Deep Listens is a gaming podcast series I'm recording with a few of my friends. Every two weeks we pick and play a new game and then discuss it from a literary, philosophical, and game design perspective. Its kind of like a book club for videogames. We try to dig as deep as we can on an individual game every episode so check it out!

In this part 1 we discuss the gameplay of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. We cover everything from the character classes, to the crafting system, to the game's digital families. We also debate whether magic fusion is in fact the most fun thing to do in multiplayer games and whether owning 4 GBAs and 4 GBA link cables is too much. Who knew that Crystal Chronicles would hold up so well?

In this part 2 we discuss the story of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and a few potential interpretations of it's storyline. Pete compares the game to a Futurama episode on global warming and Gino tries to articulate what separates FF CC from other JRPGs. We also talk about our favorite levels in the game and how the game manages to craft a world using a few short narrated segments and level design. We finish up by lamenting the game's final act and Square's decision to allow the game to go "full Kingdom Hearts" at the last moment.

Episode 20 Part 1: The Surprising Depth of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

Episode 20 Part 2: The Environmentalist and Multicultural Message of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles