(Image credit: Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK)

Turn-Based Battles Across Time

Brightly colored hand-drawn graphics meet classic JRPG storylines in Cris Tales from indie developers Dreams Uncorporated, SYCK, and Poppy Works. They stitched together a beautiful 2.5D world with a classic storyline that gives the voice actors an excellent chance to show off their talents. The Load Screen reviews this indie game as worth playing despite having some frustrating moments, especially for anyone looking for a challenge hidden behind a family-friendly art style.

Cris Tales is an intensely narrative-focused game that is layered well for the player to unravel as they get Crisbell further into the land of Crystallis. The story starts as the heroine searches for the lost rose for Mother Superior at the orphanage after a curious frog takes it. She enters a cathedral when chasing down her missing flower, where she accidentally activates a time crystal granting her the power of a time wizard. She can see the past, the present, and the future all at once. The mystery behind the cathedrals and their connection to the destructive Time Empress grows as Crisbell journeys across multiple timelines. The excellent voice works for each character helps make the adventure immersive and more impactful.

In true JRPG-style, Crisbell is joined by up to five companions and a time-hopping frog who seek to save the world from destruction. While the frog named Matias can adventure through his time-hopping, he is only a cheering sidekick during combat. Each character has a unique backstory and separate play-style during battle, making for exciting combinations when swapping up the three-person fighting party. Although the game never tells the player directly, having the wrong crew selected can spell disaster in some fights.   

The developer’s take on turn-based fighting with a timed blocking and critical system is refreshing and challenging. I was expecting a walk in the park to go with the softer and cartoon-style graphics, but I was so wrong. The added quick-time mechanic turns every action in combat into one that I could affect more than just random attack rolls. Players can buff all attacks and block some incoming damage of every foe with this system. It punishes those who do not utilize this mechanic and can make the distance between save locations seem massive.

For a game without difficulty settings, this setup can frustrate any who does not get the timing, but it is relatively forgiving. While playing on a PC, I had an issue with the combat boost button tapping while using an Xbox One controller. Sometimes the input from the controller stopped responding, but I fixed it by clicking anywhere with the mouse or clicking the Alt + Tab buttons to refocus the input on the game. Other times the error would cause Crisbell to walk in dungeons bringing on an unwanted fight. Early in any dungeon, these additional fights were fun but frustrating when they happened near the end, and my resources were low.

(Image credit: Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK)

At least the button timed attack boosts were not the only way to vary combat and maximize the damage output. Crisbell and her teammates each have individual skills or spells that can amplify attack effectiveness if combined correctly. Some characters have similar abilities with different names, but the descriptions in the menu make it clear when the actions and effects are the same. Elemental damage plays a huge role in the process, and using the wrong combinations or abilities out of order nullifies the benefits. Crisbell is the only character who can use time as an element, and it usually has the most significant impact on teammate attacks.

The turn-based combat uses the exact positioning for every fight with the player team in the center and enemies on either side. The setup for fighting is just as important as timing or combinations. Crisbell’s time powers allow her to move the left-side enemies back in time and the right-side enemies forward in time. Most enemies have different versions for each time zone, and some versions are weaker while others are significantly stronger. I liked how most creatures reacted to the time changes because each age version had models and cohesive yet different animations.

In fact, Crisbell’s time powers manipulate some overworld sections by providing a screen split into thirds with past on the left, present in the middle, and future on the right. The time crystal power manipulates storylines through the frog Matias jumping into the past or the future for clues. I appreciated how much detail went into each version of the world because I saw an entire town’s history in one frame. I often Used Matias to explore both alternate timelines since some of the best-detailing hides behind the split view.

The cartoon-style graphics with simple overall textures and limited features is deceiving for the challenge presented in Cris Tales but were excellent choices by the developers. The look of the game is warm and inviting, while the turn-based combat is punishing by comparison. The style allows for having the three timelines exist as separate world spaces at the same time without taxing the graphics. This concern seems small for any praise, but I had issues when playing another game with multiple world environments; check out The Medium review post.

(Image credit: Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK)

While avoiding Next-Gen graphics freed up resources, it did not mean there were no issues with occasional screen tearing as Crisbell wandered large sections where the camera moved with every step. This problem could get resolved with an update, but I think it is an issue with how Unity handles a perspective camera in a 2D environment. While the game uses flat 2D sprites for objects and characters, the camera calculates a full 3D view of every frame. The software tears the screen slightly instead of slowing down player movement with screen lag.

Three other issues are not as easily solved and may turn away players from this JRPG. The first one is the clue system, which seems helpful but not when it gives the same clue repeatedly. Also, there are no quest markers to follow, so the gamer is left to remember where they last saw the appropriate NPC for completing the mission or listen to that one tip. Sometimes the quest descriptions helped in the menu, but not every time. The second issue is that some mission tasks involve talking with NPCs rather than using items somewhere as listed in the questline. One side quest requires getting an item from the merchant, but the Talk option does not show until the player selects the Shop menu.

The final problem I had with this game is that some fights are virtual stalemates. I fought one boss for over an hour of dodging and damaging, only to realize I was never going to win or lose. The enemy kept healing, and I could not do enough damage to overcome it. Meanwhile, the boss spent most of its actions recovering and did not do significant damage when attacking. Typically, I do not give up in a JRPG fight until I am overwhelmed since the unprepared should expect quick party wipes.

Cris Tales has some frustrating gameplay elements, especially near the end, but the complexity of combat and the unique display of time manipulation make it an engaging turn-based narrative. Fans of classic JRPGs will love this indie title from Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK. The artful and simple graphics hide a true challenge that is replayable but may frustrate the unsuspecting. It is a game worth downloading from the Xbox Game Pass, especially since that includes Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC versions.

Cris Tales

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch

• Developer: Dreams Uncorporated, SYCK, Poppy Works

• Publisher: Modus Games

• Release Date: July 20th, 2021

• Played on: PC with Xbox Game Pass