Title: Crystal Project
Developer: Andrew Willman
Release Date: March 31, 2022
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Mac
Reviewed On: PC (via Steam)
Price: $13.99 (Digital)

Have you ever seen a game and wished that you had it when you were a kid? Because that’s one of the easiest ways I can think of to express my feelings on Crystal Project.

This indie JRPG with Metroidvania elements is among my favorite games from the last five years. It was made with so much love for the genre and the people that play it, the world design is incredible, it has a built in randomizer for repeat playthroughs, accessibility options to customize the difficulty, and so on. But before I completely ramble, let’s get to the rest of the review.

Plot Synopsis

Story isn’t a big focus of Crystal Project, but here’s a basic introduction: You are a new resident in the world of Sequoia, given only two pieces of guidance; Seek Crystals, & Seek Adventure. The greatest threat seems to be the world’s Grand Master, who threatens to banish those who do not “adventure properly” by seeking crystals.

All said, the story is very light, with some hidden depth. There’s the proper plot of the game; the other adventurers you meet along the way and the whispers of rebellion against the Grand Master. But, there’s also the story of the world itself. You learn the history and lore of the world of Sequoia piece by piece as you explore, and it makes the world feel so immersive. The mountains you traverse, the monsters you fight, the bizarre structures you find as you wander the world, they all have this deep feeling of history to them. And in true Metroidvania fashion, as you unlock new instruments to summon special mounts with, you can explore the world in so many more ways.

Analysis

To expand on what I mentioned before, Crystal Project is a turn-based JRPG with Metroidvania elements, and a class system in the style of the Final Fantasy series. You have a party of 4 customizable characters, who you can change the classes of at any time. Although you start out with 6 classes, with every new crystal discovered, a new class is obtained. As you battle, characters gain skill points with their currently equipped class, which can be used to unlock both more abilities for use in that class, and new passives which can be equipped regardless of class.

All characters can also able to equip a subcommand, again changeable at will. These give you access to the special command of subclasses, but not any of their innate abilities or equipment proficiencies. What this means from a practical perspective is that you’re encouraged to shuffle up your party layout semi-frequently as you find new gear, new classes, and face challenges that your party may struggle with. If you have a dedicated healer, it might be useful to switch their class to something more durable, while keeping their healing abilities as a subcommand.

An interesting feature of the game is that character stat growths are dependent on what class they are when they level up. However, fairly early on, you gain the ability to reduce character levels at will. And, if you have enough cash, instantly give them new levels of your choosing, up to their previous max. And if they’ve gotten levels in a class, by grind or by fee, they can regain them for free at any time. There’s even a number of training dummies of different levels right next to that location, so it’s easy to try out a new team build without starting the game over completely.

To touch on that previous point, one of the best things about the game is the sheer amount of transparency and player friendliness. In combat, turn order is clearly displayed and updates with every action, so you can see how speed increases affect your party. Enemies don’t target the party randomly, there’s a clearly displayed “threat” meter which shows who each enemy will attack, and can be influenced by the actions you take. There are a number of other convenience features as well, least of which are the accessibility options to adjust difficulty to your liking or skip over minigames.

The game’s presentation is quite nice as well. Pixel art characters in a voxel world work great, traversal through it by jumping puzzles is fun and can feel incredibly organic, there charming tidbits of dialogue and some entertaining characters, and the atmosphere and visual design of the world is incredible. I highly recommend getting the game yourself to see it all.

Now, there are a few things that are worth mentioning. The emphasis on exploration can leave you with a lack of direction, and you may have to look up a guide to figure out where to go next or what to do, especially for some of the more obscure parts of the game. My advice is just that it can pay to make a few leaps of faith from time to time. The platforming can also, from time to time, be somewhat challenging. And the way the world is designed, you may occasionally struggle to realize what you need to do in platforming. All that said however, these are far from being deal-breakers, and it’s nothing that a bit of persistence or research can’t solve.

Final Score

I can’t honestly give this game anything less than five stars. I consider it a must play if you’re a fan of JRPGs with job systems, and the asking price is so small compared to just how much you’re getting for your money. The game has a ton to do and is very replayable, even before you get into everything that the steam workshop can add. If you’re still skeptical, there’s a demo available on both Steam and Nintendo Switch, where your save can be transferred to the full game afterwards. I hope that you give this game a shot, and have as much fun with it as I did.

The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast About Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.

This feed also includes Boss Rush Spotlight podcasts and Boss Rush Video Game Book Club. Get both shows early on Patreon. 

Email the Show: podcast.bossrush@gmail.com

Listen to The Boss Rush Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Anchor | YouTube

Follow and Connect:
X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | Threads | Facebook | LinkedIn

Join Our Community:
Discord | Facebook | LinkedIn

Featured Image: Andrew Willman