Nintendo
Crystalis

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
8.77
8.67
8.89
8.97
Votes: 92
Reviews: 4


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Reviewer: Whimsy Date: Dec 15, 2001
When this game was released, it was a day that the NES platform as a whole could have changed. Sadly, it never happened. When one thinks of underdog, they would think of this game, but due to bad marketing, hardly anyone thinks of this game at all.

Graphics: 10
For it's time, this game was among the very best. Smooth, flowing screens and nice animations aer what build this game up from a graphical point of view. Each item in the game has an image, and the menu is layed out efficiently, yet elegantly. The save and load buttons are also graphical.

Sound: 10
The music is definatly revolutionary! It's catchy, and has a great beat. The outside adventure music makes you feel like your out there. The cave music is nicely paced, and the music you hear near the elders gives you that essence.

Magic spells, such as flight and paralyssis, actually sound different. Swords have a disinct swing and stab sound, and their respective special abilities have fitting sounds. EG, the braclet of wind allows little hurricanes to fly out from your sword. The hurricanes make a windy sound that is befitting of the graphic.

Gameplay: 7
Full, 8-directions of smooth graphics. Enemies that attack intelligently later on. Telepathic magic that allows talking to animals. All this can be had in Crystalis. Why then did I rate gameplay a 7?

The clues are vague! At the second area, you are told that ""you are not strong enough to climb the mountain"". This mean that you must walk back to the first area with telepathy magic and talk toa rabbit. if you use any warping magic, you will not get to progress. So you gotta get there by foot.

Intresting little point to add. In some areas, there are holes that you can fall through, but they actually make sense where they go. They don't have a generic spot you fall to; you actually seem to fall to the lower level in a sensible spot.

Also, there are guys that can turn yu to stone. If you attack with your sword, and turn to stone, the enemies will get hurt by the frozen blade.

The bosses require a minimum level be reached by the main character. You can't get to the second area unless you are at least at level 3 if I recall, simply because the vampire will not take any damage unless you have that level. This can be awkward if you haven't saved.

Overall: 10
Plots are rare, and hard to build. This game has a great one that was crafted by the one good person at SNK. In this game, they managed to work out an intresting assortment of graphics, programming, and engineering. I really don't think anybody has ever used the NES's capibility so well. One thing that intrested me, however minor, was the way lightning can cover the entire screen, flash, change all the palettes, and not cause much slow down. Nerdy, I admit, but definatly a feat in itself.

No other game by SNK reached the levels that this game did. I seriously think they hit the development jackpot when they produced this game. Many romers circulate that SNK was incapible of producing a quality game; this game is the odd one out. T0o this day, I crave a sequal, however, I fear what a sequal would do to the game. I pulled my first all-nighter on this game. Oh, and be carful when you get to Goa; that first maze was why I had that all nighter.

 

Reviewer: Brad "Rock" Guerrie Date: Jul 5, 2001
SNK has made some of the most ground-breaking games in all genre, save of course sports games (Bows head in moment of silence) but the stands out even from thier outstanding record. Crystalis is an RPG worthy of the name that created Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting. Although I don't agree with the time line- the apocolyptic battle leading to the end of the world is in 1997 of course, but it happened at the King of Fighters tournament. Anyway, this has all the aspects of a great RPG. There are literally hundreds of actively involved characters adding to the diverse cast of this already huge game. The action of the game centers primarily around one un named character, the one you control. Speaking of control, this has some of the sharpest handling of any game on the NES console. It features an easy to learn and apply active combat and menu system, 8 directions of movement and more attack forms and spells than you can shake a Kyo clone at. Weapons are limited to just 4 swords, but through the use of special items, you can use new attacks with just the same 4 swords. The plot is almost overwhealming and it covers a huge land area, but through the use of a couple of spells you can comunicate over long distances and receive help at any time or return to any major location you've been to just as easy as you got lost. This is nothing short of an amazing game, SNK has truely taken full advantage of the NES's full potential, making for a game that's fun to play and can compete easily with other RPGs in the aspects of story and cast. This is a must play!

 

Reviewer: Eternal Angel(real name not needed) Date: Jun 21, 2001
I feel that Crystalis is one of the best games on the NES and can be compared to Legend of Zelda.You start out as a boy from the future who has been sent to stop an evil warlock.The most unique asset of this game is that you can find four different elemental swords.The swords can be upgraded by using orbs and rings. You can also use magic like Telepathy and Healing to aid you in your quest.

If you enjoy other games like Zelda i suggest you get this ustanding game from SNK.

 

Reviewer: Der Teufel Date: Jun 15, 2001
In my opinion, Crystalis is THE best game on the NES console. A top-down action-RPG for the avid gamer, this game is absolutely great. If you've played it, it most likely is in your top ten.

The makers, SNK, have been known for their game, Ikari Warriors, plus many others identical to that game. Though some may be reluctant to accept that SNK might also create an RPG, they are greatly mistaken. An impressive storyline (I am, by the way, aware that an apocalyptic war did not take place October 31, 1997), mixed with great gameplay ranks this game among the best. Having owned the original cart, I can tell you this: it is best if played WITHOUT a walkthrough. The only people who would underrate this game are those who have. It doesn't take a genious, however, to figure out what should be done. And if you ever get stuck, you can always use Telepathy to communicate with four wise men (three men, one woman). It is, without a doubt, a MUST download. what are you sitting around reading this for? Download it, now!