Square Enix and Nintendo were promoting Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles pretty strongly at the show. The demo we played was fairly well put together, but we could tell that there was a lot of work left to do on it before its ready for release.

The game, as you probably know, is an action RPG with a heavy emphasis on multiplay. The game takes place in a deep fantasy world with character designs reminiscent of Final Fantasy IX. The music is also worthy of note, as it is quite beautiful; it was scored by one of the composers who did Final Fantasy XI's soundtrack.

The gameplay is not quite what I was expecting. As much as I've read about it, I had to play it to understand it. There was only a playable demo of the four player game, and each player is required to use a GBA. Players must stay together at all times. There is a circular field used to keep characters on one screen, because if you wander off, you won't be able to see your character. To further keep players together, damage will be taken if you step out of the ring.

The battles are a thing in themselves, as well. I still don't know what to expect from them, as they seemed to have a lot of work left to do on them. However, from what I got out of it, it is quite innovational. Characters can attack enemies with single-button attacks or use magic, if they have the appropriate item equipped. The four player elements require everyone to work together, as everyone has their own inherent abilities, and each player has different information on their GBA screen to help compliment each other in combat.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles should be out in Japan later this summer, with a North American release likely to follow this fall.