The Chocobo debuted in 1988’s Final Fantasy II, and was immediately adopted as the series’ de facto mascot. The giant yellow birds have proved so popular that they star in their own spin-off series, with entries spanning various genres: racing (Chocobo Racing), board game (Chocobo Land), and dungeon-crawling RPG (Chocobo’s Dungeon 2). In 2007, Square released Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the Nintendo DS, a minigame-filled adventure which introduced several new elements to the Chocobo series—notably a storybook-inspired visual design and Pop-Up Duels, a collectable card game. Now, Square brings us Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon for the Nintendo Wii, a roguelike RPG that marries elements of Chocobo Tales and the Chocobo’s Dungeon titles.

Chocobo’s Dungeon stars (of course) Chocobo, who in this adventure is a treasure hunter with his partner Cid. When we meet them, Cid and Chocobo are in search of the Timeless Power, said to be kept in a tall tower in the middle of the desert. Just before reaching it, however, the two adventurers are mysteriously whisked away to the town of Lostime in the land of Memoria. At the center of town sits the Bell of Oblivion, which erases the memories of anyone who hears it. The citizens of Lostime live a life of blissful ignorance; only the white mage Shirma and her aunt Stella, who live on the edge of town (out of earshot of the bell’s range), retain any of their memories long-term. Events are complicated further by a mysterious object seen falling from the sky, which turns out to be an egg containing a human baby; the child, named Raffaello, quickly demonstrates the ability to enter a citizen’s consciousness and retrieve their memories intact. Chocobo must follow Raffaello into the minds of Lostime’s townspeople to restore their memories so that he and Cid can piece together the mystery of what happened in Memoria and what they can do to get back home. The game’s plot shows all the trademarks of the Final Fantasy series—an evil power trying to take over the world; young adventurers who must stop it; themes of friendship, redemption, and good triumphing over evil—but the story manages to stay upbeat and lighthearted, thanks to good writing, plenty of humor, and a cast of interesting characters. The story’s also a great motivator to keep you playing, as the central mystery—what happened in Lostime, and why are the townspeople glad to be rid of the memories?—is strong enough to make you want to play more to see just what happened.

The clock tower and the Bell of Oblivion are at the center of both the town of Lostime and the game’s plot.

So, when Chocobo enters the mind of one of Lostime’s citizens, what does it look like? Funnily enough, it looks remarkably like a randomly-generated roguelike dungeon. You see, Chocobo’s Dungeon is (ironically) the direct follow-up to Chocobo’s Dungeon 2, released in 1999 for the original Playstation. Chocobo’s Dungeon 2 was an offshoot of the Mysterious Dungeon series of roguelike RPG, which also includes titles like the Pokemon Rescue Team series and the granddaddy of them all, Shiren the Wanderer, recently remade for Nintendo DS. For those of you unfamiliar with the Mystery Dungeon series or the genre in general, roguelikes are turn-based dungeon crawling RPGs, known mostly for their high difficulty levels, strict penalties for dying, and incredibly deep, intricate gameplay. While their more hardcore aspects can ostracize anyone unprepared for the challenge, roguelikes can be incredibly satisfying and deeply rewarding for those with the skill and determination to see them through. Chocobo’s Dungeon keeps the depth and challenge the genre is known for, but also eases the difficulty and frustration level, so more casual RPG fans won’t be left out in the cold.

Each Lostime citizen’s psyche is represented by a randomly-generated dungeon. Players will need to explore every dungeon methodically; in addition to the stairs that lead to the next dungeon level, players will discover equipment to improve Chocobo’s statistics, magic books used to cast spells, items that have a variety of uses, and traps that range from mild inconveniences to potentially fatal. Dungeons are turn-based, in that for every action Chocobo takes (taking a step, using an item, attacking, etc.), every enemy in the dungeon gets to take one action. This means that the player will always need to be on guard, as it’s always possible (if not easy) to find yourself surrounded and cut off from any route of escape. Death comes with a high price (all your money and most of your possessions), but unlike most roguelikes, here you’re able to keep your experience level and whatever you’ve got currently equipped, so death isn’t quite the devastating reset it is in games like Shiren.

Every dungeon is filled with enemies, items, and traps.

