We control Layle, a young all-American type teenager with telekinesis powers provided to him by crystal power. What is crystal power? It’s something that crystal bearers (which there are several of in the game) have within them. It is an innate power that varies from character to character – some can shoot fire, some can crystallize people and objects and so on. Layle’s power is quite modest, and by the end of the game we will surely have mastered his limited move set (if the Wii control allows that). The action is real-time, so the ‘Final Fantasy’ of the title is at best a misleading, at worst a grab at an established name.

This title has more in common with Zelda: Twilight Princess than any Final Fantasy title this player has experienced, and although on the surface it may seem like a cheaper, less sophisticated homage, it is soon apparent that the game adds its own flavours and ideas - for better or worse. Although the cut-scenes use the in-game graphical engine (with an applied filter I’m guessing) and seem a little underwhelming, it is the in-game graphics that are the true peak of the artistic merit in this game. Throughout the kingdom we visit many varied, colourful, imaginative and memorable areas. I call them areas because they rarely span beyond the visible horizon, but they are remarkable nonetheless. This is the second game that I have deliberately stopped to admire the scenery more than once (the other title being ‘Okami’), and it is no accident that the developers included an in-game screenshot tool. I’m yet to import then into a PC, but I must add that these ‘shots look strangely blurred (over compressed?) when viewed in the Photo Channel.

Control of Layle is usually from a third-person view, and we are given a tactile pointer with the on-screen Wii pointer – it exists not as a dot or crosshairs, but a constantly swirling, cloudy blue crystal-coloured reticule. Rolling it over an enemy will provide a convenient (but ugly) white outline of the 3D beast, and this means that this particular object is targeted. There is no ‘lock-on’, but the simplistic combat hardly requires it, for Layle makes use of his telekinesis in the simplest terms; he targets items and creatures then with a flick of the wrist he can toss, pull or lift them. 

This game continues the tradition of Final Fantasy’s high standard of musical material – the soundtrack in this game is excellently composed and memorable. There have been criticisms that the musical styles do not suit the in-game content (for example, battle music that kicks in some of the areas resembles country n’ western rodeo music. As strange as this is at first, the rollicking, slapstick mood it provides is something to remember). Other areas such as the intricately detailed coastal area, encrusted with brightly-coloured shells and corals, are accompanied by a Caribbean style steel drum motif that gives Layle’s costume change of shorts and flip-flops a real beach holiday feel that even the most weathered of city-dwellers can’t help but feel envious of. On the whole, the soundtrack gives each area an identity that is both complimentary and listenable.

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