Crystar

 PlayStation 4
User Score
9.5

Universal acclaim- based on 2255 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,138 out of 2255
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 2255
  3. Negative: 105 out of 2255
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  1. c57v76v7v7v6
    Aug 10, 2020
    10
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  2. Starzen517
    Jul 24, 2020
    10
    This game is amazing with like only one flaw. The visuals, the atmosphere, the gameplay mechanics they're all so wonderful! This game has some really dark themes from suicide to miscarriage, if you explore everything in the game you will come across all sorts of dark themes. When I mentioned gameplay mechanics I was talking about the memories you get from defeating each enemy and learningThis game is amazing with like only one flaw. The visuals, the atmosphere, the gameplay mechanics they're all so wonderful! This game has some really dark themes from suicide to miscarriage, if you explore everything in the game you will come across all sorts of dark themes. When I mentioned gameplay mechanics I was talking about the memories you get from defeating each enemy and learning their life before they died. Gameplay itself is nothing special. It's decent enough and while i found it fun, the gameplay not being anything deep might not be everyone's cup of tea. It can also get sort of repetitive but for story reasons. Now the story, wow this story is such a rich and well written story. The story is very original, it's not generic or anything. Just when you think you've figured out the story it just pulls you back in and sends you off into another direction. It's one of my favorite videogame stories I've ever had the privilege to play through. This is why I give this game a 10. Gameplay might not be anything special but the story is fantastic that it makes up for its few flaws. I highly recommend this wonderful game! Plus there's a dog in the game you can pet, easily a 10/10.… Expand
  3. tesadesrvdbetta
    Feb 5, 2020
    10
    A masterpiece in every sense of the word, beautiful graphics, a delightful piano soundtrack, and brilliant writing.

    The fact the Western branch decided to completely ignore this in exchange for promoting the dreadful Net Idol Torture Porn game called "AI: The Somnium Files" is proof that their marketing team is incompetent in every possible way.
  4. motymurm
    Feb 19, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Достоинства
    - Сюжет. Нет, серьезно. Перед нами очень элегантная, красивая, наполненная сюжетными поворотами история, причем повествование расставляет достаточно много подсказок и Чеховских ружей, и мне самому приходилось иногда ощущать себя гением, предсказав развитие сюжета за главу-другую до, так и хлопать себя по лбу, осознавая, что упустил все намеки и полунамеки, которые в один момент обрели смысл.
    - Персонажи, все до одного пестрящие харизмой, начиная от очаровашки Реи, заканчивая зловещими но по своему обаятельными Демонами Близнецами, все из которых получают свою долю места под солнцем, причем личные сюжетные арки умудряются сменяться именно в тот момент, когда в твой голове пробегает мысль "Неплохо было бы узнать о Х побольше". Даже те из них, кому не помешало бы раскрыться чуть лучше (Нанами, Куон и Мираи) остаются живыми и запоминающимися.
    - Визуальный стиль, начиная от панорамных видов на Чистилище и реалистичной анимацией лиц в катсценах, заканчивая детальными и красивыми спрайтами персонажей, стилизованными под грубые карандашные рисунки флешбеками
    - Сеттинг, хотя и периодически совсем не скрывает, что поглядывал на бессмертное SMT и его гораздо более популярный спин-офф в лице персоны, все равно выглядит и ощущается самобытно и интересно.
    - Саундтрек из смеси оркестровой и электронной музыки, заставляющий забрать себе домой его целиком
    - Стилизация и атмосфера трагической истории с легким налетом готики, которая складывается из множества мелочей, начиная от тематики слез и плача, с помощью которой главная героиня как улучшает свою экипировку, так и получает силы для сражения в боях, становясь сильнее проходя сквозь лишения и боль, продолжая креативным оформлением меню "хаба", изображающего Реи за разными бытовыми делами с неизменными меланхоличными эмоциями на лице, заканчивая такой отличной находкой, как Мемуары Мертвых, позволяющие нам узнать о короткой и зачастую трагичной истории жизни и смерти тех людей, на призраки которых мы охотимся.
    - Отдельно отмечу английскую озвучку, выполненную на удивление высоком уровне.
    Недостатки
    - Геймплей, то, что заставило оценки с метакритика остановиться на слабенькой семерке. Однообразный и репитативный игровой процесс с перекрашенными модельками однотипных противников разных цветов заставляет в последней трети игры просто пробегать их насквозь в поисках следующей порции сюжета или освежающей битвы с боссом.
    - Из четырех игровых персонажей нормально работают только два.
    - В сюжете можно заметить пару сюжетных дыр при вдумчивом взгляде, особенно в эпилоге.
    - Сумбурная и довольно дурацкая концовка, серьезно ломающая одну из ключевых сюжетных линий.    … Expand
  5. Ourflag
    May 9, 2021
    10
    The gameplay is a bit boring, but the story and the characters in this game are so good! The soundtrack by Sakuzyo is also great.
  6. Seath
    Apr 3, 2021
    10
    Let me just say that yes, the game has some flaws (mostly when it comes to gameplay), but despite those flaws I enjoyed my playthrough so much that I'm giving it a 10/10 regardless. I'll instead rate each individual element of the game below to give an idea of what to expect going in.

