"If only the mini-games were not so frustrating..."

In a first look, one could label Chocobo Tales as the newest Square Enix cash cow. Released in Japan as Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon (Chocobo and the Magical Picture Book), the names "Final" and "Fantasy" were used in the North American title of the game, clearly aiming to attract the attention of the many fans of the series. Designed for young children (or adult players who do not mind playing overly cute games), the most interesting aspect of Chocobo Tales is that the game will, undoubtedly, remind you of at least one game you have played. The visual style is very reminiscent of that of Paper Mario. The card battle system feels like Card Hero (a Japanese game made by Nintendo for the original Game Boy). Battles are turn based a la Final Fantasy. There are plenty of mini-games (like in Mario Party) and even micro games (Wario Ware, anyone?). And, to sum up, the game has a distinct 'Gotta catch 'em all" feel to it, not unlike Pokemon.

Technically, it is hard to criticize Chocobo Tales. The presentation is excellent. The game has very good intentions and its art style, sound and game design are spectacular. Basically, you can freely explore the world of Chocobo Tales, play mini-games and acquire cards that will be used to fight bosses, so you can keep progressing. As in Final Fantasy III, you can control the whole game just using the stylus. The controls are fluid, responsive and very well executed. Visuals are some of the best ever seen on the DS. The 3D graphics are clean, textures are superb and the character models are perfect. Aurally, Chocobo Tales exceeds as well. The game sports several remixes of old themes of the Final Fantasy series. The musics fit the game perfectly and sound effects, while not particularly worth of praise, do the job.

The only problem with the game is that the mini-games and micro games can be extremely difficult sometimes. And so we have a big problem. Since the game was designed for children, the extreme repetition due to constantly failing at the mini-games is sure to turn off many kids. Also, a cute and beautiful game is the kind of game an adult male player would probably be embarrassed to play in front of other people. So... who is going to stick to the game to the very end? Hardcore Final Fantasy fans, of course. And that explains a lot about the words "Final Fantasy" in the title. While not particularly bad in any area, Chocobo Tales is only recommended for those people who can stand playing the same mini-games over and over again and, of course, those who absolutely love children storybooks. However, if you can stand the frustration after playing a difficult mini-game, Chocobo Tales rewards you with one of the most strategic (and surprisingly easy) card battle systems ever designed for a game. However, even the card battles may irritate people who are not very persistent, due to the above average difficult. But if you are up for a challenge, give Chocobo Tales a try.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/07/07