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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.

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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.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. You can also follow my personal adventures on Bluesky.
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6 comments Subscribe

s01itude 31 May 2022
I 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!
TheSHEEEP 31 May 2022
  • Supporter Plus
Players 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
TodC 31 May 2022
I 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.
No 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.
Theodis 1 Jun 2022
I love the game but the combat difficulty scales up a lot as you progress and it's not something you can overlevel to compensate for. The game expects very specific tactics and it can get draining when every encounter is a serious threat.

But I hear there is a rebalance effort underway to address this.
Pendragon 7 Jun 2022
been playing the demo.. it's a good time sofar ! thanks for the headsup
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