"A fun game filled with minigames."

Before even considering getting this game you have to ask yourself two questions: Do you like minigames? And do you like card-battles? If you said yes to both, you should probably read the rest of this review for Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales.

Story: 7/10

Yes, there is more to this game than just minigames and card battles. You are, of course, a chocobo, living with a white mage and a black mage in some sort of chocobo orphanage. One day, the black mage brings home a cursed book that has the power to turn all of your chocobo friends into cards (and talk, he's a special book). Of course the only way to beat this book and make the world right is to go out and find books and read them, which will let you rescue your friends and advance further into the world. You will also have to battle a boss in each area with a custom made card deck to restore light to various crystals.

It's not a bad story, really, but it is rather clichéd. You'll also have to deal with rival evil chocobo's as you play, and everything about the game is kid-friendly so don't expect any deep dramatic scenes here.

Gameplay: 8/10

The gameplay in Chocobo Tales is quite varied, being made up of mini-games, card battles, and microgames (microgames are usually just shorter minigames that play no part in advancing the story). The minigames are accessed through the various books that are scattered throughout the world. Once you find one, your chocobo jumps into it and a brief story is told, than the minigame begins. Most of the minigames in Chocobo Tales are quite fun and you'll find yourself spending quite a bit of time trying to get the best possible score or time in them. Doing so lets you unlock various prizes, such as opening a new area up (usually a really easy task, as it's required to proceed) and rescuing your chocobo friends, to obtaining an ultra-rare card for your card inventory (obtained by excelling in any minigame). You will also receive one of three different endings to the story that you are playing through. You should be warned, however, that there are a few minigames and microgames that are rather hard.

The card battles are fairly easy if you use any sort of strategy. It's mainly based on familiar Final Fantasy characters coming to life from cards to attack each other. Each card either has a sword or shield (or a blank space) in each cardinal direction, and the aim is to use a card with a sword against a card with no shield in the spot that your sword is in. Doing so will attack your opponent and lower his HP. It sounds pretty simple, but there are actually a lot of different strategies you can use to win, as most of your cards have special attacks that require elemental charges to use (similar to cards using land in Magic to attack). I was quite impressed by the depth of the card system in Chocobo Tales.

Chocobo Tales isn't a very long game by any means, but it is perfect for a pick up and play game. As you unlock all of the minigames and microgames, you are given the option to play them from the menu if you just want a quick minigame before you have to go somewhere. The controls are very fluid as well, which is a good thing as you'll need all the help you can get to completely beat some of the challenges in Chocobo Tales.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are fairly good for a DS game, but maybe a bit too choppy. The environment is very vivid and colorful, and provides an interesting place for your chocobo to explore. You'll find a lot of pop-up book drawings in the game as well. The animations in the minigames themselves are very well done and even with four characters on the screen everything runs smoothly while still looking great.

The most impressive are graphical-wise to me was the card battles. It would've been all too easy to just tally up the damage after each contestant uses a card, but instead they made each card animated. These animations are very colorful and well done. You can tell a lot of time was put into them too, as they each have different reactions if they are personally attacked. Overall, the graphics do their job in keeping you playing.

Music/Sound effects: 8/10

The music in Chocobo Tales is very nostalgic for any Final Fantasy fan. You'll be hearing many familiar tunes as you explore the world. The music in the minigames, however, is usually a rather bland, generic, up-beat tune. Being a long-time Final Fantasy fan, I loved the over world music but pretty much ignored the minigame music (some minigames did have some good music, usually being a remix of the famous chocobo song).

The sound effects play a major part in the game, being the predominant sound in most minigames and card battles, so it's a good thing everything sounds like it should. A lot of the card battles manage to add in sound effects that have the correct elemental sound for when your monster performs an elemental attack. You'll find very little to complain about sound-wise in Chocobo Tales.

Re-playability/Extra's: 9/10

As I stated before, this game is a perfect title for quick pick up and play action. If you're a perfectionist, you'll also have quite a challenge in unlocking everything this game has to offer. You can also compete against other players in the various minigames and card battles wireless if you can find a friend to play with, though I wasn't able to test it out personally.

Overall: 8/10

Overall a good game, and even though I'm sure it was designed for a younger audience, anyone should be able to find some entertainment in it. If minigames and card battles are your thing, I'd recommend trying to find a used copy at your local game store. And yes, there is a Cid character present in the game for all you Final Fantasy fans. Have fun and keep playing!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/07

Game Release: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales (US, 04/03/07)