Do you love classic JRPGs? Final Fantasy? Or anything like it? Well, Crystal Project released recently from developer Andrew Willman and it's quite wonderful.
It arrived on Steam back at the end of March, which somehow I missed actually covering even though I have been playing it and enjoying it thoroughly. Bringing back fond memories of playing through some classics on Game Boy Advance it really does scratch the itch for some adventuring and exploration. Seems most players on Steam agree too, with it seeing a Very Positive rating and the developer has a Native Linux build too that seems to work to perfection.
There's two things that really pull you in with Crystal Project. The first being the graphics with it mixing in flat-looking pixel characters in a 3D world that resembles Minecraft / Minecraft Dungeons in the presentation. Then there's the non-linear nature to it, as you're free to explore at your own pace and do what you want.
Direct Link
Game Features:
- No random encounters!
- Manage Threat to control which party member a monster will attack.
- No hidden information. Preview turn order, damage, and probabilities like in TRPGs.
- Discover and unlock new classes.
- Assign sub-classes, pick passive abilities, and equip all kinds of special items.
- Invent unique team compositions, or stick to the MMORPG Holy Trinity.
- No permanent missables!
- Seamless transitions between zones with no loading screens anywhere.
- Uncover the mysteries of the world all on your own.
- Metroidvania-style progression.
- No invisible walls! Try to jump and climb anywhere you want.
- Overcome platforming challenges to discover neat loot... and other stuff.
It's also Steam Deck Verified with the Native Linux version of the game. Absolutely delightful.
You can buy Crystal Project on Steam.
Players should know that they will need to enjoy platforming as well to enjoy this game though!
Quoting: s01itudePlayers should know that they will need to enjoy platforming as well to enjoy this game though!The store page literally has the three last elements Liam wrote in this article, under a big banner saying "platforming".
Any player who buys this without expecting platforming only has themselves to blame.
Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 31 May 2022 at 12:04 pm UTC
Quoting: s01itudeI found the amount of platforming to be incredibly off-putting personally. I think games like this have a place for sure and many people would enjoy the blend, but a lot of game media is blowing it up purely off the similarities it has to oldschool square/enix Rpgs.
Players should know that they will need to enjoy platforming as well to enjoy this game though!
Thank you so much for posting this. Saves me time looking up stuff about this game. I love RPGs but I hate platformers, so I really appreciate this.
QuoteNo random encounters!
No permanent missables!
Seamless transitions between zones with no loading screens anywhere.
No invisible walls! Try to jump and climb anywhere you want.
Ooh, nice. Someone knows the things that annoy me.
But I hear there is a rebalance effort underway to address this.
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