Crystal Rift

A fitting tribute to classic dungeon crawlers, though low difficulty, a lack of a level editor and a boring esthetic keep it from becoming a classic in and of itself.

Crystal Rift features some interesting puzzles and may be simple and easy to grasp, but the poor visuals, easily manipulated enemies, limited field of view in standard play, and difficult virtual reality movement means it pales in comparison to the dungeon crawlers of old.

Crystal Rift on PSVR is about as basic as it gets. The low fidelity visuals, questionable soundtrack and asset choices tarnish what could have been a decent dungeon crawler. Without the VR headset it is even less enjoyable due to poor viewing angles and stiff movement. This just makes Crystal Rift very hard to recommend, even at its lower price point.

It's just dull. [Feb 2017, p.96]

Crystal Rift is far from an enjoyable experience, with cumbersome controls, lacklustre visuals, and poor enemy AI. The entire experience gets very tiresome very quickly, and with the ever increasing expectations for great quality games, this just doesn't cut it. This rift would be better left unexplored, unless you think you'd enjoy its torturously repetitive depths.

Crystal Rift possesses all the potential in the world, and I certainly hope the game performs well enough that the development team is able to go back to the drawing board and come up with a more comprehensive and nuanced structure for another crack at the VR dungeon crawler.

Based on classic RPGs such as Eye of the Beholder, Crystal Rift feels like a poor adaptation. Dungeons are repetitive, graphics are too basic and it causes dizziness when played with PSVR due to camera controls.

At this point gamers are simply looking for more sophisticated experiences with their expensive headsets. Crystal Rift might keep players exploring for a while, but it feels like a prototype for a better game which doesn’t yet exist.