While it required multiple Game Boy Advance systems and link cables, the originalFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles' multiplayer mode was still pretty popular at the time of release, and praised highly in reviews. It seemed as though the upcomingFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Editionwas going to feature local co-op as well, but without the hassle of rounding up multiple GBAs and link cables. But despite the feature being listed on the PlayStation Store, it seems as thoughFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Editionwill not actually support local co-op play.
This was confirmed by the game’s official Japanese Twitter account, where it explained thatFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remasteredlocal co-opwas scrapped due to “development reasons.” Apparently, the development team had to choose whether to focus on offline co-op or online co-op, and ultimately decided to pursue online instead “so that more people can play.” Why both options couldn’t be offered like is seen in many other multiplayer games wasn’t really made clear, unfortunately.
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While the lack of local co-op inFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remasteredis disappointing, the bright side is that players can still play with their friends without everyone buying their own copy of the game. It’s been confirmed that there will be afree-to-play version ofFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remasteredthat includes the first three dungeons. And if those players connect with someone that actually owns the game, they can access the rest of the dungeons, too. It may not scratch quite the same itch as local co-op would, but it still makes the co-op functionality in general accessible to more players.
It’s important to note thatFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remasteredsupports cross-play, so players don’t even need to be playing on the same system to experience the online co-op together. This should make playing co-op in the game as painless as possible despite the lack of local co-op options.
Of course,Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remasteredwill feature some other enhancements as well.Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remasteredhas improved visuals, music, and new dungeons, so even those that have played the original extensively may still want to consider checking out the remaster, local co-op or not.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Editionlaunches on August 27 for iOS, Android, PS4, and Switch.
