Cris Tales

 Switch
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 36
  3. Negative: 6 out of 36
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  1. Nintendopost24
    Jul 22, 2021
    9
    Cris Tales is a really unusual rpg. Exceptional in many ways, it is a breath of fresh air in the rather conservative genre of jrpg. Benefiting from many inspirations among the most legendary games of the genre, Cris Tales is one of the nicest surprises of 2021 and deserves to be played and discovered by the greatest number of players ...

    Full review, in french, on my blog Nintendo    Cris Tales is a really unusual rpg. Exceptional in many ways, it is a breath of fresh air in the rather conservative genre of jrpg. Benefiting from many inspirations among the most legendary games of the genre, Cris Tales is one of the nicest surprises of 2021 and deserves to be played and discovered by the greatest number of players ...

    Full review, in french, on my blog Nintendo Legacy. You can follow me on Twitter @NintendoLegacy1    … Expand
  2. DreamCore
    Jul 27, 2021
    6
    There is an insane amount of loading screens in this game, even before and after every random encounter which is insanely annoying. Being forced to wait 10-15 seconds before and after each battle just makes me want to quit playing.
  3. Sacapof
    Jul 22, 2021
    8
    + :
    DA et chara design sublimes !
    Bande son au top Le gameplay est vraiment plaisant, avec son système de temporalité, autant dans les villes et donjons qu'en combats Dialogues entièrement doublés (doublages en anglais uniquement mais de qualité) - : Quelques quêtes fedex qui rallongent artificiellement la durée de vie Petit défaut en portable, dans les équipements, très difficile    + :
    DA et chara design sublimes !
    Bande son au top
    Le gameplay est vraiment plaisant, avec son système de temporalité, autant dans les villes et donjons qu'en combats
    Dialogues entièrement doublés (doublages en anglais uniquement mais de qualité)

    - :
    Quelques quêtes fedex qui rallongent artificiellement la durée de vie
    Petit défaut en portable, dans les équipements, très difficile de lire les +/-
    Les temps de chargement abusivement longs sur Switch    … Expand
  4. Legrand
    Jul 23, 2021
    9
    Gran RPG con estilo de lucha clásico, y el arte personalmente me encanta, para mi imprescindible
  5. Sebby
    Aug 6, 2021
    5
    I hope that you have a fidget spinner handy if you play this game, because you are going to wait... and wait... and wait some more. Every time you have a random encounter - which happens with a ridiculous high frequency (literally about every 30 seconds of moving around an area) - you have to wait at least 15 seconds for the battle to load, fight for a minute or two, and then wait 15 moreI hope that you have a fidget spinner handy if you play this game, because you are going to wait... and wait... and wait some more. Every time you have a random encounter - which happens with a ridiculous high frequency (literally about every 30 seconds of moving around an area) - you have to wait at least 15 seconds for the battle to load, fight for a minute or two, and then wait 15 more seconds for map to load. Every time you switch areas, there are crazy loading times. This game is one very slow, very big exercise in patience. I don't know why it is compared to games like Persona 5 of all things: I really can't think of a game less like Persona 5.… Expand
  6. GameCorp_Meyk
    Sep 13, 2021
    7
    Cris Tales is bursting with creativity and uniqueness. Graphically, the game is bombastic with hand-drawn sprites and animations. The setting is also well done and fits like a fist on the eye. The time travel mechanic blends in well with aspects of the game and offers fans of the genre a fresh take on classic aspects. Only the loading times and the somewhat predictable story hold back Cris Tales.
  7. Tortor
    Oct 25, 2021
    4
    I desperately wanted to love this game. In its current state though this is just unplayable for me.

    What really messes this game up to me is its speed. This really needed a speed up option. This game felt artificially made longer by its battle system and slow combat. The random encounter battles got annoying because you do still get attacked even if you want to flee. This made the chance    I desperately wanted to love this game. In its current state though this is just unplayable for me.

    What really messes this game up to me is its speed. This really needed a speed up option. This game felt artificially made longer by its battle system and slow combat.

    The random encounter battles got annoying because you do still get attacked even if you want to flee. This made the chance of losing your game and having to start over extremely risky thanks to how far apart save points are. This was so annoying being forced to go these lengthy stretches to get to the next save point and constantly being interrupted by combat and your health being chipped at that you're having trouble maintaining.

