Important Note: The Wii version of this game comes with a mandatory system update, including several patched 
IOS files. Homebrew users are advised to NOT run these updates as many of the patches appear to target homebrew functionality. Gecko OS 1.8 or later users may selectively update IOS files at their own risk, since the only one you need from the disc in order to play Echoes of Time is IOS55. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about and/or have no interest in Wii homebrew, it’s fair to say: “This is technical mumbo-jumbo that doesn’t affect you. Don’t worry.”
I’ve always been curious about the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series. My first exposure to it was the excellent “My Life as a King,” though it was clearly a major departure from the series’ tendency toward Action RPG elements. Somewhat like Secret of Mana, this game sends you on various quests leading up to an end goal, fighting your way through several locations with a small party. Combat is done in real time; RPG stats are involved, but you control where your character stands, and when they attack. If this sounds like the formula for a decent game to you, you’d be right... and you’d also be surprised at just how bad Square-Enix screwed it up this time.
GDN Quick N Dirty Review
| Terrible controls, unacceptable online lag, and a dull plot make this Action RPG/dungeon crawl completely forgettable. It does some interesting things with DS to Wii connectivity, but that’s really not enough to save this game from being flat-out bad. |
Since it’s mostly a multiplayer game, Echoes of Time goes a little light on plot in favor of populating dungeons with plenty of monsters and simple puzzles to work through, the latter of which mostly consists of pushing objects onto switches in order to open up the next area. It gets a little more complex than that as you get further in, but the basic formula remains true throughout. You get different weapons, different attack skills, even some magic to use, and it works okay. Unfortunately, it’s clumsier than the aforementioned Secret of Mana, which came out over a decade ago. On the other hand, you do get support for up to four players in Echoes of Time, which would theoretically make this a good game to play with friends.
