Crystal Project

good game

According to the Oxford dictionary, the term "adventure" is a noun defined as "an unusual, exciting or dangerous experience, journey or series of events", as well as "excitement and the willingness to take risks, try new ideas, etc." Crystal Project is an excellent example of adventure, both countable and uncountable, and by far one of the most profoundly engaging games I've played in a long time. The story is nothing but garnish on the dish: it is there, it will flavor your experience here and there, but will only add to the adventure rather than dictate it. You will not play this game for an amazing or interesting story that will keep you coming back. Your journey is the story, instead. What you do is what matters whether it is exploring, finding crystals, creating the strongest 4-person party, something else or all of the above. The real meat and potatoes of this figurative dish is the world you inhabit. The world you are navigating is varied, wide and tall. Very tall and almost effectively as deep. Do be warned if you have a fear of heights, because this game will provoke that fear often. A fear of heights will especially be a problem, as most of the game is explored by platforming and similar means, which can take you pretty high up. That said, the camera or an atmospheric fog may abate this issue slightly if you have a severe or moderate fear of heights. With that aside, there's a lot to find and explore and discover. From start to finish I was doing all three of these things and then some. You don't usually enter a new area with its map going in, so finding that is always a top priority. Exploring the region leads you to monsters and loot and maybe a nice view, or somewhere to rest and someone to meet. In the meantime, you may also discover a new way to get around or the entrance to a dungeon, a new zone, or even a crystal. There are shortcuts, roundabouts, connections between areas that you wouldn't expect, secret zones and dungeons, and so, so much more. Nothing I could tell you (without spoilers) would do it justice. There's a whole world out there that is begging to be explored and will reward you for doing so. That's the whole point of the game: to have an adventure. While you're out there exploring and adventuring, the music will be with you. The soundtrack is immaculately optimistic, sometimes wistful, and other times ominous or otherwise fitting for wherever you've ended up. I haven't found a single odd or grating track throughout my entire time playing. They all transition seamlessly throughout the various areas and zones all around the world; which is also the only thing even remotely reminiscent of a loading screen in the entire game. There are no load zones. Everything is practically seamless. Combat is a standard turn-based setup reminiscent of Final Fantasy, as is the class system similar to Final Fantasy 5. Each class has a skill tree that unlocks skills and equippable passives and you can even "equip" two different classes as a primary and secondary combat command list. Threat is another combat feature that you'll have to juggle, as it dictates how monsters interact with your party. Whichever party member has their attention will take the brunt of their attacks. Classes such as Warrior can handle this, but damage and healing also affect threat. Casting takes time, too, so timing plays a part of combat as well. The turn order, thankfully, is always displayed at the bottom of the screen during combat. Now with most of my glazing out of the way, it wasn't all perfect all the way to the finish line. There are no "cheap" or "trash" monster encounters ever. Every single enemy, unless you massively out-level them, is not mindlessly easy to fight. If you aren't careful or prepared, you can wipe out in the field without a boss monster in sight. Going into this game blind (as you should), left me unaware of this for a while. This fact got me tripped up multiple times and resulted in party wipes that set me back a lot of time. Mostly in travel and money. Stay ready and prepared. Boss monsters are also challenging, even on Normal difficulty. They will always test your party and your skill no matter the level, and sometimes they require minor or major party overhauls to defeat them. There's always a way to defeat a boss, but it may require some extra time, effort, thinking, or all of the above based on what you've got. Maybe you'll have to simply come back later. Maybe you need a specific item, spell or game plan. Either way, you'll have to figure them out. With every crystal you get, the more options you'll have to complete the puzzle. I most certainly struggled when there was a tangible increase in difficulty after reaching a central place (you'll have to find out where and what that is). Discovering new items and resources eased the strain and getting familiar with new places made it easier to dodge or avoid enemies until I was more ready. Beware the lightness of your wallet if you decide to rest often, which you likely will. It's a vicious cycle, but it helps you continue to explore more and more. It gets even easier to explore once you uncover better and more convenient ways to get around, but it never goes as far as modern fast travel. You wouldn't be able to have an adventure if you teleported to any and every place you've ever been! My struggles with the game only made achieving progress and discovery even better than they would've been alone. Crystal Project is an amazing experience that emphasizes adventure and exploration in ways that other RPGs simply do not. It is rare to find an adventure that lets you go any which way and discover something new or interesting on your own terms. By your own hands you will have an adventure. On your own terms you obtain every last bit of progress you want. If you cannot afford the full price tag, at the very least try out the generous demo. Any save game you have in the demo can also transfer over to the full game. The single developer deserves all the support they can get for making such a unique game. I highly recommend Crystal Project so damn much despite its flaws. Try it.