The New Classics #15: Crystar

 

The Backstory: Here’s a game that’s been around for a couple of years — yet alas, never on a piece of kit I own. The cover art alone had me sold, along with the mysterious and evocative title; so when Crystar popped up on the Switch, I pounced and secured a copy with no delay. And since I had been pinning for that game for so long, I proceeded to put it to the New Classics test as soon as the plastic was removed. 

 

 

The Game: My retinas became Crystar’s b*tches right from the first second of gameplay. These gorgeous colours! This dreamy atmosphere! Moar! At least the cover art is not lying (I’m looking at you, Cogen) and the in-game aesthetics are totally consistent with said cover. Then you have the striking in medias res story, which is bound to leave you heartbroken before the first half-hour is over. Not gonna spoil anything, but I get some strong Izanagi & Izanami vibes from that story, mixed with a whiff of Made in Abyss; and with such a slap-in-the-face start, I’m more than eager to make it to the last floor. 

 

 

Graphics and story are all well and nice, but a game lives and dies by its gameplay. And boy oh boy, is Crystar lively in that department. A delicious hack’n’slashy fighting system with automatic positioning and aiming? Now you really wanna make me hooked, game. How can I resist, when I like everything about you? Well I can, because I’m in a New Classics frenzy and plenty of other games are waiting.

 

 

The Verdict: No suspense whatsoever here, Crystar is here to stay. I haven’t felt such a massive and instant crush for a game for quite some time, and I’ll be more than happy to dive into Crystar again in due time. Thanks a lot for bringing that sparkling gem to the Switch, NIS America!