    Music: 10/10 An absolute gem of a soundtrack. Severally limited by the game due to some weird sound    Let me just say that yes, the game has some flaws (mostly when it comes to gameplay), but despite those flaws I enjoyed my playthrough so much that I'm giving it a 10/10 regardless. I'll instead rate each individual element of the game below to give an idea of what to expect going in.

    Music: 10/10
    An absolute gem of a soundtrack. Severally limited by the game due to some weird sound mixing and prioritization. Some sound testing with the volume settings might be needed to find a good balance between music, voice and sound effects. The OST is full of leitmotifs, variety and outer-worldly tunes. There's some rock tracks that go HARD, some real tearjerkers, surprise jazz and plenty of violin/piano goodness.

    Graphics: 8/10.
    Looks pretty enough and there's nothing wrong about it. Some attack animations and effects are really flashy and enjoyable. But the visual thing that'll really catch your attention is...

    Art and Art Direction: 10/10
    It's gorgeous. The game's cutscenes feature a visual novel-esque formate with character art for each character with dialogue. It's incredibly pretty, detailed and it isn't afraid to change even the most minute facial details to reflect the characters current mood. There are also these really artistc drawing-esque cutscenes for memory segments that are quite striking. There's also this really nice Studio Trigger intro animation that plays whenever you start the game.

    Voice Acting: 10/10
    I'm blown away. I played the game with English voice-acting because someone recommended it and I'm very pleasantly surprised on how good it was. Even some of the minor background voices are really well acted. The main cast absolutely nailed their roles and even weaved in their personalities whenever exposition was dumped (props for the writer for not making exposition be dragged out and boring).

    Story: 9/10
    I thoroughly enjoyed the story and all it's twists. I found myself making theories about how things were going to play out and got dumbfounded when some revelations were revealed. The best thing is that the game foreshadows a lot, but it's practically impossible to understand any of it without context. It's a very cohesive and thought out narrative, with some very emotional moments to boot. The AAA-game market really need to step-up their stories. There has been so many AA and indie games that completely overshadow the AAA-games story-wise recently. All that budget and most big studios can't even write a compelling story...

    Gameplay: 6.5/10.
    Okay this is the least good aspect of the game. It isn't bad, the core gameplay is very fun and fluid once you get a hang for it. But the enemy variety and level design is lacking severely.

    Enemy Variety: There are like 10 or so enemies in the game (not counting bosses) which you'll fight over and over again. They sometimes gain a new move, but it gets stale. Some skill unlocks and enemy density helps the game feel fresh throughout a playthrough, but it still gets a bit monotonous at times.

    Level Design: The environments you go through are very pretty, but the areas you directly move your character around in usually only consist of rectangular flat rooms. Sometimes there are a bit more complex rooms with cover and some slopes/stairs to add a bit of verticality. The game could've used the addition of traps/boons, some more tailor-made set pieces and generally more intuitive level design depending on where the areas were set. For example: there was this stage where you story-wise ascended a tower, but that wasn't reflected in the level design, which was a huge missed opportunity. The placements for items and treasure chests are also very predictable and not so exciting. Only very late in the game did the game surprise me with the occasional bundle of treasure/item nodes.

    The gameplay will be more enjoyable for some than others, The fluidity and earn-able skills make the gameplay addictive, which can help some people stomach the lack of enemy and level variety. Although it seems like one of the gameplay designers really hated 1 of the 4 playable characters specifically, since her gameplay is absolute hot rubbish compared to the other 3 characters.

