REVIEW: Crystar (Switch)


Title	Crystar
Developer	FURYU Corporation
Publisher	NIS America
Release Date	March 29th, 2022
Genre	Action RPG
Platform	Switch, PlayStation 4, PC
Age Rating	Teen
Official Website

Back in 2019, I took a look at the PlayStation 4 release of Crystar. I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into it, and it turned out to be one of my favorite releases of that year. When I found out NIS America was handling the Switch port of the game I was very excited. I thought this will let new players experience this amazing title and give folks that missed out on the very small PlayStation 4 physical run another chance at snagging one up. The big question here however is, how did this title port to the Nintendo Switch? Let’s dig in and find out.

This review is going to focus on how Crystar plays on the Nintendo Switch, but I do want to give a quick story overview. The here story follows a young girl named Rei Hatada as she find herself in the strange world of Purgatory. She doesn’t remember how she got there, but the one thing she does remember is that she killed her sister Mirai. She is reunited with her in this strange world, but the duo is soon attacked by a strange monster. Mirai falls into a large ravine, and Rei loses all hope for a moment, but soon her guardian awakens and gives her the power to fight these monsters.

In order to save Mirai, Rei makes a deal with two demons, Mephis and Pheles. They tell her if she will be their Executor and collect Idea, they will help her save Mirai. Rei then sets out on a journey to have her sister’s soul before it is reincarnated at the lowest level of Purgatory. She meets some friends along the way, and unravels a story with more twists and turns than anyone could ever imagine.

The story was just as great as I remembered it being and I even noticed a few small details I missed last time around. That being said, we are here to see how this port stacks up to previous releases, and I would say does very well. The framerate here is locked at steady 30 FPS and the resolution has been lowered slightly, but this is one of the best ports I’ve ever seen on the Nintendo Switch. The game plays very smoothly at that steady framerate that rarely ever dips and resolution drop isn’t very noticeable. The main thing you will see is a few more jagged edges, but if you’re playing in handheld mode these completely disappear. I feel this is a very solid way to experience Crystar if you don’t have access to it on the other two platform or you want it on the go.

I’m not going to dig into gameplay too deeply here. If you want a more in-depth look, take a look at my review of the PlayStation 4 version. The gameplay here is what you would find in any basic Action-RPG. You will have to fight your way through the ordeals to collect the Idea needed to bring Mirai back to life. The combat features some two button combos with a few special moves thrown in for good measure. You can switch between your party members on the fly and the girls get a slight boost for a few seconds when switching in. Each of these amazing girls have a different set of special moves to help you slay all the foes in your path. They can also summon their guardians for some extra firepower when the tear gauge is full. This gives them a huge stat buff for a short time, and tapping L will unleash an ultra powerful special move. The enemies drop items you can use to make equipment and you can unlock some other very interesting story tidbits this way as well. Like I said in the previous review, there is nothing groundbreaking here, but everything works well and the game is just fun to play.

I could sit here and gush all day about how much I love Crystar. I gave it a glowing review last time around and I’ve often said this is one of the most underrated games of the last generation of consoles. I stand by that today, and this is a fantastic port. You will get around 30 hours of fantastic gameplay and story here, so I have no issue fully recommending this one at the $49.99 price tag. This version even includes all the extra DLC costumes from the previous release. I had such a wonderful time with this one again that I implore you if you haven’t played this pick it up ASAP. You will be very happy you did. This amazing and very unique story is one of a kind and shouldn’t be missed.