Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is a dungeon RPG for the Wii, and retains a gameplay similar to Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon and Chocobo's Dungeon 2. It was released in Japan on December 13, 2007, in the US on July 8, 2008, and in Europe on November 7, 2008. A port to the Nintendo DS was also released in Japan. In September 2018, Square Enix announced a remaster called Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!, which was released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch March 20, 2019.
==Gameplay==
Gameplay takes place in randomly created labyrinths filled with lurking monsters and items waiting to be found. The more famous monsters of Final Fantasy, such as Ifrit, Behemoth, Tonberry, and others, make appearances as bosses that Chocobo must fight and defeat in order to save the memories of the residents. In the Japanese version, there is a boss named Belial-V, named after the Japanese gaming magazine V-Jump.
==Characters==
*Chocobo - The main character who travels with Cid as Treasure Hunters.
*Cid - Legendary Treasure Hunter with Chocobo as his companion. Wears a western garb complete with western hat adorned with a feather. Once he aims for a treasure, Cid is determined to obtain it using his various inventions.
*Raffaello - A mysterious young boy who suddenly appears at the town of Lostime. A green-haired boy with blue feathers growing on his back. He has the ability to open a passageway to the Labyrinth of Memories.
*Shirma - A White Mage determined to save the residents from "the memory thief". A gentle and kindhearted person who also worries a lot, yet in troubled times a very strong and virtuous character.
*Stella - Shirma's aunt. She had raised Shirma since young and treats her lovingly like her own child. Afraid that Shirma might forget her memories, Stella moves away to the town edge to avoid them from hearing the sound of the "Bell of Forgetfulness" at the town center which erases a person's memory.
*Dungeon Hero X - He appears at the beginning of each dungeon and gives advice about dungeons and abilities.
*Gale Rosage - mayor of the City.
*Freja - The resident blacksmith of the Lostime.
*Meja - A waitress in the local cafe.
*Irma - Chocobo's rival Treasure Hunter, who travels with her trusty companion black Chocobo Volg.
*Croma - A hostile Black Mage who frequently warns Chocobo of the dangers waiting for him. Knows the connection between Raffaello and the forgotten memories.
==Story==
Throughout the story, Chocobo learns of a mysterious creature dubbed "the Destroyer", who almost destroyed all of Lostime. The Destroyer is actually the beast of darkness, who went berserk and was sealed away years ago. When it was sealed, the three Guardian Beasts created the Bell of Oblivion to relieve Lostime of its pain, and sealed all of Memoria from the rest of the world.
Chocobo and Cid enter the Tower in the Sands searching for a valuable treasure known as Timeless Power. They discover that Irma and Volg have taken the treasure, only for the gem to mysteriously teleport them to the town of Lostime, the capital of the long lost country of Memoria. They are greeted by the town's mayor, Gale Rosage, who is puzzled at their situation. Cid wondered where Irma and Volg had vanished before realizing that Irma had made off with his treasure. As if sensing his anger, the bell from the clocktower tolls, creating a strange vortex over his head. When the vortex vanishes, Cid begins to question everything, even his name. Mayor Gale explains to Chocobo that whenever the bell rings, anyone who hears it will lose their memories. He claims that forgetting is a virtue and one could do without all the negative thoughts and emotions holding them down.
Chocobo and Cid are soon "rescued" by a White Mage named Shirma, who takes them to a farm that she lives on with her aunt, Stella. Shirma advises Cid not to force himself to remember while they get settled at her home. In the meantime, she asks Chocobo if he had seen her sister, only to have forgotten what she looked like or her name.
That night, the entire town is mysteriously incapable of using its fire. The citizens gather at the piazza to discuss the predicament when a strange, comet-like object falls out of the sky. When Chocobo and Shirma come closer to investigate, it is revealed to be an egg. The egg hatches into a baby boy named Raffaello, who has the strange ability to create dungeons out of people's memories. Mayor Gale seems to know his name, even though he has never seen him before. The baby opens a vortex to the mayor's memories and goes inside. Chocobo picks up an puzzle-shaped object, the Brooch of Memories, found in the broken egg, and follows him into the dungeon. After restoring Mayor Gale's memories, the group, with baby in tow, returns to the farm to restore Cid's memories.
The following morning, Raffaello disappears from the house. Shirma and Chocobo set out to find the missing baby. Near the mines, Chocobo meets Freja, the town blacksmith, who has just recently lost her memory. When her memories returned, the town regains its use of fire. The baby Raffaello uses his powers to expose a large, bird-shaped opening in the Fuego Mines. While the girls are astounded, the baby crawls inside. Chocobo enters the dungeon, only to be stopped by a barrier halfway through.
Freja remembers that she is the Oracle of Fire and gives Chocobo an amulet to let him pass through the door. Once the door has opened, a mysterious Black Mage named Croma appears and warns Chocobo to leave. Confused, the bird continues onward. At the bottom of the dungeon, Chocobo battles and defeats Phoenix, the beast of fire, granting access to the fire shrine. Within the shrine sits a large cocoon underneath the Phoenix's crystal. Raffaello emerges from the cocoon, now a young boy instead of a baby.
