Snagged this just recently. The story is fairly good, but the game pretty much makes you play as a Clavat for it. Yes, you get one more character from each class as the story goes on (Clavat, Yuke, Selkie, and Lility, in that order), but for the most part, it's easier to work with the Clavat you're give (All characters are story driven, I might add).
It also has a multiplayer mode as well, that continues where Story mode finishes. You can play by yourself just fine with a created character from any class, or with another person who also has the game.
the characters are a lot more diverse then in the original Crystal Chronicles. Lilties stun enemies easier, and Yukes' basic attack sends a magic orb out, so their attack is based on their magic skill, not their strength, like it was in the Gamecube Crystal Chronicles. Clavats have an attack chain, allowing them to keep attacking, and Selkies are now fully ranged, as they now use a bow, and can also double jump (since the game is part platformer now too).
Each of the 4 tribes are also more different from one another:
Clavats are heavily combat oriented. Though they don't use shields like in the GC CC, their tribe ability is an instant jump attack that deals massive damge and knocks down any non-boss monster.
Selkies can double jump, letting them reach areas others can't, and their special is a super strong arrow attack.
Yukes have a "Magic Tail" ability; using the touch screen, one can draw on a magicite laying on the ground and make a large trail with it (since magicite is more expendable in this game), making it much more effective in their favor.
Lilites are more of a support class, though they can hold their own in combat. By collecting elements from element generators and dead enemies, they can create magicite or materials for use in their urn, which can also be used for combat (stun and massive damage FTW).
There's only two major downsides I can think of:
Single player AI is horrible. Throughout story mode, you have buddies with you, but they can't do crap. You constantly need to call them to your side so they don't stand around in a fire pit or something, or so they don't keep walking off of cliff edges like a bunch of lemmings. Simply put, you can't really depend on them for anything.
Lack of character customization in the starting of multiplayer games. When you created a character in the original Crystal Chronicles, you had a choice of 4 costumes to choose from. Now, the armor in this game has a "see what you have", meaning if you put a helmet on, you'll see it on your character, which the original didn't have. Even so, it's still lazy. Male and Female Yuke created character look EXACTLY alike, even though there's a female Yuke model in the game that has a heart shaped visor in her helmet.
