A dark, evil book runs amok and fairy tales come to life in Square Enix's DS game, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales. As a cute, yellow bird-like chocobo (a staple in Final Fantasy games), players must rescue their feathered friends by jumping into picture books and successfully completing mini games and card battles. The game carries the same kid-friendly appearance as Square Enix's equally entertaining Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, but the goofy dialogue and candy-coated visuals shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying this attractive adventure.
Those searching for a deep and engaging video game won't find one here. Despite carrying the Final Fantasy name, Chocobo Tales' linear story easily transports players from point A to point B. Furthermore, the narrative follows a simple premise, a tale involving a peaceful island, a dangerous book, some bozo named Darkmaster Bebuzzu and the only chocobo that can stop him. In addition, Square Enix breaks the game into a series of popular fairy tales, such yarns as Jack and the Beanstalk and the Tortoise and the Hare, but also full of Final Fantasy twists featuring characters from the series. So instead of the traditional names, people get treated to Titan and the Beanstalk and The Adamantoise and the Cactuar. Each fairy tale has a signature story and mini game that follows the original premise. In The Adamantoise and the Cactuar, for example, players guide an adamantoise up a mountain and past the sleeping cactuar.
Successfully completing these games serves three purposes: to beat high scores, to advance the story and to discover cards. Acquiring cards not only frees captured friends but may also serve as weapons in the game's Yu-Gi-Oh inspired card battles, called Pop-Up Duels. Similar to all card battle games, players strategically select cards to annihilate opponents, whittling away their hit points. The artificial intelligence puts up a decent fight, but gamers thirsting for real competition should hop onto Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, where they can test their skills against gamers from around the world. Or, they can enjoy the mini games with up to three players via Ad-Hoc.
Despite being a collection of three distinct play styles (mini games, pop-up duels and various micro games) Chocobo Tales works because none of these components drags the game down. Each part stands alone and offers plenty of enjoyment. In addition, the game sports very attractive graphics, a wonderful blend of 2-D and 3-D visuals that combine well modeled polygons with pop-up books and various special effects. The audio here shines with original music as well as various Final Fantasy tracks including the signature theme. It's a really excellent looking video game.
These highlights notwithstanding, "mature" people will likely scoff at Chocobo Tales' "kiddy" appearance and cheesy dialogue. The game does grate on the nerves, simply because its characters have plenty of corny lines. However, those willing to look past and embrace its presentation will discover a wonderful adventure that serves as a fine companion to Final Fantasy and a welcome addition to any DS fan's library.
Final Score: 8 (out of 10)
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