of Time were directed by Mitsuru Kamiyama and designed by Hiroyuki Saegusa. Crystal Chronicles and Ring of Fates had character designs by Toshiyuki Itahana, who had previously worked on Final Fantasy IX; he would go on to direct The Crystal Bearers. For Echoes of Time, My Life as a King and My Life as a Darklord, the characters were designed by Yasuhisa Izumisawa. Music The majority of series music has been composed by Kumi Tanioka, who had previously worked on the music of Final Fantasy XI. She returned to work on Ring of Fates, My Life as a King, then simultaneously on Echoes of Time and My Life as a Darklord. Because of the latter commitment, Tanioka was not greatly involved in the music of The Crystal Bearers, which was instead composed by Hidenori Iwasaki and Ryo Yamazaki. Tanioka returned for the Crystal Chronicles remaster alongside Iwasaki to both remix the original music and compose new tracks. The music of the series is distinct from other Final Fantasy entries, making extensive use of medieval and Renaissance musical instruments. Those used for the first game include the recorder, the crumhorn and the lute. Her work on Echoes of Time was described by her as the most challenging project she had worked on at the time. Iwasaki and Yamazaki originally wanted to emulate Tanioka's style with their work on The Crystal Bearers, but Kawazu and Itahana persuaded them to change into an acoustic style inspired by American music. Reception The original Crystal Chronicles reached high positions in sales charts upon release, going on to sell 1.3 million units worldwide. Ring of Fates sold nearly 700,000 units worldwide, while Echoes of Time sold 570,000. The Crystal Bearers met with low sales in Japan and North America, and was not mentioned in Square Enix's fiscal report for the year ending in 2010. In a Final Fantasy series retrospective, Digital Spy noted it as one of the more successful spin-offs within the Final Fantasy franchise alongside Final Fantasy Tactics. Eurogamers Rob Haines, in a retrospective on the first game, noted its unique multiplayer mechanics despite them not ageing well. He also felt that the series had lost some of its identity as it went on and aimed itself at mainstream gaming audiences. In a 2007 retrospective video series on the Final Fantasy franchise, GameTrailers noted that Crystal Chronicles stood out from the likes of SaGa