When Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition released on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Android/iOS mobile devices, fans old and new alike were excited to get online and take advantage of the game’s promised multiplayer mode.
It didn’t quite work out that way.
The multiplayer functionality of the game was completely broken, meaning that no one was able to get online and play with others. This caused many users to negatively review the game.
The original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles featured a local multiplayer mode that was beloved by many. So a lack of multiplayer would be a huge blow to fans of that initial release.
Square Enix has promised to address these issues and fix the network functionality. Whether that will be enough to salvage the game for people who have already written it off is another matter entirely.
The game’s director, Araki Ryoma, penned a letter to fans on the Square Enix website, directly addressing these issues and promising to do better.
“First of all,” he said, “the situation where players were unable to play immediately after launch was caused by our servers going over capacity. We ran into maintenance to increase that server capacity on August 29, which has led to comparatively stable running thereafter. Going forward, we will move to address any further server issues as required.”
He also promised that the various bugs that haunt the game will be fixed through a series of updates. No schedule was given for these updates, however.
Issues like this, which impact the playability of a game right at launch, can be devastating to a game’s longevity and overall reputation.
When you look at games put out by other studios, you can see how issues like this have negatively impacted both the game itself and the studio.
BioWare is a prime example. Once hailed as the undisputed lord and master of the choice-based RPG, a number of rushed and glitchy titles have tanked its once stellar reputation.
First there was Mass Effect: Andromeda, which featured game breaking glitches and unfinished animations. Despite BioWare making fixes to the game over the years, it completely derailed the Mass Effect franchise, cancelling a number of planned DLC packs and sequel titles.
Then there was the multiplayer game, Anthem, also a BioWare project. Anthem’s launch was equally buggy and featured outrageously long load times and sometimes a complete inability to play the game at all. BioWare is currently revamping Anthem from top to bottom and will attempt to relaunch it at a later date.