Cris Tales Reviews

Cris Tales is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2021

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

GameSpew
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2021

Regardless of its issues, there’s no denying that Cris Tales fulfils the mission its developers set out to achieve, and with gusto: this truly is a gorgeous love letter to classic JRPGs. An epic story combined with a truly beautiful visual style will keep you hooked until the credits roll. With a small update here and there, Cris Tales has all the makings of a modern classic.

Read full review

6 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2021

Cris Tales starts strong as a time travel RPG set in a beautiful world, but suffers from a misguided plot and combat woes

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2021

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.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jul 19, 2021
Cris Tales Review video thumbnail
Unscored
Jul 19, 2021

The lack of an autosave function is a curious omission, forcing you to save frequently lest you fall in battle and have to replay a particular segment. Fortunately, you can save anywhere on the overworld map and save spots in towns and dungeons are numerous. I'm excited to see how it all comes together, so please look forward to the full review posting soon, I suppose in a future slice of time.

Read full review

Unscored
Jul 19, 2021

Prepare to die quite a bit, especially early on as you get used to how everything works. The game certainly rewards mastery of its systems, as you’ll need to use every trick up your sleeves to survive some of the bosses here. It’s been a while since I haven’t just breezed through an RPG, so this is very refreshing. It presents just the right amount of challenge to make you consider your every action, actually use items, and equip yourself with gear that tailors to your specific playstyle. This game is firing on all cylinders so far, and I can’t wait to share my full review with you soon after I finish the game.

Read full review

85%
Jul 19, 2021

If you listen to Cris Tales talk, it sings with love for its influences. But sometimes, maybe we can love too many things. The game is remarkable on a variety of fronts, notably its look, its sound, and its love for Colombia. All of that works. But it feels the weight of its many influences. Eventually, when the developers throw so many things at the wall, it starts to get messy, with a story that tries to do too many things, combat that never fully lives up to its potential, and a bloated run time.

Read full review

Jul 19, 2021

Cris Tales embraces the old model of JRPGs, making it feel like a well-worn experience for seasoned fans of the genre. All of the charm, whimsy, and innocence of Final Fantasy and The Legend Of Zelda ooze throughout the game’s setting and characters, but Crisbell’s time powers provide a fun new spin on the classic turn-based combat. Cris Tales isn’t that difficult either, making it a good choice for beginners looking to get into turn-based RPGs.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2021

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

90 / 100
Jul 20, 2021

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

Jul 20, 2021

I really hope the other platforms that Cris Tales has been released on have better performance, because those loading times alone take something special, and unfortunately undermine it. This is one of those rare times to me where technical issue really do mess with the experience, disrupting the carefully-structured panic and pulling players away from the breathtaking art. There's still a lot to love about Cris Tales, and the vision is beautiful and evocative. But we are in 2021 and battles in an JRPG shouldn't require a loading screen. No matter how beautiful and heartfelt they are.

Read full review

89 / 100
Jul 20, 2021

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

8.8 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2021

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

Spaziogames
Top Critic
7.3 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2021

Cris Tales is based on an astonishing idea that could have innovated an entire genre. However, after few hours emerge some issues tied to underdeveloped combat mechanics and a scarcely balanced gameplay.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.6 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2021

A nice tribute to the JRPG with a personality all its own and a beautiful story, which however lacks depth and fails to give the right weight to its most peculiar mechanics.

Review in Italian | Read full review

GameMAG
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jul 20, 2021

The overal design choices and visual presentation of Cris Tales are one of its most strongers suits. The game looks like an animated film, and paired with lots of calm and relaxing tunes, you get a very cozy atmosphere that feels nice to get back to every single time.

Review in Russian | Read full review

78 / 100
Jul 20, 2021

Cris Tales shines with its astounding aesthetics and the way it manages the time travel elements, specially in combat. But, at the same time, it seems to be stuck on the past, bringing most of the glaring problems of the genre (grinding, areas that feels as corridors, repetitive opcional tasks...). And it's a shame, because it has potential.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10
Jul 20, 2021

You’ll steadily gain access to new characters throughout your adventure. Not only are they wonderfully entertaining during the story, but they also have unique abilities in battle that can really mix up how you fight. It keeps the game feeling fresh and interesting throughout the 30 or so hours that it takes to reach its conclusion.

Read full review

Unscored
Jul 20, 2021

Ultimately, Cris Tales ended up fixing few of the issues that I had with the game’s demo back in 2019, while also adding a few more thanks to the Switch port. I can’t imagine the currently average story getting much better at the end, and most of the ideas and gameplay mechanics presented at the start end up going nowhere. It’s a shame, as there was a lot of potential there — hopefully some of the more glaring technical issues can be fixed in a post-launch patch, at least.

Read full review