Cris Tales Reviews
This is one of those titles where I feel a bit torn on where I land with it...
This poorly optimized version of an archaic RPG feels anything but timeless.
I'm hoping that Modus will continue to support the Cris Tales with patches to address some of its technical issues. Decreasing load times might be too much to hope for on Switch, but game-breaking bugs are another story. I feel optimistic about it because Cris Tales is too good of a game to leave things like this. It puts new spins on some classic JRPG elements and creates an aesthetic all its own, telling tales that are universal and troublingly timely. Technical flaws aside, Cris Tales is a potent blend of the best of the JRPGs that inspired it and fresh ideas from a unique and personal perspective. Playing it is like discovering a fantastic SNES RPG from another timeline (with much more advanced graphics), serving as both a love letter to the past and an invitation to push forward, and it is likely to capture the imaginations of anyone who embarks on Crisbell's journey.
Cris Tales is the JRPG you need to try next. It has something for everyone; the striking visuals are there to capture newbies, the active-ish turn-based combat can convert any turn-based skeptic, and the strong faithful mechanics are there to appease the fussiest hardcore JRPG connoisseurs. This game has enough charm to have you whispering “that’s cute” under your breath 8 hours in, and enough nostalgia to bring back memories of summer vacations 10 or 20 years ago.
Cris Tales is a mediocre JRPG-inspired indie that neither captures the strong characters nor the interwoven mechanics that make the genre so appealing.
The exploration and interaction with the other characters are marvelous, and the game's visual style is nothing short of charming. At the same time, the game's combat system, with a lot of wasted time and too many random encounters, can make the experience less enjoying and Cris Tales would certainly benefit from fewer such instances and a more fluid combat.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I had my issues and frustrations with Cris Tales, but once I dusted myself off from the finale, I emerged with a big smile. It reminded me why I loved JRPGs. Though it featured the usual JRPG tropes, they were executed so well that I feel Cris Tales is an easy recommendation to anyone eager to find an escape, as it was a fun ride despite some hit-and-miss time travel elements.
Cris Tales is a beautiful JRPG with some phenomenal innovations commonly associated with the genre. Unfortunately, it so rigidly sticks to its inspirations that it fails to elevate itself beyond just another bland JRPG.
Cris Tales is a lot of fun, and a really solid title overall. It’s great to see that smaller indie studios are able to pick up the slack when it comes to delivering more classically inspired RPGs, and that they even have the creativity to go above and beyond what’s expected of them. While Cris Tales might be lacking a little bit here and there, anything bad is absolutely outshined by all of the good—you’ve got nothing to lose by checking this one out.
Cris Tales is a game with a lot of charm and good ideas that doesn’t quite deliver on its ambition. Some mechanics seem a little undercooked and the nostalgia for older RPGs will likely be lost on the younger players who seem, from the story and presentation, to be the game’s target audience.
Cris Tales has its fair share of problems, but if you don’t mind a little bit of jank and a full dose of nostalgia, this non-Japanese developed JRPG is definitely for you. It’s a simple game that follows many of its tropes to the letter, sometimes to a fault, but it does just enough to become a charming ride without it overstaying its welcome.
In sum, we have a creative, solid and flawed game. The kind of game that makes a service like Xbox Game Pass sing.
A good game that combines three times and good dynamics
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A clever RPG that combines traditional turn-based gameplay with time manipulation to present an interesting story through many different locations. The story features some time-based puzzling and side-quests that make subtle (or less subtle) changes to the world around you. The random encounters and save points don't add to the fun of the game but in all, a quality, fun RPG.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Overall, this is a simplistic game that touches on issues that could go a long way, but choose to ignore many of the possibilities that could access in order to offer a more solid plot, without going into too many complications. It is greatly enjoyed if you have it in mind. It is not essential, but it will cheer you up for more than one afternoon.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Cris Tales falls short of its lofty aims, but the zeal and indelible spirit of the game make it more than the sum of its parts.
Cris Tales is a worthwhile RPG to experience but you'll have to endure a lot of redundancy.
Overall, Cris Tales is a game that I can’t really recommend outright. For whatever reason it’s decently cheaper on the Switch, but with the amount of technical issues and gameplay mechanics that need refining, it would still be best to wait for a sale, or part of a package deal, before I could advise playing. I liked Cris Tales, I really did. It’s charming characters, great visuals, outstanding soundtrack, and engaging battle mechanics are all aspects I enjoyed. The poor implementations, long loading times, horrid timing windows, and occasional technical issues however really can’t be overlooked. I truly hope the developers take this as a learning opportunity to produce something more refined in the future, as I’ll be looking forward to it if the kinks can be ironed out.
Honestly, despite its flaws, I still enjoyed my time with Cris Tales. There are seeds of a fantastic game in here, but sadly none of them were able to fully blossom. I would really love to see a sequel where they expand upon what they’ve built already, because the idea of defeating your enemies using time magic along with other spells is wonderful. It lends itself to a lot of creative battles if explored in more depth.
A treat for the senses. With its unique art style and characters, Crys Tales breaks the common repetition of its genre by presenting us time bending journey with great ideas that could be better explored in a future sequel.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review