    Conclusion:
    If your looking for a incredibly rewarding visual and auditory experience then I highly recommend this game. The gameplay, despite it's flaws, is really fun in moderations. It really just lacks in enemy/level variety, which might be because of budget/time constraints.    … Expand
  7. LadyEir
    May 25, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This type of game isn't going to be for everyone - as JRPGs go it also is a bit unique. I loved the characters each one felt unique and had their own personality and quirks. The art style can be a bit overbearing at times and you do end up with an overall feeling that the game play is repetitive.
    The story does deliver several gut punches at several points in the game and as the story progresses you get a good idea where the plot is going, but feel compelled to find out how it gets there and what the next thing to unfold will be.

    The game is split in to chapters each having a certain number of stages and you return to your room as the hub world where you can perform tasks to purify your heart and level up equipment.

    Spoilers ahead:
    Once you complete the game on the first pass you do get an epilogue which sends you back in to a sort of new game + mode but with a different story and twist it would seem at first glance. The more times you complete the game the more story unlocks and the more puzzle pieces fit together. After all it is purgatory.
    The nit pick I have here is that the maps don't change on the next part of the story. Also to complete the bestiary you have to kill 3 of each kind of spirit - and 3 of the more powerful types (I forget what they are called) and with the same monster type appearing over and over it can be frustrating to find the ones you are missing.

    Gameplay : 8
    Plot : 9
    Characters : 9 (love Nanana )
    Soundtrack : 9
    Overall : 9    … Expand
  8. Nighy
    Dec 7, 2021
    10
    The story, storytelling, characters and the world building are very good. If you like serious toned JRPGs you'll like this one too.
  9. Pegram
    Mar 7, 2022
    9
    Grief coated in sadness painted with tragedy dipped in suffering. I've never seen so much emotional torture stuffed into one package before. Be warned the game is hyperfocused on sadness and hardly subtle about it, using it to fuel the story and even for game mechanics. It's hard not to relate to the protagonist - or any of the cast really - and feel bad yourself about what she has toGrief coated in sadness painted with tragedy dipped in suffering. I've never seen so much emotional torture stuffed into one package before. Be warned the game is hyperfocused on sadness and hardly subtle about it, using it to fuel the story and even for game mechanics. It's hard not to relate to the protagonist - or any of the cast really - and feel bad yourself about what she has to suffer through, so one should prepare themselves for quite the ride.

    I bought the game literally only due to another review pointing out it had Sakuzyo's soundtrack. I ended up greatly enjoying it overall though. While my enjoyment was brought down by some frustrating fights and, frankly, very bad decisions on boss mechanics (spamming multiple homing attacks is not funny), combat was hardly the main point in the first place. The atmosphere, story and characters were carrying the game and it was clearly intended to be as such. That being said, the combat wasn't some afterthought either, or quickly slapped on top - it just didn't quite live up to the rest of the features. Besides, though I at times disliked how basic it was, the combat did actually begin to feel pretty satisfying towards the end when skills became more flashy and powerful.

    Since the combat is fairly repetitive and levels can be somewhat maze-like, I recommend running past most normal fights. The random treasure you can pick up while exploring isn't worthwhile either, as upgrade materials are easy and quick to farm later on as needed. Due to this, I finished the game severely underleveled in some 20 hours, but didn't really find that a problem. I do plan on 100%ing it, which basically means unlocking some additional mini stories by defeating certain enemies.    … Expand
  10. WAR1812
    Sep 7, 2019
    9
    Fun action JRPG with a unique story. Character models and levels are really detailed and colorful. Feels like you're playing an anime. All in all a fun game.
  11. Dr4gonkiller96
    Oct 24, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Crystar has been one of my favourite games this year. just like how Nanana puts it "it's Fun and Exciting"

    GAMEPLAY
    The gameplay isn't bad, but it's not great. It feels a bit outdated, you get combos, and can make your own as well just by chain attacks. but once you do it once, its get repetitive. the only thing that changes is your Skills which are unique to each of the 4 characters. its not difficult. on Normal i may have killed off a couple of the characters twice, just to bring them back within a second using an item that is fairly cheap. Attack Chains are very generous letting you get to over 300 hits on bosses, and 100 on smaller enemies when there is a few.

    This is a JRPG, so you get to level each of the 4 characters (using one character will level the other 3, but with less XP). There is Skills as mentioned before which unlock at various levels, Sentiments that you get from Crying your soul out to pure the Torments you have gotten from mini Bosses during Ordeals (the Games quests) and Sentiments with buffs (extra HP and Immunity to enemy effects etc). Each character gets 1 Attack Sentiment, 1 Defence and 2 Extra sentiments that can change all your stats or give you extra Immunity types to enemy effects.

