Cris Tales

It's a shame that Cris Tales' design held promise for something grander and although it tries to do something innovative with the combat and the implications of our decisions, the end result leaves the impression of a somewhat lite version of its best influences. Maybe we'll get there on their next game.

Taking 25 hours or so to complete, Cris Tales isn’t exactly short, but it often points to a larger world and more consequential choices than it really has to offer. The world feels small and only seems to get smaller as you get near the end and revisit past areas. It’s an absolutely beautiful game with interesting mechanics and some fun characters, but it doesn’t fully flesh out the expectations it initially sets.

Cris Tales has a top-notch art style and an eclectic cast of characters that all players will come to love. Pairing that with time manipulation mechanics and a beloved genre, Cris Tales could have been one of the better games to come out of 2021. Unfortunately, a lack of diverse enemy types, standard combat, and some questionable difficulty progression outweigh the highest highs, making Cris Tales feel too out of place alongside its cohorts.

Cris Tales is an enjoyable experience if you go into it with the right expectations. It's an easygoing ride through a colorful world that, while somewhat uneven & unpolished, is a comfy & familiar adventure. The interesting time mechanics that help the game stand out unfortunately never realize their full potential, and the storyline falls a bit rote, but my experience with Crisbell and company was still a pleasant one.

Cris Tales tells a charming JRPG tale in a gorgeous and weird world, but it's hobbled by incredibly monotonous combat. Its battles undoubtedly overstay their welcome, but this unique odyssey still manages to shine through them a bit thanks to its style, characters, and the inspired (non-combat) time travel mechanics that make it so memorable.

A loving tribute to the past and present of Japanese role-players, with some impressively clever time travel powers and gorgeous artwork – although it’s a shame about the random battles.

With its graphics and its turn-based gameplay, Cris Tales is very attractive, especially since it is enhanced by an appreciable soundtrack with various tracks. The dubbing in VO is also of good quality, even if it sometimes tends to break the rhythm a bit. It's a pity that the animations are a bit stiff and that the software suffers from some lags during the fights. The latter, although pleasant, are also a bit too easy and frequent, giving a feeling of exaggerated repetitiveness. On the other hand, the title has a good lifespan. The presence of unmarked enemies and the recurrent loading can also be criticized. Nevertheless, even if we would have appreciated a more mature story, it is pleasant to follow and the gameplay playing with time works very well.

While brimming with gorgeous visuals and charm, for a game about time, “Cris Tales” doesn’t seem to value yours.

As it stands, it’s a quintessential example of style over substance. If Cris Tales fails to grab you by the end of its opening few hours, it won’t do anything to change your mind in the time that follows.

If you strip that away from Cris Tales, what you have left is a charming and serviceable RPG that is also packed with quite a few flaws and questionable design choices. Cris Tales is definitely worth a playthrough if you’re looking for something light-hearted and a little bit old-school. Just keep your expectations low when it comes to time-based gameplay.

Cris Tales never manages to build its curious premise into an entertaining tool.