レビュー

• gamedeal user

  Apr 1, 2022

  This game is a gem, a real diamond in the rough. I had only played through a shard of this game in the game and got more enjoyment out just the *Demo* of this game than many games i've paid for. I do so wish the 60+ hours counted by steam that I spent in the demo alone for this game transferred with with my saves. If you love strategic JRPGS If you love Job Systems If you love managing your Party If you love adventuring. This is your game
• gamedeal user

  Apr 1, 2022

  I'm recommending it for a few things, a generous demo, demo progress that carries over to full game, and this is clearly a passion project with a lot of love put into it. As a whole though...I'm kind of "meh" on it so far. The classes...exist. Not many skills in the skill trees. It has a threat system but...it only matters in a boss. The tank - at least the one you start the game with - can only get the attention of one thing at a time. So unless you have three tanks and a heals, your squishies ARE getting hit in battles with more than one enemy. Functionally, the game is a dream. It runs smooth as silk, it looks gorgeous, the music is amazing. There is a LOT to love in this game. I just think certain things weren't really...as expanded on as I would have liked I guess. In the end, I am going to keep playing it, and I do suggest it even at full price. It just has some "meh" to start out with.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 1, 2022

  If you enjoy strategic JRPG combat, character customization, and open world games then you'll likely enjoy Crystal Project. If you play JRPGs primarily for story and character development then you'll probably find Crystal Project to be lacking. If you're on the fence then there's a generously lengthy demo available for download and your save file can carry over if you decide to buy the game.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 2, 2022

  Just outstanding. I've got Elden Ring, FF Origins SoP, and Tiny Tina's wonderland all started up on my PS5, but this is the game I can't seem to put down. "I'll just check over this last ledge and then go to bed", but inevitably that last ledge opens up into something new and unexpected every time. Positives: Scratches all the right spots for my favorite parts of JRPGs and metroidvania. Nice party management and job system. Detailed turn based combat with some clever ideas that require thought and strategy. For instance, with the threat mechanic, sometimes even something as simple as skipping a character's turn can turn the flow of a battle. Keeps battles engaging rather than just spamming my most powerful abilities like many turn based rpgs. Dropable and stealable items that matter, and a bestiary to help you keep track of them. There are a crazy number of secrets, and the game really rewards exploring and observation for small possible ledges that can lead to all sort of shenanigans. The game is HUGE. I think about 8 hours and 3 crystals in I finally reached the "Main" city with tutorials. Everything up to there (which honestly felt amazing and polished on it's own) was just trial and error to help you develop questions and enjoyment so that the tutorials would make sense and be engaging. So, don't get too overwhelmed with exploration early. It starts to make more sense and feel more structured as you progress and are able to unlock more maps. My only negative: Wishing that there were more fast travel options (can we get the option to travel between each save point please?). There are some quick travel options, and more as you progress and open up the giant map. But, given how much time it can take to parkour to some areas that are very close to each other but on different elevations, I'd love more of them. Definitely makes me feel less adventurous and less willing to see if I can find a way to hop out to the random chest I see nearby if I know that I'll have to spend 5 minutes jumping back up to where I am even if I do make it. Finally: This beauty was made by ONE person. Just one guy who loved the genres and made a beautiful little gem that I can't stop playing. So, thank you to him, and hopefully this masterpiece gets the recognition and success it deserves.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 3, 2022

  I'm going to give this game a positive review because I do genuinely enjoy the game and I don't want my criticisms to affect anyone potentially interested in the game. It was clearly made with a lot of care, and the work on it's jobs and world are absolutely phenomenal. This game is a steal at $14.

  BUT

  There are some issues with it's balancing and it can be easy to become fatigued by it's exploration design. It is very similar to another 'really' good game called CrossCode, but to narrowly explain the problem: A lot of the paths you have to take are not designed in a way that allow you to simply walk to them. You must get used to the platforming elements. Every bit of the exploration in this game is platforming. If you are just an overworld-havin' JRPG fan then this can very much become tiresome for some people, and the lack of fast travel options can exacerbate this issue. I have a thread on it here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1637730/discussions/0/3276939184060618530/ Another issue that I've run into thus far is some issues with item balancing and the ability to heal in the world. There is no tent item in this game, and you cannot heal at save points from what I can tell. You can only use inns to heal to full which causes EVEN MORE backtracking for something that should be an item in the game. I also think that HP/MP healing items are way too expensive, too weak, or a combination of both. Money drops are way too low in this game for how expensive the gear is. By the time you finish some of the major zones you're already needing to replace your previous gear with something 2 tiers higher than what you had before and the entire loop of getting enough money or grinding it out in this game is made worse by how ineffective healing in the field can be. This game is just tedious sometimes in an extremely unfortunate way. I'm enjoying my experience with it, but I could honestly be enjoying it so much more with just a few QoL features and item/gold/shop rebalancing.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 3, 2022

