Cris Tales Reviews
Cris Tales is a stunningly gorgeous indie, with art that’ll make your jaw drop. However many of its time mechanics are relatively skin deep, and it lacks the kind of depth its art inspires. It’s also not the epic it claims to be. It’s a love letter to classic RPGs, if within that same analogy those classics are the full novel.
Cris Tales sets a high bar when describing itself as a love letter to some of the best JRPGs of all time, but indie studio Dreams Uncorporated manages to exceed expectations by delivering a charming game with unique and challenging combat mechanics and a gorgeous artstyle. The characters are interesting, and the ability to peer into their past and future makes you care even more for them – especially the protagonist and its allies, which will travel alongside you during the game’s 20-30 hours of gameplay.
I would avoid Cris Tales on the Switch until there’s been some patching done or you’ve tested it on another platform.
The graphics are colorful and beautiful, the story mostly motivating and at its core a turn based combat system with some clever time manipulation. Cris Tales got the whole package and every fan of RPGs should check out this amazing indie game.
Review in German | Read full review
I'm happy that it was worth waiting for Cris Tales: It's a wonderful game that shows me the consequences of my decisions immediately. I love that with Cris Tales, as well as the tactical combat that allows me a lot of freedom.
Review in German | Read full review
Cris Tales is a beautifully crafted JRPG who knows how to innovate based on the most classic premises of the genre. Join Crisbell and her friends as they save their kingdom from the Empress of Time as we use the power of crystals to learn from the past, act in the present, and change the future, all simultaneously. We are without a doubt one of the most interesting JRPGs of the year, totally recommended for fans of the genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Cris Tales is a fantasy adventure akin to a fairy tale in both narrative and setting. It’s an amazing experience accompanied by memorable characters, an addictive battle system, and wonderful discoveries. Every moment of the gameplay pushes the RPG to new heights, which is only hindered by lengthy load times and lack of direction for some missions. However, if you’re looking for a callback to retro RPGs, this is one game you absolutely need to play.
Cris Tales starts so good that It felt like it could be a GOTY contender, the gameplay mechanics are classic but feel new and complex enough without being confusing, the art style is a sight to behold and the characters are really charming but the use of random encounters and unbelievable number of times they hinder you progress, sucks some of the joy out of the game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
While the cinematic procedures required some aspects of time travel - which also is part of the combat in this game, it has been well presented as it was mostly inspired from many existing JRPG titles. Some of the dialogues are not recommended to be skipped as there is no other way to determine the outcome of the given context. Customization of equipment also feels a bit lackluster. Despite these little hiccups, it would serve to become a genre pioneer for tags such as ‘Cris Tales like’ games due to its uniqueness in mechanism among many other RPGs out there. Visuals that look like popup artbooks and fully voiced dialogues allow you to enjoy it to the fullest.
Review in Korean | Read full review