While at GDC last week, I had the chance to check out Crystar, an upcoming action-RPG by Gemdrops and Spike Chunsoft. I knew nothing about the game before entering the Spike booth, but I left it rather excited to check out this strange but rad trip into (almost) anime-hell.
Crystar revolves around Rei, a young girl who accidentally killed her younger sister while trying to save her. In order to save her sister from the great beyond, Rei makes a contract with demons to enter Purgatory, where she battles with demons and monsters as she searches for her sister. Rei isn’t alone though, as three other playable girls are constantly with her, each with their own unique reasons for coming to Purgatory.
Gameplay is primarily divided between action-packed Purgatory segments and more relaxing intermissions that take place in Rei’s room. Purgatory is where all of Crystar’s combat takes place. Each playable character has a plethora of basic combos and special attacks, some of which can be quite visually impressive. Combat is fast and fluid, with a great deal of customization and variety to each character’s moveset. You fill up a “tear” meter through combat as well, which lets you use a ridiculously strong ultimate attack. Rei’s attack in the demo had her summon a very JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure-esque ghost that stands behind her and attacks foes with a rapid barrage of blows. It’s over-the-top and very stylish, and I’m interested in seeing what other the other characters’ ultimate attacks look like.
I’m quite fond of the enemy designs as well, as they strike a nice balance between creepy and cute. Defeating enemies give you pieces of their backstories from when they were living humans to read in Rei’s room, which range from sad to darkly funny. The fact that you can only find these stories by killing the enemies that are the subject of these tales is fantastic, and I really hope the full game leans into this to make the player feel guilty about killing these demons.
The time spent in Rei’s room is pretty neat for a few reasons. Rei can have a good cry here, listen to music from the game that you’ve collected, or change and fuse her skills for use in Purgatory. You can also pet your dog, which doesn’t give you stat boosts or anything, but it certainly melts your heart a bit. It seems like a neat way to break up the hectic action of the Purgatory segments, if only for the dog part.
Crystar has gotten me excited for its launch, which is even more impressive since I knew literally nothing about it before GDC. Crystar launches for the PS4 and PC on August 27th. For more GDC coverage, stay tuned to MonsterVine.