  It's like a kid had a dream game in his head, played JRPGs for 30 years and then just made a game with all the garbage stuff cut out. He then put it in a non-linear world with SHOCKINGLY good level design and an extremely strong emphasis on exploration and told you to just go and find your fun. While it doesn't innovate much beyond its unique fusion of the best that the genre has to offer with level design that blows the games it takes inspiration from out of the water, it absolutely delivers on everything that it needs to. $13.99 for one of the best classic JRPG experiences out there is a deal that just cannot be ignored.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 10, 2022

  This game is quite the experience. I've almost 100%'d the game with about 80 hours put into it, and now I'm feeling rather sad about that. For one, it's probably the first JRPG in a long time where I felt that I was actually exploring in the overworld, not just walking on a pretty static background. The platforming may be grating to some people, and it took some time for me to get used to it, but I think it really adds to the exploration feel of the game. There are a few jumps in the critical path that should be adjusted, though, but I trust the developer will get to addressing those in time. No loading screens anywhere outside of loading a save file is a nice touch too. The combat has consistently kept me on my toes for the whole game. The threat system and the ability to see your enemy's skill list and next upcoming action heavily rewards counter/preventative tactics rather than the reactive gameplay that I'd utilize in the majority of other traditional turn-based games. Status effects are extremely useful and not prone to RNG like most other games, like how Blind guarantees that all physical attacks used by an enemy during their next turn will miss, which means it's one turn where you don't need to worry about healing whichever party member they're targeting (or an extra turn to do so). Landing those status effects is usually guaranteed chance, though some like Sleep have a once per battle limitation. The vast majority of enemies do not have status immunities of any sort, so all status effects are just as effective on enemy encounters as they are against the party, a concept that is almost unheard of in most JRPGs. Granted, late game enemies seem very deadly, and this doesn't change after you reach the level cap. There is no out-leveling the endgame here. From what I've observed, if you are unable to one-round an endgame regular encounter, the balance seems to assume that you have a source of attack/magic down on the enemy or defense buffs on your party. Some say this makes the late combat very deadly and swingy, but at the same time hitting the level cap right as you reach the endgame also means you aren't really supposed to try to murderhobo everything you see past that point (nor is there much of an incentive to, beyond looking for gold or grinding up job levels, the latter of which can be done against much easier enemies specifically for that purpose earlier in the game). Most encounters are avoidable, and you are a party of regular ass explorers, not some chosen ones with an excuse to kill something. I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the expectations of this game's endgame balance at first since I couldn't just steamroll everything just because I was max level, but I've since reconciled with the idea that this actually contributes heavily to the game's overall exploration feel too. Granted, there are some things off with the game's balance, particularly how certain tools are locked to very specific class setups, but I imagine the developer will address those with time. The soundtrack is phenomenal. They're all apparently royalty free music that's properly attributed to their creators, and the collection within this game matches each environment and situation perfectly. I find myself frequently going into the game's archive function just to listen to them. The story kind of barely exists, and the developer has been openly saying that if what you value is an epic plot above all else, this game probably isn't for you. It's really more for the gameplay > story crowd. There are a few things that could still be improved in regards to the overall progression and writing, though. Expect to get lost at times, only to find another means to progress at a different part of the game world. All in all, this game is definitely worth much more than its low price. At the very least, I can guarantee there's no other JRPG like it as of the time this review was written. What a crazy adventure this game has been.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 22, 2022

  I haven't had fun like this in 20 years. All it needs is a .txt walkthrough with ascii art and I will be teleported back to the days before pain.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 24, 2022

  A really incredible, and charming RPG. Inspired by Final Fantasy with an original mix of platforming, and "minecraft" inspired aesthetic Crystal Project offers a unique experience that can't be found anywhere else. The core game play is inspired by "job systems" from JRPG's. This is one of the best systems a turned based game can employ due to the amount of customization, and flexibility that is offered both during the early and end game experience. With that being said this game is brutal. The difficulty can be incredibly unforgiving which isn't necessary a pro, or a con. Thankfully it offers three difficulty settings so your not locked into a "get good" situation. Dying isn't really punishing which is a great thing considering how difficult some battles can be, or how easy it can be to stumble across a difficult enemy by accident. Exploration is something that will be enjoyed, or hated depending on the type of gamer you are. If you despise games that provide little sense of direction then encourages you to "go be free EXPLORE LITTLE BIRD EXPLORE!!!" then you are going to enjoy this. Although if you prefer to have a strong sense of direction because you despise getting lost, or losing time trying to figure out where to go then this game might not be for you. With that being said even as someone who would rather engage in the RPG battle aspect of Crystal Project over the exploration aspect I think they handled both fairly well. I'm excited to see what more this game has to offer as I dump more hours into it. First impressions have been decent. You should know within the first two hours if this game is one you will enjoy - so don't hesitate to try it out. I'm not a big fan of platforming in general for really any game. Even though Crystal Project employs a fair amount of platforming I don't find it to be enough to ruin the experience even as someone that isn't super into of those types of mechanics. Although if you are enticed by the concept of platforming mixed with a JRPG format then this game is definitely for you.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 26, 2022