    This felt more of a design flaw then a difficulty feature. Being forced to lose because you can't make it to the next save point is awful feeling. So much has to be repeated when you lose too depending on when your last save point was.

    Honestly the most frustrating thing then that though is the slow combat. I agonized getting into combat because I knew how long it would take, it adds up. If I could have just like 'grinded' a bit to get to my comfort level, that would have been excellent. This slow combat system though just does not help with grinding. God forbid you lose a boss fight, so much time lost just to try again.

    Felt like a waste to me as the art, world and where the plot was headed jsut felt so fun and whimsical. I just can't imagine putting up with this painfully slow combat system any longer though. If this gets updated and implements a speed up, I might try again.    … Expand
  8. CardoSOSV
    Dec 2, 2021
    8
    It's a nice game, The art and the abilities for battle are amazing, it's definitely a work that shows the love for JRPG.
    The problem is the charge screens in some cases they are too long (more cases than I would want to tell)
  9. PoundShopOrwell
    Sep 11, 2021
    3
    Ruined by excessive loading screens.

    I love this game, the way it looks, sounds, plays, the awesome concept but I can no longer endure it.

    Every single random encounter, will launch a 20-30 second loading screen. Same again when the fight is over. This utterly breaks the enjoyment of playing.

    I can’t bear it anymore. Deleted.
  10. DonSaul
    Aug 9, 2021
    6
    This game has an amazing art direction, but the problem is just that, yeah has a tons of mechanics from FF, chrono etc. but has the cons of this games and honestly is predictable and this has been seen in the oldies , after shin megami tensei and doesnt have an autobattle option make the turn based slower than other turn based rpg, it's not a bad game but octopath traveler does the battleThis game has an amazing art direction, but the problem is just that, yeah has a tons of mechanics from FF, chrono etc. but has the cons of this games and honestly is predictable and this has been seen in the oldies , after shin megami tensei and doesnt have an autobattle option make the turn based slower than other turn based rpg, it's not a bad game but octopath traveler does the battle system better… Expand
  11. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    7
    This is one of those titles where I feel a bit torn on where I land with it. On the one hand there’s no denying that the overall production value, including the great stylized artwork, voice work, and general story are great… and the hook with being able to manipulate time in order to solve problems and sometimes force decisions is a smart one. On the other hand, if you’re looking for someThis is one of those titles where I feel a bit torn on where I land with it. On the one hand there’s no denying that the overall production value, including the great stylized artwork, voice work, and general story are great… and the hook with being able to manipulate time in order to solve problems and sometimes force decisions is a smart one. On the other hand, if you’re looking for some excitement it’s slow to deliver on that promise and the abundance of time lost to load screens which feel almost constant can absolutely be maddening. Enjoyment will likely end up being a function of what you’re looking for, whether a well-told story with a variety of interesting characters and great aesthetics, or a turn-based RPG with smart and engaging combat and satisfying character building. If the story and characters are your focus it should be a solid match, if your preference is the combat and excitement this will probably be better to pass on though, at least unless you have quite a lot of patience to wait for those moments when they arrive.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/07/mini-reviews-july-23rd-edition-nintendo.html    … Expand
  12. Nebby
    Feb 23, 2022
    6
    I like this game, it's really pretty and the gameplay is unique and fun. My only problem is that the loading time takes forever and there is a loading screen every time you get in to a battle, and battles are random encounters.
  13. Skit22
    Aug 27, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a very uncomen RPG. But It's catch the whole time traveling details in a charmant and Lovely idea. I like the diffrent characters with there diffrent play stills.
    The only think was is not so good is that you lose over time some of your units. This in combination with the not passiv leveling of inaktiv units is not so nice.

    But in generell it is a very nice game, that i can recommend to RPG players.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 7, 2022
    65
    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]
  2. SECTOR.sk
    Jan 24, 2022
    65
    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.
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  3. Starbit
    Dec 15, 2021
    70
    Its combat is less appealing, though, as there are too many random encounters and the combat mechanics end up becoming too repetitive, so there's a clear difference between the game's exploration and its combat. Overall this is a lovely game with a strong personality, and fans of JRPGs who don't mind a lot of random encounters will find plenty to enjoy.
    Read full review
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