You’ve also got several ways to tip the scales in your favor. By visiting Freja’s Forge, Chocobo can improve, modify, and customize his equipment to his liking. For a small fee, Freja will improve a piece of equipment’s defining statistic (a weapon’s attack strength or armor’s defense). Freja can also combine two pieces of equipment, transferring the bonuses of one to another, or add and remove seals, which confer special helpful characteristics (a fire seal, for instance, adds fire status to a weapon’s attack or provides fire resistance when attached to armor). You can also tailor Chocobo’s abilities to your liking by utilizing different Jobs. As you progress, Chocobo can find the memories of the various Final Fantasy Jobs, including White Mage, Knight, and Ninja, among many others. Each Job bestows both statistic bonuses and new skills and attacks, allowing you to adapt Chocobo to the dungeon at hand. Beset by ice creatures? Switch over to Black Mage to stock up on Fire skills. Surrounded by enemies that refuse to part with their rare items? With a quick switch to Thief, Chocobo will be able to relieve them of their possessions with ease. The Job system gives you tons of options to approach the game however you want.

Job changes come complete with job-appropriate costumes.

There are plenty of activities to keep you busy outside of dungeon crawling. Chocobo can go fishing, or raise a garden, both of which can be used to earn some extra cash. Mog, another Final Fantasy staple, runs an arcade, and several arcade games are playable for some quick action-oriented diversions. The Pop-Up Duel card game, which debuted in Chocobo Tales on DS, is playable here as well, with new cards to be found in the dungeons and after defeating enemies. You can even take your deck online and play against the world with Nintendo WiFi Connection. The card game’s not very deep, but it’s reasonably fun, especially against other players.

Ever since Final Fantasy VII wowed players with an impressive 3D world full of flashy magic effects, the series has been known for stunning visuals, and Chocobo’s Dungeon is no exception, with a beautiful pastel art style that makes the game look like a painting come to life. The dungeons themselves sometimes suffer from a lack of variety, with little to visually distinguish one from the next, the town environments are highly detailed, and characters and enemies animate fluidly. The game’s audio also lives up to the series’ high standards, with a beautiful orchestral score and tons of high-quality voice acting (with the possible exception of Mog, whose voice can grate on the nerves).

If I hear Mog shout “Dungeon-Hero X is here, kupo!” ever again, it’ll be too soon.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon won’t make everybody happy (especially genre fans who prefer the more traditional RPG structure), but when judged on its own merits, it’s excellent. With tons of depth, plenty of dungeons to explore, and a huge amount of activities to keep you busy, there’s quite a lot of entertainment to be found here. Any Wii-owning role-playing fan should check it out, as it’s definitely one of the top genre entries on the system.

Gameplay: 8.9
It’s hard to fault the gameplay—it nails just about every element crucial to roguelikes. Between the weapon customization system, the Job system, and the various optional dungeons and side quests, there’s plenty of depth for players willing to invest the time and energy.

Graphics: 8.3
The game’s visuals are gorgeous, thanks mainly to the fantastic art style. The town of Lostime is detailed and unique, and the people, creatures, and enemies that populate it all look great (although the lack of lip-synch to the voice-overs might bother some). If the graphics have one flaw, it’s the dungeons, which don’t have a great deal of variety and begin to blur together after a while.

Sound: 8.0
The score mainly uses new versions of songs from previous Final Fantasy titles (including the theme, a music box-style version of the Chocobo theme), but the new versions sound great and fit the game perfectly. The voice acting is remarkably good overall, but there are a few characters that can grate on your nerves.

Difficulty: Hard
Although the game’s difficulty curve is as silky-smooth as they come, and you never get dropped into a situation the game hasn’t adequately prepared you for, it’s still a roguelike, so brutal difficulty is pretty much par for the course. Still, the designers have done an excellent job of keeping the frustration factor as low as possible.

Concept: 8.9
They’ve done a fantastic job of integrating the standard elements of the Final Fantasy series into the roguelike style. The story is also well-done, with quality writing and an interesting mystery.

Multiplayer: 7.1
Some people might really get into the Pop-Up Duels online, but the card game’s pretty simple, and not really the sort of thing that held my interest in the long-term.

Overall: 9.0
Not everybody will enjoy it, but genre fans really owe it to themselves to try Chocobo’s Dungeon. It’s a beautiful, deep, fun role-playing adventure, and certainly one of the best RPGs available for Wii.