  This game is an absolute masterpiece. It implements everything I love about JRPGs and gets rid of the stuff I don't. FIRST OFF: Exploration! The movement is incredibly fun, and every progression along movement tech opens up a surprising amount of new areas to explore, or new ways to explore the areas you've already been to. The way the map opens up is genius, and the way you find new ways to explore previous areas makes backtracking a rewarding adventure rather than a tedious slog. It's very Metroidvania-like in that regard. The treasure you find is generally really good and appropriate for the progression point you're at. I found myself excited to get most of the treasures I found, and had ways to immediately put them to use. SECONDLY: Movement! I know it's subjective, and I understand people who say they don't like the platforming; but for me, the movement is absolutely glorious. The platforming puzzles are both interesting and engaging, and I did not find the isometric perspective to be the hindrance that other people seem to. (Pro-tip: you can rotate the camera ~15 degrees in either direction to get a better idea of where things lie in relation to your position.) THIRD-MOST: Classes/combat! The job system of the classes is fantastic. Warning: If you don't like job systems, you will not like this game. The vast majority of the combat from mid- to late-game will require you to do heavy experimentation with your classes, passives, and equipment. You will constantly be trying new combinations to see what works for a particular area or boss. Within every fight, very little is hidden from you - the creator provides you with a wealth of information such as turn order, stats, enemy abilities + descriptions, status effects + descriptions, exact damage numbers, etc. The combat reminds me very, very much of Slay the Spire, which is an incredibly good thing and a very interesting and welcome addition to a JRPG. I really hope more games follow suit on this. I see a lot of people are saying that the game lacks balance, but I did not experience this. There were undoubtedly some frustrating encounters for me, but they *always* boiled down to me being stubborn and/or not thinking outside of the box with my party composition. It also took me awhile to realize I needed to treat regular mobs like the threats they are - if you mash A through a fight from mid-game onward. you're going to have a bad time. I also see a lot of people saying that many encounters require one hyper-specialized build to win. I imagine it is frustrating for the creator to read some of these comments, because it's obvious an absurd amount of care was put into making the fights legitimately challenging without pigeonholing you into "the one way to win". It is true that many encounters require you to change up your current setup - the same party composition will certainly *not* be viable in every section of the game - but every encounter has several ways to approach it if you think creatively about your class abilities, passives, and equipment combinations in relation to the enemies you're facing. Don't believe me? Watch some streams or Let's Plays and see the incredible variety of strategies people use to win the same encounters. I deem this claim objectively false. FOURTHEST: Difficulty! I played on Hard mode, and it lived up to the name, especially late-game. There is a point where your level doesn't mean much, and it's all about the classes and equipment you choose. There are so many awesome combinations of abilities, and the equipment can really take builds to a whole new level. I've come up with some *very* interesting parties, some of which are incredibly broken (but still fun as heck). I will repeat again: this game requires heavy experimentation - you cannot expect to beat this game, especially on Hard mode, with the same party the entire time. Different areas/bosses require different strategies, which is one of the biggest strengths of the game. FIFTH OFFMOSTESTLY: Complaints! My biggest gripe about this game is the LP grind. LP is what you use to unlock abilities for the classes you have, and it's a bit disappointing that you have to grind out LP to make classes usable, especially considering how grind-free the rest of the game is. It's a bit tedious, and while I know there are ways to speed this up a little bit, I still ended up spending a good 8-10 hours total grinding. Considering I have well over 100 hours into the game, this isn't a huge deal, but I think I would have started experimenting with classes a lot sooner had I had more access to said classes right off the bat. My other chief complaint is the relative lack of story. I actually really liked the way the story was loosely and sparsely scattered throughout, really encouraging exploration over goal seeking, but in the end the story just felt a little too thin. I get that this was by design and I appreciate what the creator was going for, but I think they went a bit too far with it. SUMMARY: An incredible game with very few flaws, and the ones it has are minor in comparison. There is so much more good than bad here. The movement and exploration is world class tier - I don't know if there is any RPG that even comes close in my eyes. The combat, enemy design, equipment, and classes are all fascinating and guarantee many hours of engagement. I'm a huge JRPG fan, and this shocks me even as I type it, but this game has catapulted to be one of my top 5 favorite JRPGs of all time. What an amazing and memorable experience. The fact that is was made chiefly by 1 person absolutely blows my mind, and I hope they continue to create world-class games like this one. I give it one of the highest ratings I've ever given a game: 9.5/10. Incredible depth, very little bloat, tons of strategy. If you love JRPG mechanics but hate the too-frequent "grind levels then mash A to win" style of many of them, this is an absolute must-play.