    CHARACTERS
    Each character is unique and has their own personality. Rei the Shut-in that just wants to save Mirai, Kokoro the House Wife type which lost her future Husband and Baby and wants revenge on Anamnesis (1 of 4 Antagonists), Sen who lost her mum in a bus Accident and lives for Justice and rules, Nanana who is a child that died in the real world and became a Revenant that later joined Rei because she treated her unlike the other Revenants (her back story is tragic, and involves rope, and sad parents)

    STORY
    the story pulls you in as you save your sister, and the plot twists throughout keep you on your toes. most of the tragedies are reverted as you start the next playthrough to get the TRUE ending. unlike some games that require you to choose options and that chooses your fate, the options you get don't change the outcome, it just makes you feel bad for doing it.

    Once you get to the end of the first Playthrough, you go back to the beginning with a small difference to the plot, and after that intro, you fast-forward to Chapter 6 which is a nice touch because everything from now on slowly changes to get the next ending. repeat this once more and you get a new chapter to get the real true ending, which is sad and happy... just because because everything is happy in the end doesn't make the previous events less dark.

    GRAPHICS
    The Art Style is great, and the character models are good, but the world textures are your classic Japanese game, low res and smooth, except for the nice Bloom and reflective surfaces that reflect the games sky box. with all the levels in the sky, the sky boxes look great, while the only level is has a different atmosphere with it being dark and surrounded by water which looks great with the light particles floating around. The Effects of the weapons are also some of the best i have seen in a JRPG.

    OVERALL
    If you can overcome the games simple Gameplay and play for the story like i did, you can see yourself play this game just to see the ending. you can watch it on YouTube if you like as well (i have a full playthrough on my Channel: Katsudon96 Gaming) you get attached to characters and when something you weren't expecting to that character, you start to get sad. I was always rooting for one character, and then immediately shove the other in the dirt just because they did something i didn't like.

    Top notch game    … Expand
  12. Cageyanemone007
    Sep 19, 2019
    10
    I loved Crystar. Yes, there are some weak points in repetitiveness and also in the characters themselves, but in the end, it wasn't a game I regretted buying new, and here I sit, wanting the games I am playing from my "next" list to be more like Crystar.

    A few words of warning: this game is dark. It contains a very haunting scene of a child's suicide, done in childlike yet realistic and    I loved Crystar. Yes, there are some weak points in repetitiveness and also in the characters themselves, but in the end, it wasn't a game I regretted buying new, and here I sit, wanting the games I am playing from my "next" list to be more like Crystar.

    A few words of warning: this game is dark. It contains a very haunting scene of a child's suicide, done in childlike yet realistic and haunting sketch art, and it references miscarriage, death, neglect, torture, and abuse. Many involving children. You fill in a Memoirs of the Dead, that tells three episodes of the tragic lives and deaths of the spirits that you are contracted to execute.

    The game is an action JRPG about a girl named Rei who is sucked into Purgatory for some unknown (at the time) reason, and while wandering around, discovers that her odd little sister Mirai has been sucked in with her. In an odd chain of events, she develops powers and ends up stabbing Mirai. Insert the "curators" of Purgatory, two mischievous girls who promise that if she becomes their warrior and then executes the rebellious stray souls, and also collects humans tears that form a substance called Idea, they will revive Mirai. The catch? She only has until Mirai wanders through too the Cogs of Renewal that will reincarnate her.
    As Rei starts her journey, she will, of course, meet other girls on their own journeys.

    Pros:
    Background - The background is a beautiful and mesmerizing trip through gothic, dark, majestic, and even whimsical lands.
    Soundtrack- The soundtrack supplies an expansive, and also mesmerizing classical soundtrack that uses violins to make your emotions connect to the beautiful backgrounds.
    Graphics & Art - I have no complaints about the character stylings, and it creates a stark contrast to the dark, childlike, and jerky illustration scenes done in a haunting sepia.
    Gameplay - Action RPG where you use both weapons and SP magic attacks. Magic attacks unlock as you gain levels. You can also collect tears to unleash a power attack, and then a super attack using your Guardian. Your Guardian is essentially your inner strength, and essentially the only moment anyone can connect this game to Persona (read that review calling it a Persona clone and laughed).
    The Map - Why mention the map? Well, if you've ever played an old school JRPG, or even Kingdom Hearts, you know how amazing a good map can be. This one folds and expands, highlights enemies as red dots, and it even shows you where you have yet to travel.

