Crystar Reviews
FuRyu and NIS bring their dark and grim world and interesting characters to Nintendo Switch players.
Crystar gets a Switch port following its earlier release on the PS4 and PC, giving you one more avenue to cry on the go. Crystar is actually one of those cases where a game boasts a strong and compelling story that’s unfortunately saddled with action gameplay that’s OK at best. Folks who prioritize top-notch combat mechanics and don’t particularly care for storytelling might want to look elsewhere. If you love games with a strong narrative and interesting characters, however, Crystar is definitely worth a trip to Purgatory despite its faults.
Crystar runs really well on the Switch, but is held back by poor combat and level design.
Crystar combines a stunning supernatural setting with simple hack-and-slash fighting to draw you through a complex and profound plot that bounces betweens realms.
Trying to interest by its purpose and its unhappy themes, Crystar fails.
Review in French | Read full review
Overall, I have to say I quite enjoyed my time with Crystar. While the combat and areas you progress through tended to get a little repetitive, the storytelling, art, and music direction, as well as an interesting cast of characters, is what really keeps the title together. While I wouldn’t recommend picking up the Switch version if you already own Crystar, it is quite nice for a title that you can pick up every so often to go through a floor or two, or some of the shorter stages, without feeling the burnout.
This game might make you want to cry. You can take that any which way you’d like.
I’m late to playing Crystar myself and hate that I couldn’t play it sooner. The small group of people that have found Crystar, a diamond hidden in the rough, have all praised it from years ago and now I pray that more can see it too. The amazing art, voice work, and fixable gameplay are something that makes Crystar a standout classic in the making.
Crystar is firmly in that class of games that I'm interested to play and experience, but that in terms of their storytelling have me pretty well lost from go...
An action RPG with a striking shonen-like story that simmers, but the simplicity of the gameplay and its overall art design exerts too much of a counterbalance.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Crystar is a hidden gem for niche JRPG fans with a beautiful music assortment to boot.
Crystar is an action RPG that gives up precisely the action part to focus on the story, an element that, by itself, already compensates for the battle simplicity. Its audiovisual presentation also leaves nothing to be desired and captures very well the sensations and feelings transmitted throughout the plot. The game may not please fans of RPGs with more elaborate systems, but those who like more complex themes certainly can't let this opportunity slip away.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Crystar is an excellent story wedged between way too much repetitive and meaningless combat inside gorgeous yet long-winded dungeons. The non-stop button mashing fights add no value or depth to the story except for the simple reason to progress. Unfortunately, what initially started with a shocking plot and opening unfolded quickly into a tedious gaming experience.
Crystar’s gameplay can be a little lackluster at times, however the fascinating narrative does more than enough to keep you playing for hours on end! Some hit and miss combat mixed with a story filled with an interesting unpredictable direction makes for an enjoyable, but occasionally tedious experience!
It’s fair to say that there aren’t many emotionally driven games like Crystar on the market, and it excels in creating a heartfelt experience from start to finish. The battle mechanics and gameplay systems have been tailored well to keep in tune with the game's themes. For its relatively short duration, there is an admiral amount of content that will see the completionist looking to finish the memoirs of the dead. However, Crystar can feel really repetitive with its constant reuse of reskinned enemies and level designs which can be frustrating at times.
For those looking for a more mature story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Crystar is sure to satisfy that itch. Just be sure to line up some podcasts or streams to enjoy while playing.
Crystar is not a particularly brilliant JRPg, but it's a decent one, with a good story and interesting characters. It's a pity, then, that the dungeon design is very bland and the combat system feels boring after ten or so hours.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There’s some plots to be thickened around every corner, but the overwhelming combat system may discourage some players from picking up their Switch. UI isn’t the most convenient and the map is designed to intentionally drag to force more play hours. Combat feels too frequent and the depth of skills and item upgrade design is too much for an average gamer to handle, compared to the minimal changes in the end result. The game’s main plot has a concept of fairy tales falling into despair which may have its own niche fanbase. When the ending fades into the quote ‘Thank you for playing’, I felt like I didn’t leave anything behind which meant that the story was solid enough. If you started to play this game once, I'd recommend playing it until you see the true ending at the very end. Thankfully, the game devs have at least provided a small convenience in allowing skipping the entire first half of the story for multiple playthroughs attempts.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Despite the combat and gameplay becoming slightly monotonous if going for the platinum (due to a lot of grinding), CRYSTAR is a beautiful game which evokes a lot of emotions through its brilliant narrative and haunting Memoirs. Just when you think the game is over, you realise you’ve barely begun as you get whisked back to the start in order to build upon the experiences you had the first time and pick new paths to uncover a new narrative each time. This brilliant mechanic along with the memorable protagonists, absolutely superb voice acting, mesmerising music, and truly disturbing lost Memoirs of those you execute, all combine into an experience you shouldn’t miss if you love action RPG games with an emotional narrative and fantastical visuals.
Endless grind, very slow progression, and an abysmal battle system, are the major knocks against what would otherwise be an average experience. The story itself is unique, but hardly goes into depth instead relying far more on shock-value of events occurring rather than actual meaning. Unfortunate, really, as the plot serves up a huge potential for some interesting questions, or dialogue - things that are completely missing.