Crystal Project

I love this game's battle system, as it gives more possibilities to the more melee based classes and the skill tree system is fantastic. However, I cannot suggest anybody to play this game simply because the navigation and finding out where you need to go is awful. It took me 12 hours to get into the trial blocked by a 3 crystal requirement simply because FINDING the last area I need to go was hard to find. To solve this problem, there are two solutions. a), you make the game more open world, allowing multiple options of what you want to do at any given time, or b), give more specific directions for the player. Sure, we get story related cutscenes here and there, but nothing that points the player in any direction.

not fun

It's a metroidvania disguised as a JRPG. Solid tactics-based combat, really fun world to explore, and excellent soundtrack!

This is a 10/10 game for me. - Exploration of a large, open, voxel-based world with progression gated behind finding mounts that open up access to other parts of the map. - Classes/jobs unlock via finding crystals in the world. - Classic turn-based combat with full information of enemy attacks & targets. - The party building has enough depth to it that makes finding strong job/ability combos very fun and rewarding. - Built-in randomizer settings to make replays feel fresh and fun. - Great music - Great variety of colorful and immersive locations. - Virtually no story/cutscenes/dialogue outside of brief NPC interactions. The game doesn't get in your way. I'm here for an adventure, not a story! I cannot recommend this game enough.

非常有趣的游戏！探索带来的冒险感很足，游戏中的的各个地点很好的连接在了一起，随着不断得到新的坐骑，你的探索范围越来越大，直到走遍世界的每个角落，发现水晶，挑战可选boss；战斗方面主副职业及被动技能搭配很讲究，boss战非常紧张刺激， 困难模式下游玩更佳 缺点一是剧情方面单薄，不过游戏重点本来就不在剧情上，我在忙着探索地图呢，管他啥剧情^^；二是黄金昆塔龙坐骑的培育实在太困难，就算是现在版本可以跳过竞速游戏，也还是太繁琐了；不过瑕不掩瑜，游戏中99%的地方不需要黄金昆塔尔也能抵达 游戏非常耐玩，之前通关过两次了，因为近期有水晶计划2的消息，于是再打一遍，每次都是这么有趣~强烈推荐

It's called crystal project because it gets FFV players hooked

Short version: This is a game for people who like to adventure, explore without a script, and test their ability to overcome challenges. If that's not your kind of game, you won't enjoy it. If it is, you're in for an absolute treat. Long version: The opening question of the game is not a trick question: "Which are you here for, hunting crystals, or adventure?" It's a genuine query into why you're playing the game, and it helps YOU decide well before the 2-hour refund window whether this game is going to be for you or not. Because the answer the game and developer want you to pick, the one that will indicate this game is actually for you, is if you would naturally pick Adventure. Crystal Project is an RPG-Maker turn based combat game with a very limited plot, whose entire draw is filling in the blank corners of the map and taking on various challenges it contains. Most of it has tangible rewards, but the rewards of exploration and discovery are there as well. The game has three loose stages. Stage 1, find as many crystals as you can because they unlock new character classes for you to experiment with. Stage 2, mix and match classes until you find a 4-party / 8-class combination that suits your playstyle and preferences. Stage 3: Unlock new traversal options and Take on the world - and maybe some things from beyond the world too. While you're traveling, exploring and collecting, a plot is happening in the world around you: The Grandmaster of this world where no one can truly be killed and every adventurer respawns at crystals on death, is getting tired of people not doing enough crystal hunting for their liking. But why do they get annoyed at the lack of crystal seeking? What are they really after? And what are these hints of something more sinister going on? However, the plot isn't really about you, it's about the people and world around you - much like a Souls game, you have to add the pieces together yourself from dialogue bits and visual storytelling in the dark corners of the world. Once you jump off the plot rails though, the world opens up dramatically. This is a game where there is ZERO shame in looking up guides, references, how-to's and asking for advice. The sense of discovery from figuring it all yourself is YMMV, but the guides give a lot of time-saving if you want to skip the trial and error to get to the main events sooner. And there's a LOT of good stuff in those main events. Turn based combat with an initiative bar that lets you see well ahead in the fight and you can know in advance what your opponent's moves are going to be. A unique setup of not allowing items in combat (with one exception) so that the game can be balanced properly without having to compensate for item spam. Challenging secret bosses that will crush you three to ten times before you figure out the best ways to handle them even when you're level-appropriate. And once you beat the game, there are NG+ options for you to toy with in turn if you're not done with all that you want to see and do here. It's an absolute blast, and you'll likely find yourself changing up class combinations for different challenges and scenarios as well so the gameplay never gets too repetitive unless you're VERY stubborn about keeping specific loadouts. There are flaws, of course, no game is perfect. In particular, Andrew Williams is a little TOO much of a classic FF7 fan, in that the main mount in the game has a "race and interbreed to make a golden supermount" side mission that makes travel and exploration EXPONENTIALLY easier in exchange for the time/money investment, just like the Golden Chocobo (thankfully there's less grind/repetition required, but it can still feel tedious). And the secret final boss has a mechanic that invalidates a lot of strategies that the player has learned to be effective everywhere else, and even come to depend on by the end of the game. But that's where guides and advice come in VERY handy to fill the gap. There's also a lot left open-ended after the finale that's up to player interpretation, which fits the theme of adventure but leaves a lot of questions unanswered that a few choice pieces of dialogue here and there could have fixed with minimal effort. But even with those blemishes souring the end stages of the game, I still had a great deal of fun, and I did get the feeling of being on an adventure that Williams intended this game to evoke. I'm happy to have spent my time on Crystal Project, but for me this is a "play once to completion and done"; I won't be using the NG+ features or restarting for another round. If my review has swayed you, then may your adventure through the land of Sequoia be a satisfying one in turn. Regardless of whether or not you find more replay value than I did, playing through once is absolutely worth your time and money.