    Cons-
    Characters- The characters delve heavily into almost dissolving on themselves in their effort to find a crusade our a cause to believe in. Rei herself goes through a whiny and selfish phase, and I honestly almost reached my max on hearing Mirai's name. Yes, I was flinching by the middle. The second character she meets is obsessed with her cause, to the level of blindness. And the third is fixated on the only cause that allows her to function. Until it threatens to become a hard lesson in humanity and exceptions.
    Repetitiveness-This was mentioned in the beginning. To avoid spoilers, just know that the true end requires you to replay some of the same levels and the same bosses over and over...and over. You restart at the X point, and replay your fate.

    Overall, I was happy to get the the ending, but at the same time, I was sad afterwards. I'll miss Sen. I'll miss Anamnesis, and dammit I will especially miss canine sweetheart Thelema. Clocking in at about 40 hours of gameplay if you take your time, and at about 86-90 for a Platinum if you take your time, I defeated it on easy, and was left glaring at the next game I moved on to. I played for so long, that I changed the controls in Ys to match Crystar. It left a lingering impression, and it left me feeling appreciative for what the art team and the designers set out to create. It stands out from the pack as a truly unique and beautiful journey.    … Expand
  13. Danisco
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    It's a competent ARPG. Combat is smooth, not too difficult nor too easy. The story's quite sad but it's pretty well written. Overall a good game.
  14. Rod1
    Mar 28, 2020
    8
    This is a dark game with good story and gameplay, nice soundtrack, repetitive.
  15. terraxptan
    Sep 1, 2019
    10
    Great music, nice story, and a decent gameplay, Loved the game. and it`s dark tone.
  16. Hammer7
    May 30, 2020
    8
    Awesome story and characters. Very fun. Love the art design and the music too.
  17. beautifulforest
    Oct 14, 2021
    10
    As others say, the gameplay is not that interesting but the story and the characters are very good.
  18. tad101
    Aug 20, 2023
    9
    Story: Gets real deep, with a few twist and turns but is actually thought provoking the entire time.
    Characters: Mostly classic teen girls but have backstories you would not expect, they get the job done and grow throughout which is good to see.
    LVL Design: Dungeon lvl based, you should expect to have 1 - 3 levels per dungeon. Mini map is on the bottom right corner but is useless in my    Story: Gets real deep, with a few twist and turns but is actually thought provoking the entire time.
    Characters: Mostly classic teen girls but have backstories you would not expect, they get the job done and grow throughout which is good to see.

    LVL Design: Dungeon lvl based, you should expect to have 1 - 3 levels per dungeon. Mini map is on the bottom right corner but is useless in my opinion, BUT there is a better option in a toggle map that will show up center screen see through with the press of the touch pad. I played most lvls with this toggled on with no issue while fighting. Mission select is a nice tough for you to grind certain gear and materials. At the beginning of each dungeon you have the opportunity to buy materials from a seller, if you want to save some money using the above mentioned mission select will be useful for grinding those materials.

    Gameplay: You will spend a short amount of time in Rei's bedroom between missions. There you will equip/make new gear, sort your ideals, make phone calls, and mission select. 95% of the time you will be in various dungeons advancing the story. Fast paced action gameplay similar to Y's if you have played that series. You have physical and magical attacks to vanquish foes and a guardian used for special all out attacks. You can switch between multiple characters that bring different fighting techniques for different monster types. Maybe you want want to use a dual sword character, or fist fight a foe, maybe a longer range magic caster, or just a simple single sword user all available with 1 press of the Dpad.

    Overall: Crystar with a classic slow learn how to play start has an extremely though provoking story, Younger characters that grow properly throughout the game with unexpectedly dark, and deep histories and connections. Its gameplay is that of a Y's clone but with small changes to the formula enough to make its own mark on the style.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Cubed3
    Dec 2, 2019
    50
    Endless grind, very slow progression, and an abysmal battle system, are the major knocks against what would otherwise be an average experience. The story itself is unique, but hardly goes into depth instead relying far more on shock-value of events occurring rather than actual meaning. Unfortunate, really, as the plot serves up a huge potential for some interesting questions, or dialogue - things that are completely missing.
    Read full review
  2. LaPS4
    Sep 3, 2019
    80
    Crystar is one of those titles that makes it out of Japan and it is going to be a reference for the RPG titles to come. Fluid combat system, characters with their own fighting styles and complex plot are its strengths. Gemdrops Studios offers a title which is far from perfect, but it is able to impact the player like few games can.
    Read full review
  3. GameGrin
    Aug 30, 2019
    40
    A trigger warning in game form - without any trigger warnings. Had a lot of potential, but unfortunately misses the mark.
    Read full review
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