Crystal Story: Dawn of Dusk (Indie Review)
Crystal Story is redefining what it means to be a retro RPG!
Or at least that’s what I’d like to say… I am admittedly feeling mixed about this game, but first, a little explanation.
You know when you see a game on Steam, and it makes you go, “Oh damn! I gotta play that?” That’s Crystal Story: Dawn of Dusk. Released January 12th, the game is a short adventure inspired by classic Zelda and Earthbound — with a bit of Final Fantasy thrown in for good measure.
The story begins several millennia ago in the world of Dawnside. It was a time when knights and kings ruled the land. One day, it was discovered — a lone floating fortress in the sky and a crystal whose very power drew all with knowledge of it. Its profound power is the ability to grant any wish one desires.
Jumping forward in time, we take control of Mina, a young girl with the metaphysical ability to control fire. It’s been four years since Mina’s brother went missing, and birthdays have gotten tough for everyone. Mina’s cousin Claude offers to take Mina on a camping trip to cheer her up. Unfortunately, things go awry when a bizarre monster appears, pulling Mina into a dream-like world called the Duskside. Here in the Duskside, Mina learns of an ancient evil — Termina, that threatens to destroy the world, prompting the start of Mina’s adventure.
Overall, I like this game in theory. How the story presents itself is epic and reminiscent of early Zelda titles. In particular, the lore dump that punctuates the game’s ending feels right out of Ocarina of Time in terms of its grandiosity. Similarly, Crystal Story takes a very Zelda-like approach to its core gameplay, which pays off for the most part. Puzzles focus more on learning the potential of abilities and rewarding observation. However, there is a tendency to hold the player’s hand occasionally. A feature that is thankfully optional to an extent.
Where Crystal Story becomes rather interesting is how it handles its boss encounters. On the surface, boss fights are turn-based in a style reminiscent of Earthbound. Only when the player acts does Crystal Story truly reveal its battle system’s genius.
The only way to deal consistent damage in boss fights is to rely on Mina’s pyromantic abilities, which the game calls ‘Arts.’ To perform Arts, Mina must engage in a charge sequence. Surprisingly, these sequences take the form of miniature dungeon puzzles. These scaled-down puzzles have a time limit, forcing players to think quickly. Each puzzle sequence also hosts various dungeon-related enemies, encouraging skillful play and reinforcing previously established mechanics. Boss attacks, too, have this level of dynamism. When a boss attacks, the player can dodge or counter the attack, assuming they have the reflexes and mechanical know-how.
Overall, boss fights are incredibly engaging and remind me a lot of the combat in Toby Fox’s Undertale. The time limit and hazards the monsters provide in this sequence make fights feel engaging and hectic. Having a chance to perfect a boss is super rewarding, potentially leaving the door open for no-hit runs. Honestly, it’s just a great concept.
Unfortunately, this is where my praise for the Crystal Story concludes.
To ease into things, I’ll start with a minor issue — Y sorting. Y sorting, in simple terms, is the layering of sprites within the game space. In Crystal Story, it’s somewhat inconsistent. Typically, you’d want a character approaching from the bottom of an object to take priority and a character from the top not to take priority or, in some cases, bump up against the top of an object. Y sorting lends to the physicality of objects, but poor Y sorting, on the other hand, makes a game feel unpolished.
I’ve seen a few reports of players experiencing a slew of bugs while playing. In my playthrough, I didn’t encounter any bugs, apart from the introductory cutscene occasionally not playing on start-up.
Now for my main issue — and why Crystal Story leaves me with such mixed feelings — the run-time.
The run-time of Crystal Story: Dawn of Dusk is three hours. On its own, a short run-time is not an issue — at least for me. One of my favourite games, If Found, only has an average run-time of two hours. Both cost similar amounts — Crystal Story at 19.49 CAD and If Found at 17.49 CAD — so that isn’t an issue either.
Oddly enough, my issue with Crystal Story — and why I have such mixed feelings — is down to advertising. You see, Crystal Story is actually episodic.
Now, I can’t say the game misleads you — scrolling down to the bottom of the store page reveals it will be episodic — but the game also isn’t exactly called Crystal Story Ep. 1: Dawn of Dusk. It’s something, I feel, developer Fred Brown should be advertising more. If you look at previous episodic titles like The Walking Dead or Life is Strange, there wasn’t much of an issue with the release strategy due in part to advertising. Looking at Steam Reviews, it’s clear this is the core issue players are having. Unless you’re in the know, it’s not instantly apparent — leading to many consumers (myself included) feeling misled.
Currently, the game only covers two dungeons — with the first serving as a gameplay tutorial. As I’ve made clear, I like what’s here. The core issue really is the poor advertising. The game’s ending — as it stands now — is a fantastic lore dump not unlike the one the Great Deku Tree gave to Link at the beginning of Ocarina of Time. Unfortunately, instead of a grand adventure, we’re rewarded with a credit scene — and an exit to the desktop.
