Gameplay and design
The combat in Ring of Fates is real-time, with players directly controlling their character's movement and attacks from a top-down perspective. Basic attacks can be chained into combos through button combinations, offering a brisk pace and solid feel. The touch screen handles menus and weapon selection; holding the right shoulder button switches the screen and slows time, allowing players to tap enemies to unleash special attacks. This design integrates touch controls with traditional buttons naturally, making full use of the DS's dual-screen capabilities.
The game offers four playable races, each with a distinct role. Clavats are well-rounded and suitable for beginners; Lilties have high HP and defense, serving as tanks; Yukes excel in magic, dealing strong damage but are fragile; Selkies are agile ranged attackers. Beyond base stats, each race has unique weapon skills and special abilities, encouraging players to consider party composition and adding freshness to repeated playthroughs.
Multiplayer is a core experience, supporting up to four players via local wireless for cooperative dungeon-crawling. There are two modes: Quest Mode, which is tied to the story and requires players to achieve specific objectives together, and Free Mode, which is more open, allowing exploration, monster farming, and resource collection. Since only local play is supported, players must be physically together, which actually enhances communication and teamwork, making the game a lively and enjoyable experience.
The magic system is a key part of combat. Casting spells consumes magicite, which can be obtained from enemies or found in chests, but carrying capacity is limited, so magic cannot be used recklessly. Players can combine different types of magicite to cast enhanced spells, such as combining fire and wind for a more powerful effect. This resource management adds strategy to magic use, encouraging players to plan their magicite acquisition and consumption during battles.
In addition to combat, the game incorporates light puzzle-solving and exploration. Maps contain chests and hidden passages, and some mechanisms require specific racial abilities to activate, prompting players to cooperate in multiplayer. Single-player mode focuses more on the story, with players controlling the protagonist Yuri, experiencing character growth as the narrative progresses. Overall, the game strikes a good balance between action and RPG elements, appealing to both action enthusiasts and RPG fans.
Background and release
Ring of Fates is the second entry in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series, but its story does not continue from the original; instead, it serves as a prequel set 8,000 years earlier in a golden age. In this era, the world is protected by a great crystal, whose power maintains the balance of all things, and the story revolves around this crystal. For players of the original, this prequel setting adds depth to the world, deepening the mystery behind the Crystal Chronicles.
The protagonists are siblings Yuri and Chelinka, who possess innate crystal magic but become embroiled in a conflict over the great crystal. The story begins tragically: their father Latov is killed, and Chelinka loses her voice, communicating only through telepathy with her brother. This sets a somber tone from the start, as players control Yuri to uncover the truth and face villains such as Galdus, leader of the Red Crystal alliance Lunite, and the mad Galdes.
The game was announced in May 2006 alongside Crystal Bearers for the Wii, with development already 60% complete. This excited series fans, as it meant the Crystal Chronicles series would flourish on two platforms simultaneously. The game launched in Japan on August 23, 2007, and later in North America, Australia, and Europe in March 2008. Despite the six-month gap, Western players eagerly anticipated this cooperative DS RPG.
In terms of sales, the game performed well. It sold 178,000 copies in its first week in Japan, ranking second on the Media Create chart. By August 2008, global sales reached 690,000 units, with 380,000 in Japan, 160,000 in North America, and 150,000 in Europe. While not a blockbuster, it was a solid performance for a spin-off series, demonstrating the appeal of cooperative gameplay on the DS.
Notably, the game included anti-piracy measures. Pirated copies would randomly black out the screen and display a thank-you message, an interesting attempt by the company to combat piracy at the time. While not fully effective, it provided some reassurance to legitimate players and became a talking point among fans.
Development
Development began in spring 2006, with series creator Akitoshi Kawazu serving as executive producer and executive director, setting the project's tone. The director was Mitsuru Kamiyama, who had been the lead programmer on the original Crystal Chronicles; this was his directorial debut. His transition from programmer to director gave him a deep understanding of both technical implementation and overall design, allowing him to manage development details effectively.
The scenario was written by Hiroaki Saki, who also served as lead designer. This dual role allowed him to tightly integrate the story with level design, ensuring that narrative pacing and gameplay complemented each other. Producer Kiyoko Maeda oversaw the project, coordinating various departments. The team worked in parallel with the Wii version, Crystal Bearers, but the two games had distinct focuses; this title continued the series' emphasis on multiplayer cooperation.
The design of multiplayer was a key decision. Initially, the team considered adding online play and even created a prototype, but ultimately decided to keep only local multiplayer. The developers believed that face-to-face communication was the essence of cooperative gaming, and online play would diminish that experience. This choice limited the scope of multiplayer but sharpened the core gameplay, fitting the DS's portable, party-friendly nature.
In terms of graphics, the team faced the DS's hardware limitations. To achieve smooth action on limited hardware, they adopted a chibi character style, which was both cute and practical, reducing polygon counts and ensuring stable frame rates. Art director and character designer Toshiyuki Itahana, who had worked on the original, brought a deep understanding of the series' aesthetic. Additionally, the single-player mode initially showed only one companion, but to make it "more interesting," the team rewrote the program to display all companions on screen, increasing development workload but enhancing the game's liveliness.
For music, series composer Kumi Tanioka returned, creating a score that evoked the golden age using ancient instruments. The theme song "Hoshi no Nai Sekai" was written and performed by Japanese pop singer aiko, released as a single on August 22, 2007, the day before the game's launch. This was a rare collaboration with a pop artist in the series, and aiko's voice added a soft touch, earning positive reception among players.
Reception and legacy
Ring of Fates received generally positive reviews from media and players upon release. Japan's authoritative game magazine Famitsu gave it a high score of 35/40 (9/8/9/9), praising the graphics, music, and multiplayer cooperation. However, Western outlets like Nintendo Power were more lukewarm, considering the story and systems somewhat conservative. This disparity reflects differing expectations between Eastern and Western players.
Despite mixed reviews, the game earned some accolades. IGN nominated it for Best Story of 2008, acknowledging its narrative efforts. For a game marketed primarily on multiplayer, receiving a story nomination was notable, indicating the game's narrative had unique merits.
The anti-piracy measures sparked discussion among players. Pirated copies would randomly black out and show a thank-you message, a "gentle" punishment that didn't completely block piracy but gave legitimate players a sense of superiority. While technically simple, it was a novel approach at the time and became a minor talking point.
The theme song "Hoshi no Nai Sekai" and the soundtrack were released, followed by a piano score book, enriching the game's ancillary content. For fans of game music, Tanioka's score and aiko's vocals are collectible gems, leaving a mark in the music realm.
As a prequel, Ring of Fates filled in the historical gap before the original, adding depth to the Crystal Chronicles universe. While it didn't define a new genre like the original, it successfully delivered a cooperative multiplayer RPG on the DS, laying the groundwork for later titles like Echoes of Time. For fans of cooperative games and Final Fantasy, this title remains worth revisiting.
