Crimson Shroud

The attention to detail, the personality, the tiny touches; this feels like a game that someone loved making, and you'll love playing it as a result.

What it may lack in terms of presentation, Crimson Shroud more than makes up for in the narrative department, soundtrack, and the originality of its battle system (at least for a video-game RPG).

As an RPG that digs into the table-top history of the genre, Crimson Shroud is both a great deal of fun and an artistic triumph.

If you don't enjoy experimental games or those that refuse to handhold, or if you simply have no interest in the tabletop roots of RPGs, forget about it. Crimson Shroud's unique concept and esoteric execution make it a perfect match for my RPG desires, however, and one of my favorites of 2012.

A cult gem in the making. [March 2013, p.87]

The unusual style, the well-staged story, a fantastic soundtrack and challenging gameplay assemble to a great Crimson Shroud that may have its flaws but all the more strong points.

Crimson Shroud is a short but sweet burst of JRPG that the 3DS is surprisingly short on these days.

Thankfully, despite having systems upon systems upon systems, the game really isn't as complex as the string of tutorials at the beginning would have you believe. I was overwhelmed at first but, after some practice and going over the in-game tips, the battles become second nature.

The Crimson Shroud is a game that's completely comfortable to be exactly what it is: an extremely hard, dense celebration of what makes tabletop RPGs so fun. There are gameplay issues that will aggravate some, but any gamer who's spent a Friday night rolling dice will be more than willing to forgive them.

If you enjoy either RPGs or table top games then you should definitely check out Crimson Shroud on the 3DS.

If you like classic RPGs and, most important, reading, Crimson Shroud will be your thing.

It’s not the longest game, but it tells a decent yarn and has a pretty good hook to the combat. Sure, there’s a chance that you, too, might spend five (FIVE!) hours searching for a stupid item, but aside from that and some niggly presentational bits, it’s definitely an enjoyable game.

Crimson Shroud is a love letter to the origins of the RPG genre that acknowledges how important a well told story is for this kind of game.

First original project from Yasumi Matsuno since Final Fantasy XII, Crimson Shroud fits perfectly with its universe. At the core of a world in decay, the story relates the adventure of a group of adventurers known as Chasers. They ought to bring back a special items, the Crimson Shroud, lost in a complex mess of corridors and dungeons. But their first task is to survive. Very dangerous enemies have to be beaten with an intelligent system of luck determined attacks : in order to receive bonuses the player can use dices. A great idea which give Crimson Shroud a lovely board game's aspect. Tough and challenging, Crimson Shroud is a new form of T-RPG who worth more than a simple glance.

Full of pathos, well orchestrated and absolutely epic (but at the same time cryptic), Crimson Shroud will attract its target audience, keeping away all other types of gamers.

A niche little gem, not to miss if you're a fan of the old role-playing style, but just a tad too slow JRPG for all the others. You might want to try it before proceeding to the download.

It's a masterfully constructed piece of tabletop theatre, whose spell is only broken once, as we were delayed for over an hour by some key loot that took over a dozen attempts to drop. Many won't make it past this preposterous roadblock, but those who persevere to the bitter end will be heartily glad they did.

For lovers of RPGs, [it's] close to essential. It's much more than a reminder of where they came from; it's a welcome - and long overdue - reminder of one of the genre's strongest voices.

Although there are a number of hang-ups, and the audience is decidedly niche, Crimson Shroud is an incredibly unique game that will satisfy table-top fans everywhere. While I didn't get into the story as much as Matsuno probably hoped I would, I had a great time hanging out with Giauque and crew in this incredibly well-crafted RPG.

Crimson Shroud takes the RPG formula and boils it down to its essence. The story reads like a novel, the characters are tabletop miniatures, and instead of exploring dungeons, you select areas from a map to enter and roll dice during combat. It's a blessing for old-school RPG fans who love managing statistics, but it also showcases why some old RPG mechanics have been abandoned.

With patience and persistence, this nostalgic electronic journey through unplugged gaming's past is a stirring romp that'll undoubtedly rekindle deep rooted passions for tabletop adventure.

Crimson Shroud is one for the hardened RPG players. The fighting system is good and the story is quite interesting, but sometimes hard to grasp. Add a great fighting system to it and you have a RPG you can enjoy for a long time.

Yasumi Matsuno and Level-5 crafted a little RPG gem, but the great amount of text and the slow pace prevent us from recommending it to everyone.

Crimson Shroud is one of the most finely crafted games available on the Nintendo 3DS, though the tabletop setting may prove difficult for some to engage with.

Crimson Shroud is too slow and short for the amount of goals it tries to accomplish. Static visuals and tons of texts may turn casual players down but writing is brilliant and the dice system is neat.

Crimson Shroud is an easy game to recommend for those into Dungeons and Dragons or with an affinity towar

Such an old school role-player that most of its influences predate video games, and although an acquired taste it's clearly a refined one as well.

I think it's fair to say that it's an acquired taste. Most people will know whether or not like they like it from the first moment that they get a good look at the art, which is extremely rough. Crimson Shroud really isn't interested in fancy pyrotechnics or other frills. Its storytelling, combat, and exploration are about as raw as it gets.

It's a unique and breezy endeavor, but one with plenty of aggravation along the way.

Crimson Shroud is clearly Matsuno's labor of love, but it's a shame so many of its features failed in execution and proved more annoying in practice.