Cris Tales

Overall, this is a great game that is bogged down by a handful of issues. Many of the problems with this game come from the genre it’s replicating but Cris Tales still manages to add some new and exciting mechanics. Going forward it will be exciting to see what new and creative ideas Dreams Uncorporated thinks of next.

Cris Tales is an incredibly creative game with its own distinct identity. There are times when it can feel like it drags on a bit. It feels like something special. But it also feels like a game that, at least at the moment, needs a little bit more work. The Cris Tales Switch version feels like it is constantly loading for the smallest reasons and might occasionally crash. If Dreams Uncorporated and Syck can fix those issues. it will eventually be a must-play game.

Cris Tales isn’t going to set your world on fire, but it proves to be good turn-based RPG comfort food. If you don’t mind titles that drag a bit, this one is for you.

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.

After finishing Cris Tales, I kept asking myself, "Was this game about time worth 20+ hours of my time?" Honestly, I don't think it was. [Issue #57 – January/February 2022, p. 72]

Cris Tales wanted to be a tribute to old school PlayStation JRPGs, but it fails to deliver interesting story and gameplay. It's not bad at all, but it's not very good either.

Cris Tales is a game I was hoping I could heartily recommend. The game's lovely visuals deserve praise; they deliver even on the Switch. The adventures of Crisbell, the time mage and friends are more than suitably grand for an epic JRPG. Unfortunately, the loading times absolutely drain all of the magic out of this game on the Switch. If the other consoles perform better, then definitely check it out there. It truly is a shame technical issues like this hamper the game; it draws even more attention to other problems. I really do hope devs Dreams Uncorporated bring us some more fantastic game worlds. We might have to wait for an upgraded Switch, however.

Cris Tales is a joyous love letter to JRPGs, but limits itself to imitating the classics instead of attempting to elevate the genre. A plodding battle system ultimately causes the game to suffer. Cris Tales falls short of its lofty aims, but the zeal and indelible spirit of the game make it more than the sum of its parts.

Even if Cris Tales has an enchanting graphic style, a nice fighting system and a more than appreciable OST, the title suffers from its technical side. The more the game goes on, the more it becomes difficult to enjoy it because of too many loading times, a sometimes sluggish scenario, multiple futile back and forths, and a general slowness of the title.

While time magic serves an elegant and creative function throughout Cris Tales, it’s not a fully realized part of the game.

Cris Tales is an enchanting story wrapped in a gorgeous visual style, but lacks sustained imagination in gameplay. JRPG players will find enjoyment within, but those less patient may be turned off after a few hours.

There are a lot of clever ideas in this game, but the game exhausts most of its tricks well before it ends. I think it’s still worth playing, provided you enjoy RPGs to begin with. It’s just unfortunate that a game that blasts out of the gates with such vigor ends up so flat in its closing hours. Add in some technical issues specific to this version, and you have a real hit-or-miss affair.

Cris Tales has a lot of great ideas, and an incredible style, but none of it really coalesces into a game I want to play.