Crisol: Theater of Idols Reviews
ermila Studio’s first game is a distinctively Spanish fusion of elements.
The final hour or so is actually quite good.
The atmosphere of the shooter is delightfully spooky, and the Spanish influences make for a narrative backdrop and lore that you want to sink your teeth into. But too often, Crisol is held back by its gameplay. The blood-for-bullets mechanic adds some fun strategic depth, but the overall experience is held back by repetitive enemy design and arena layouts. Better single-player first-person shooters can be found elsewhere.
With clear inspirations from predecessors in the genre, Crisol: Theater of Idols is a solid debut from Vermila Studios under Blumhouse Games. While it doesn't quite reach its max potential in the end, it's absolutely worth your time for a weekend playthrough.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a unique take on survival horror that has swiftly became one of my favourite games in a long while. It takes classics like Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock and fuses them into a brand new nightmare. The twisting narrative, the mix of gameplay mechanics, and the sheer visceral thrill of the game once it gets its claws into you all combine to make this perhaps my happiest gaming surprise in years. If this glowing review wasn't enough to convince you, it's even priced incredibly competitively and puts many far more expensive titles to shame. Crisol truly deserves to become more than just a cult classic and will be in the conversation for horror game of the year, even with some obvious competition on the horizon.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a solid survival-horror adventure that is sometimes a little rough around the edges.
A sequel or big update might smooth out some rough mechanics, but as it stands, Crisol: Theater of Idols is worth a look for fans of first-person shooters or action-adventure games with puzzles, mysteries, and exploration.
I recommend you at least try the demo of this amazing game. I'm sure you won't want to stop there and will want to keep exploring the horrifying and intriguing streets of Stormy City. Even if it costs you your own blood.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Crisol: Theater of Idols is indebted to its horror-shooter forebears, but it can't match their coherence and tension, even at its best moments.
Crisol: Theatre of Idols was something I was not expecting to go into and enjoy. I came away with, outside of some pacing and bad performance issues, thoroughly enjoying my time with the good exploration/combat/puzzle loop.
A first-person survival horror game with a story steeped in Spanish history, folklore and religion, Crisol: Theater of Idols may borrow from the likes of Resident Evil but it manages to stand out thanks to its creepy enemies and clever blood bullet mechanic.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a good game with an interesting setting, beautiful graphics, and cool ideas, such as the combat system. However, it draws too much inspiration from established titles, especially Resident Evil 4.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first-person dark fantasy shooter that draws on Spanish folklore to create a striking, captivating, and coherent universe. The game also stands out for its original combat system and puzzles, although it falls short in its unengaging narrative and low difficulty.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Crisol: Theater of Idols does a lot right, a striking setting, excellent weapon fantasy, smart resource tension, strong pacing, memorable enemies, and a story that sticks the landing better than expected. Most importantly, it feels great to play. You can sense the craft in every room, every animation, every system connection. I adored this game, and I hope people do not skip it just because its inspirations are easy to spot. Crisol understands those inspirations, executes them with real care, then adds enough identity through art direction, lore, and blood economy to stand on its own. It's essential for fans of the genre. Do not miss this one.
Crisol: Theater of Idols doesn’t try to reinvent horror, nor does it bring anything new that seasoned horror fans have not seen. However, the setting is unique, it presents an inventive story, and has some fun scares along the way.
Crucible: Theatre of Idols arrives with an enviable level of presentation and a tangible passion for the genre, although rough edges in its combat and narrative keep it from reaching its full potential.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A survival horror experience that is filled with amazing ideas. Blood is the focal point not just for health but for ammunition, a rich and vibrant game setting, and unique enemy types that more often than not plays it a bit too safe with things that fans of the genre have experienced countless times before. The future looks bright for Vermila Studios, and I can't wait to see them build upon this rock-solid foundation in the future.
Roaming Tormentosa, dipping back into the fair hub, and slowly powering up your guns and health never stopped being satisfying. Strong audio and visuals pull it all together into a campaign I was happy to finish, and immediately dive back in for another run.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first-person horror game where every shot drains your own blood, turning ammo management into the heart of each fight. Tormentosa’s twisted churches, frozen processions, and hostile idols give the story a strong Spanish religious horror hook, helped by characters like Mediodia and La Planidera. Some encounters run long and a few speeches go over the top, but the blood-for-ammo combat, compact districts, and fairground hub come together into a tight horror run that’s easy to recommend if you like deliberate, lore-heavy scares.
A great survival horror game with a lot of personality and big ideas. Some of those ideas may not quite come together, but its fantastic religious aesthetic, ingenious world, and settings full of secrets made me fall in love with Tormentosa.
Review in Spanish | Read full review