Metareview: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon

by Candace Savino { Jul 8th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is warking on over to the Wii today, and this excites us for two reasons. For one, we're entirely ready for the cuteness overload that is sure to engulf us while playing the game. Seriously, dressing up Chocobos in cute little class outfits? We're not even sure we can handle that level of adorability. The second reason is that it's a roguelike RPG, and we can definitely use some more representation for this niche genre on the Wii.

We don't want to play a bad game, though, so we're interested in seeing what the critics have to say before giving Square Enix our hard-earned $40. If you are, too, then look no further:

1up (B+) found many redeeming qualities about the game, as long as you're willing to embrace the roguelike challenges: "It's difficult, and it's often controller-throwingly infuriating, but the challenge is fundamentally fair -- and the game looks and sounds so good that you'll keep playing to see what comes next. The dungeons are surprisingly pretty for randomly generated affairs, boasting colorful corridors and flashy graphical effects. And the soundtrack is nothing short of amazing, a collection of lush rearrangements of Final Fantasy standbys."

IGN (84/100) thought that this title had a lot of polish, and that Squeenix fans should run to pick this one up: "On the surface, Chocobo's Dungeon appears to be another watered-down entry with its kid-friendly presentation and seemingly simplistic gameplay. But spend a little time with it and layers of depth slowly reveal themselves. This is one of the most engaging, challenging experiences on the Wii, proving that a kiddie presentation doesn't have to mean shallow gameplay."

Gallery: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon

Tags: chocobo, chocobos-dungeon, final-fantasy, final-fantasy-fables, roguelike, rpg, square-enix, squeenix

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SoshiKitai @ Jul 8th 2008 7:09PM

This = GF MUST HAVE = a good present to consider.

My gf just started getting into rogue-likes... hopefully this won't be TOO hard for her tastes.

Cyber-Tyrant @ Jul 8th 2008 7:35PM

I've been playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 for the DS.

How does Chocobo differ besides it's Final Fantasy features like classes and magic?

bVork @ Jul 8th 2008 7:52PM

I haven't played the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles, but the Chocobo title lets you keep your experience and levels when you "die". I consider this a really bad thing, as it encourages grinding and gives the designers less incentive to properly balance the game. Izuna suffers from the same problem. Shiren is my favourite Mystery Dungeon game because you lose absolutely everything when you die. This keeps the game fair and means that you can't just grind and then power your way through everything.

LilSpriteX @ Jul 9th 2008 1:10AM

While your complaint is true of the Normal Dungeons, there are many "Special Rules" Dungeons which strip away experience and items and force a more Rogue like experience. They aren't cordoned off to endgame challenges, either, but weaved into the main game. I haven't played that far into the game yet but it seems like it caters to both types of Mystery Dungeon games.