Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers pre-order details

Pre-orders are now available for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, according to word from Square Enix this week. GameStop is offering $5.00 off the game at the time of purchase (details here), Amazon.com is giving a themed, limited edition 2010 calendar (details here), and Best Buy is offering an exclusive soundtrack sampler to its pre-order customers. (details here). Doesn’t seem all that exciting to me, but whatever makes your world spin around.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers ships in late Dec. for the Wii.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers in Dec.

Square Enix will bring Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for Wii on December 26, 2009. This latest installment in the Nintendo focused franchise (popularized by various titles on the GameCube and DS) promises a fresh take on the Crystal Chronicles universe, this time featuring action-adventure themed gameplay. According to Square Enix the game combines the a deep story, immersive events and graphical quality of the FINAL FANTASY franchise with motion-driven gameplay and the ability to freely explore the game world.

In the newest game in the series a thousand years have passed since the events of the original game. The destruction of the Yuke Crystal during the Great War had at once brought the Lilty Tribe prosperity, the defeated Yuke Tribe apparent annihilation, and the world a new age of science and reason. In this new era exists a rare breed of powerful beings called “crystal bearers,” whose magical abilities have led them to be feared and scorned by the public.

The young mercenary Layle is one such crystal bearer, who has been hired to escort the new passenger airship Alexis, the pinnacle of Lilty technology and a symbol of their current dominance. However, when the Alexis is suddenly besieged by a horde of monsters, Layle comes face-to-face with an adversary thought to have vanished from the pages of history, on a quest that may threaten the future of the world…

Other key features include motion-driven gameplay and controls that are accessible for gamers of all levels, action and third-person shooter style gameplay exploration, object manipulation using the Wii remote, and co-op for what we assume is up to at least 2 - 4 players. Look for the game the day after Christmas.