CRYMACHINA Reviews
Crymachina is continually plagued by its imbalance. It takes too much work to get to the good of Crymachina and only those desperately itching for a sci-fi action RPG will enjoy completing it. It’s a shame because the concept it uses to explore humanity is an interesting one, but too many issues dampen its emotional punch.
The game has a fairly short runtime (by RPG standards) of around 25-30 hours, but even then it soon begins to outstay its welcome. It’s a shame as the story really is intriguing to begin with, but after fighting your way through lots of tedious dungeons and doing the same attacks over and over again, you’ll find it hard to care about humanity’s fate.
CRYMACHINA has a promising story and a fresh aesthetic, but the presentation leaves so much to be desired. Convoluted and rushed world-building makes it hard to get invested, and the basic and repetitive combat encounters make it hard not to feel like the loop between gameplay and story is more of a chore than it's worth.
While Crymachina’s flashy and striking character designs certainly shine, they can’t save a game that’s unfortunately hampered by uninspired, repetitive combat and painfully linear dungeons.
Crymachina boasts a dark, imposing world populated by monstrous machine enemies that uses classic sci-fi themes to examine deep existential questions. However, it doesn't offer you any agency through a story that is unsatisfyingly similar to the studio's last game.
Crymachina does not represent the triumphant return that many had hoped for for FuRyu Corporation. The game has a story that, while potentially interesting, feels like it's wasting its potential, in part due to an overly stereotypical cast of characters, which could fit well in a teen drama.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Crymachina is like the RC Cola of action RPGs; it'll do if you're desperate for something to satisfy your craving, but it'd be tough to argue that it's anyone's top choice. The so-bad-it's-good story and fast-paced combat ultimately make this one worth the punt, but the game's overreliance on repetition wears off its sheen before too long. We'd give Crymachina a light recommendation to any fans of FuRyu's previous work or anyone looking for a low-investment action RPG that's all style and little substance. Crymachina is a decent outing, but you may want to wait for a reasonably deep sale on this one.
Crymachina stays on the fence in many aspects, but it doesn't manage to be as bad as it seems, as long as the player keeps in mind its weak points. However, it's a mistake to regard it as a spiritual successor to Crystar, especially when it comes to battles, narrative and ambientation, but these latter two aspects, which carry the concept of the game, manage to sustain the arduous (and unbalanced) task to explore the diverse sections of the Eden spaceship.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Crymachina has an interesting world but that is not enough to make it a highlight due to its tiresome and boring gameplay. It's honestly difficult to recommend it to those who love action RPGs with so many good examples of the genre in the market, but those who get to love the characters' stories may still enjoy it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
CYMACHINA is an RPG with interesting ideas and good combat that ends up sinning for an excess of repetitiveness in its enemy and map designs, as well as a story that ends up tripping a little over itself.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
At the end of the day, CRYMACHINA will become a game that some look at as having potential but failing to live up to it. The combat outside of boss/challenge fights feels uninspired and the levels lack substance. Don’t get us wrong, the game is beautifully designed visually but pretty graphics are just a small part of what can make a game great.
After the excellent Monark, it would seem that FuRyu is struggling a lot to hit the target.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Crymachina has several good ideas that it begins to explore. However, the kind of output needed to make those ideas flourish did not happen. Instead, this is a gorgeous-looking game that leans too heavily in the wrong directions, leaving its more intriguing elements as accessories instead of features. There's a decent game here that plays well, but its middle-of-the-pack execution in a sea of action RPGs doesn't do the game any favors.
Undeniably stylish combat mixes with a philosophical sci-fi narrative asking what it means to be human… or something like that
I had a solid time with CRYMACHINA overall but it certainly doesn't live up to similar action RPGs that offer much more impactful stories and consistently engaging gameplay. The characters are delightful, though, so you may want to check it out just for the tea parties.
CRYMACHINA impresses with an intriguing world, great music and a very interesting graphic style paired with anime aesthetics, which we liked throughout. Unfortunately, with the same old battles, dull and linear dungeons, and unimpressive bosses, there's not much left outside of that.
Review in German | Read full review
Despite the narrative not fully coming together in the end, as well as some repetitive gameplay structure, Crymachina manages to be a compelling RPG. Regardless of its uneven nature and short duration, I think it may leave a lasting impression on me - at least a little bit.
Crymachina is a game with a cool concept and engaging story that starts out quite promising. Its interesting narrative and solid combat, however, is ultimately tempered by its linear dungeon design and repetitive gameplay. It’s not a bad game, though, and is actually quite fun when it’s hitting on all cylinders. In fact, some might find it worth playing for its world building alone.
I believe that FuRyu laid down a solid foundation here with Crymachina. The narrative is there, the characters are there, the gameplay is there, but the nuts and bolts that glue all of them together aren't. This isn't to say the overall game isn't fun, but it could have been so much better. The game's overall gameplay loop is simply monotonous and dull. It boils down to sitting through mandatory dialogue sections and then running through a dungeon with one to two mandatory battles, and then fighting the boss. The concept of gaining humanity and questioning the whole concept of what it means to be human is a heavy and melancholic theme. I just wish it was delivered in a smoother manner. Even the naming of the game makes sense. Can machines even cry? If you're into the whole mechanical girls fighting robots and trying to save humanity thing, then there might be something here for you.