The group muses over Raffaello's sudden growth. Even Cid questions if the boy is even human. The mystery does not dampen Raffaello's spirits as he goes outside to play with the other children in town. Shirma goes off to make sure he does not wander off while Cid goes off to the hangar near Freja's forge to build the airship his grandfather left blueprints for. While exploring town, Freja runs toward Chocobo and Shirma, alerting them that the fountain water in the piazza has become putrid, a sign that the town's water supply has been spoiled. Freja explains that another oracle in town has forgotten who they are. If Chocobo could restore the Oracle of Water's memories, the water will be clean again.
While searching for the oracle, Chocobo encounters Raffaello, who had visited the fountain prior to its current state. The boy runs back to the farm, leaving Chocobo to follow him. Near Stella's house, Chocobo overhears Raffaello asking Shirma why he is different from everyone else. After a brief reassurance from the white mage, the boy leaves to play some more.
In the house, Stella sends Chocobo on an errand to deliver cookies to Dardola's diner in town. As soon as Chocobo walks outside, a despondent Raffaello approaches him. While he loves the things he sees, he had felt some destructive urges and knew it was wrong. Now feeling better, he thanks Chocobo for listening to him. Chocobo continues his errand to the cafe, where he meets Meja, the maid. Noticing that she had succumbed to the curse of the bell, Chocobo ventures into her memories and brings back her identity as the Oracle of Water. Both Meja and Chocobo exit the cafe and examine the fountain, now clean again.
Raffaello appears to confirm this and tells them to come to Levia Point. There, he raises a giant statue of Leviathan, revealed to be a dungeon that leads down into the depths of the ocean. Midway, Croma returns to stop Chocobo in his path and attacks him with several Elementals. The bird dispatches them and carries onward. At the ocean floor, Chocobo defeats the beast of water, Leviathan, and proceeds into the water shrine, where Raffaello has become older once again. He is noticeably more depressed and asks Shirma and Chocobo if he could tell them something back at Stella's house.
At the farmhouse, Raffaello explains that he feels something evil growing inside of him. Though everyone tries to help his situation, he apologizes and runs away. Shirma chases after him and collapses and the light in the sky disappears. Stella tells Shirma to rest, but the girl tells her that if she goes to sleep, she will have another nightmare. After going to sleep, Chocobo enters the nightmare and defeats it. Freja stops by the house and informs the others that the sun has disappeared, suggesting that the Oracle of Light is losing their power. Stella knows who it is and continues to watch over Shirma's health. Chocobo finds Raffaello at the town piazza and cheers him up.
Cid finishes the airship but it is missing a power source—Timeless Power. He reminds himself that Irma has the item he needs. Volg, who had been searching for Irma, enters the garage with an idea of where she might be. He leads Chocobo to a strange woman named Amouri, who is enamored to see an adorable bird. After Chocobo restores her memories, it is revealed that Amouri is Irma, who had lost all memory when she arrived in Lostime. Realizing that she was acting against her personality, she insists that she would prefer to be left alone.
Back at the farmhouse, Shirma experiences another nightmare. Once Chocobo clears it, Shirma remembers that she is the Oracle of Light and that she has a sister named Croma. After light returns to Lostime, Shirma takes her staff to the clocktower, knowing that it is a missing hand from the face. Once it is back where it belongs, Raffaello opens the door to the clocktower. He tells Shirma and Chocobo that he has to go inside, much to his dismay and uncertainty about his future. Chocobo marches in after him. About halfway up the tower, Chocobo encounters Croma again, who, after a battle, informs him that Raffaello is not on Chocobo's side, something he does not believe.
At the top of the tower, Chocobo battles Alexander, the beast of light, and enters the shrine of light with Raffaello, now matured into his adult form. At the top of the tower, Raffaello returns Lostime's memories. Croma, the black mage who tried to keep Chocobo away earlier, appears and informs everyone that Raffaello is the Destroyer of legend, the Guardian Beast of Darkness. Shirma, now with memories of her sister, approaches her and tries to get her to remember. Croma remembers Shirma and apologizes for leaving her. Their reunion is cut short by Raffaello.
Assuming a nightmarish form of himself, Raffaello, as the Destroyer, reveals that Timeless Power was a crystal meant to set off events for an ideal pawn to break the seal. Croma engages the Destroyer, attempting to strike him down with Firaga, Thundaga, and even Meteor. The beast commends her efforts, then turns his attention to Shirma. Realizing what he is about to do, Croma gets up from the ground and takes the hit meant for her sister. Shirma watches in horror as the monster absorbs her essence. The Destroyer retreats into the Floating Fortress to complete his resurrection.
