parasite , they are transported to a calmer setting by Lady Mio , the very light which the Black Knight was chasing . She tells the Tipa Caravanners that she and Raem feed on memories , but with one significant difference : while she nibbles on a memory from time to time , Raem enjoys devouring mass amounts of bad memories . he also tells of a couple of adventurers , a Lilty named Leon and a Clavat named Hurdy , who attempted to do what the caravanners are doing now Mio explains that they were unsuccessful and lost their memories after the experience , revealing that the Black Knight and Gurdy are the travelers from Roland ' s story . Losing their memories caused the Black Knight to go mad , never to return home , and Gurdy to develop the alternate personality Hurdy under the guise of his own brother . Raem then appears and explains that memories of bad experiences are his favorite to consume , and thus he lives in a special synergy with the Meteor Parasite which creates the miasma and causes so much of the pain Raem enjoys . He attempts to defeat the caravan to perpetuate the miasma and consequently satisfy his need for nightmares . After a lengthy battle , Raem acknowledges his end is near and merges with Lady Mio , forming Memiroa . He again attacks the party , refusing to fade away from existence . In this mysterious plane the caravanners use the memories of their lives to fuel their vigor and finally destroy Raem once and for all . The party is immediately transported back to the Meteor Parasite , withering and dying . After terminating the beast , a beam of light breaks through the miasma and dissipates it . The world is finally rid of the poisonous gas which caused so much pain . Mio ' s voice comes to them , explaining that she and Raem will sleep for a while . The warriors return home and finally are able to live their lives peacefully . Multiplayer and connectivity features . The most unique aspect of " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " is that up to four players can play at once utilizing a Game Boy Advance connected to the GameCube ( or Wii ) via a Nintendo GameCube - Game Boy Advance cable . When more than one player wishes to play the game , each player is required to play with a GBA . Multiplayer mode allows several things to happen : Sequels and spin - offs . Due to the success of " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " , the game has spawned three sequels and two prequels :