Cid and Chocobo meet with Mayor Gale in his house to discuss the events. Mayor Gale explains that the kinder Raffaello is still alive, but has a limited amount of time before he, too, is absorbed by the Destroyer. They could reach the fortress with the airship, but without a power source—Timeless Power—they can do nothing. Irma, overhearing the conversation, gives Cid the treasure, saying that it was payback for being used as a pawn. With Timeless Power in hand, Cid completes the airship. Chocobo shoves Cid aside and boards the airship on a mission not to defeat the Destroyer, but to save Raffaello.
As Chocobo enters the fortress, Raffaello attempts to fight off the Destroyer's hold over him. Once Chocobo arrives, the Destroyer takes complete control and overwhelms Chocobo until he receives the Oracles' powers and defeats the Destroyer in his true form. With the Destroyer destroyed, Memoria returns to the rest of the world and the Floating Fortress begins to crumble. Chocobo falls out, only to be saved by Cid's airship piloted by Raffaello, now free of his previous self and as a human child with Croma by his side. All is at peace, the town has been renamed Foundtime, and Raffaello leaves to parts unknown to atone for his sins.
==Music==
As with other Chocobo series, the soundtrack uses music from other Final Fantasy series, most notably battle themes.
There are also some unreleased tracks that can only be heard in the game:
#"Memoir" - "Keeper of Time" from Final Fantasy IX
#"Sealed Memories" - "The Book of Sealings (Sealed Book)" from Final Fantasy V
#"Chain of Sorrows" - "The Nightmare Begins" from Final Fantasy VII
#"Beginning" - "Living Forest" from Final Fantasy III
#"Memories of Priests" - "Fear" from Final Fantasy VIII
#"Guardian of Flame 2" - "Cursed Earth" from Final Fantasy V
#"Guardian of Water 1" - "Dungeon" from Final Fantasy II
#"Guardian of Light 2" - "Crystal Tower" from Final Fantasy III
#"Guardian of Darkness" - "Attack" from Final Fantasy IX
#"Unfulfilled Promise" - "An Unforgettable Face" from Final Fantasy IX
#"Theme of the Floating Continent" - "Place of Memory" from Final Fantasy IX
#"Mysterious Black Mage" - "Premonition" from Final Fantasy VIII
#"In the Church" - "Doga and Unei's Mansion" from Final Fantasy III
#"Pop-up Duel Title" - "ODEKA ke Chocobo" from Final Fantasy VIII
#"Pop-up Duel Menu"" - "Racing Chocobos - Place Your Bets" from Final Fantasy VII
#"Deck Select" - "Battle de Chocobo " from Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
==Other releases==
===Nintendo DS version===
A Nintendo DS remake was released as on October 30, 2008. The game included a new storyline revolving around the character Cid, and introduces one new job. The job was determined by popular vote on Square-Enix's members section. No American or European release was ever confirmed.
===Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!===
In September 2018, Square Enix announced a remaster of Chocobo's Dungeon alongside remasters of other classic titles. Playable demos as well as exclusive merchandise were unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show with the aid of a live-action Chocobo. The remaster, available for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, was initially pegged for a fourth-quarter 2018 release, but was deferred to March 20, 2019.
This version combines content from the Wii and DS versions, as well as adding new content. However, some of the legacy content has been re-interpreted or removed:https://www.gematsu.com/2019/02/chocobos-mystery-dungeon-every-buddy-details-removed-and-modified-elements
* A new buddy system is available, where the player can bring computer-controlled characters or monsters into dungeons to assist them. There is also an option to allow a second player to take control of the buddies.
* New jobs have been added, and some jobs have been rebalanced. For instance, Black Mage now has access to more attributes, and Scholar now has access to attack spells when it previously had none.
* New light and darkness attributes have been added.
* New dungeons and a harder difficulty mode have been added.
* The "Cid's Adventure" story from the DS version has been re-interpreted to fit into the main story.
* The level reset system from Cid's Adventure has been removed, item management between Cid and Chocobo has been streamlined, and new dungeons are available for the Chocobos raised during Cid's Adventure.
* Seals and Synthesis follow the rules of the DS version.
* Voice acting has been added for the newly-introduced characters, and old voice work has been redone.
* The "Pop-Up Duel" card minigame, and its associated collectible cards, have been removed.
* The "Romantic Phrases" mechanic has been removed, since it was mainly used to obtain cards for Pop-Up Duel. The jobs and dungeons that were previously obtainable from this mechanic are available by other means instead.
==Packaging artwork==
FFFcdungeon jp.jpg|Japan.
FFFcdungeon na.jpg|North America.
FFFcdungeon_eu.jpg|Europe.
ChocoDungeonWiiLogo.jpg|Japan logo (Wii).
FffcdDSlogo.png|Japan logo (DS).
==Etymology==
==Citations==
==External links==
*Official Japanese site
*Official North American site
*Official Japanese Chocobo Portal
*Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy official site
de:Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
es:Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
ja:チョコボの不思議なダンジョン 時忘れの迷宮
Category:Games in the Chocobo series