Crysis

Starting at $9.08Buy now

"Crysis" is a first-person shooter game that takes place in a future alien-infested island. Players control a Force Recon Marine equipped with a nanotech suit, allowing unique abilities like cloaking and super strength. The game is known for its impressive graphics and open-ended gameplay, with various approaches to missions and enemies.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,188 reviews

graphics795 positive mentions

optimization46 negative mentions

graphics
1,548 mentions
51 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Crysis" are widely praised as groundbreaking for its time, with many reviewers noting that they still hold up remarkably well even years after its release in 2007. The game is often regarded as a benchmark for graphical performance, showcasing stunning environments, realistic water effects, and dynamic lighting that continue to impress players today. However, some critiques mention that while the visuals are exceptional, the gameplay can feel repetitive and the story lacks depth, leading to a perception that the game is more of a graphical showcase than a fully realized experience.
- “The graphics at the time in 2007 were meant to run on machines and graphics cards that didn't exist yet, so it was obvious that this title, and the developers were ahead of its time.”
- “Crysis is a game that stands the test of time, with graphics still hold up to the competition seven years later.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the suit powers are a unique gameplay element that more FPS titles should use, especially the invisibility cloak.”
- “The game spends way too much time patting itself on the back for the visuals, but when you’re spending most of your time trudging through dimly lit hallways that all look the same, the illusion quickly wears off.”
- “Repetitive missions, boring plot, forgettable characters, poor shooting mechanics, the only redeeming quality are the graphics, which I don't care about, and even if I did, I wouldn't choose to play this either way because it doesn't look that impressive anymore; there are newer games that look far superior to this.”
- “The graphics were all choppy and I was frankly disappointed.”
story
1,435 mentions
38 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The story of "Crysis" is often described as a mix of military action and sci-fi elements, beginning with a typical military mission that quickly escalates into an alien invasion narrative. While some players appreciate the engaging twists and the immersive atmosphere, many criticize the plot for being clichéd, shallow, and at times poorly executed, with a lack of memorable characters and a predictable storyline. Overall, the game is recognized more for its groundbreaking graphics and gameplay mechanics than for its narrative depth.
- “The story takes a few wild turns, starting off as a typical military super soldier game to a crazy alien fight, run for your life situation.”
- “The engaging storyline of Crysis draws players into a world of conspiracy, alien invasions, and military intrigue.”
- “With its immersive storyline, cutting-edge graphics, and thrilling gameplay, Crysis delivers an unforgettable and adrenaline-fueled experience.”
- “From the moment I started playing, it became clear that this game is a pretentious mess, wrapped in shallow storytelling and clunky mechanics that simply don't hold up.”
- “The plot feels like it's been ripped straight from a high school philosophy class where the teacher ran out of meaningful things to say halfway through.”
- “The story is generic and bland.”
gameplay
1,076 mentions
42 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Crysis" is often praised for its innovative mechanics, particularly the nanosuit, which allows players to choose between various abilities like strength, speed, armor, and stealth, fostering a flexible and strategic approach to combat. However, many reviews highlight that while the game starts strong with open-ended gameplay and engaging mechanics, it becomes more linear and repetitive in the latter stages, particularly with the introduction of alien enemies that detract from the initial experience. Overall, the game is recognized for its stunning graphics and solid gameplay, though some players find the mechanics dated and the story lacking depth.
- “The gameplay is where it gets interesting; Crysis levels are linear, yet there are many ways to achieve your objective.”
- “The gameplay offers more choice and replay value than most current first-person shooters, the maps are open and the player is granted freedom of choice when it comes to fulfilling his mission.”
- “Crysis showcases its unique gameplay, offering an unparalleled level of interactivity with every element in the game world.”
- “From the moment I started playing, it became clear that this game is a pretentious mess, wrapped in shallow storytelling and clunky mechanics that simply don't hold up.”
- “The mechanics are unpolished, enemies are dull and repetitive, and don't even get me started on the ridiculously broken hacking mini-game, which drags you out of the action constantly.”
- “The gameplay is what hits a rough spot for me.”
optimization
164 mentions
16 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
28 % negative mentions
The optimization of "Crysis" has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, crashes, and frame rate drops, particularly in the latter stages of the game. Despite its impressive graphics for its time, the game struggles to run smoothly on modern hardware, leading to frustration among users who expected better performance from contemporary systems. Overall, while "Crysis" remains a benchmark for graphical fidelity, its poor optimization detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “One of my all-time favorite FPS games, this classic has all the benefits of the excellent CryEngine along with fantastic optimization.”
- “Crysis was for nearly a decade the gold standard for performance: 'sure the server's fast, but will it run Crysis?' Modern systems can still be tasked by the demanding CryEngine in its earliest release.”
- “Runs like crud, low usage, unoptimized.”
- “Sadly, this does mean performance issues even for modern day machines.”
- “It's amazing how an older game like this can hold its ground against modern games in terms of graphics and performance, and Crysis certainly does that.”
stability
159 mentions
6 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, graphical glitches, and game-breaking bugs, particularly in the later levels. While some users experienced minimal issues, many found the game to be a "buggy mess," requiring extensive troubleshooting to enjoy any gameplay. Overall, the game's technical problems significantly detract from the experience, making it difficult to recommend without caution.
- “Runs great.”
- “Now thankfully it works and runs great on my new rig, so that's good.”
- “Very good optimization, engine, it runs great on most systems, and graphics quality is awesome!”
- “Buggy mess; in one level, I had a bug where the enemies turned invincible, but reloading fixed it.”
- “The game crashes almost every five minutes, graphic glitches, stuck AI, sound bugs... it was quite hard to play it until the end because of the crashes.”
- “Even after all these years, the game is infested with game-breaking bugs and glitches.”
music
91 mentions
49 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its orchestral quality and ability to enhance the immersive experience. While some find the soundtrack to be generic or forgettable, others highlight its effectiveness in creating atmosphere and matching gameplay moments. Overall, the audio design, including sound effects and music, contributes significantly to the game's appeal, despite some mixed opinions on its memorability.
- “The audio design, from the atmospheric soundtrack to the sound effects of the jungle and combat, further enhances the immersion and intensity of the gameplay experience.”
- “It boasts a fantastic, high-quality, original soundtrack by an orchestra and a classical composer.”
- “The music is fantastic.”
- “The soundtrack, on the other hand, is quite lacking and uninspiring, so you may have to listen to something else in the background if you value great music.”
- “There, however, isn't much in place of 'soundtrack'; nothing here captivated me musically, which was a bit of a shame, but as a whole, the experience here was great.”
- “I think the music was a little overdone for some bits in the game.”
humor
52 mentions
98 % positive mentions
-4 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of intentional comedic elements and unintentional hilarity stemming from quirky mechanics and AI behavior. Players find joy in the absurdity of ragdoll physics, amusing character interactions, and the often ridiculous situations that arise during gameplay, such as enemy AI mishaps and funny bugs. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with engaging gameplay, making for a lighthearted experience.
- “Ridiculously fun, like the origins of Halo mixed with funny mechanics and GMod-style ragdolls = a funny game that's cool.”
- “Additionally, the AI can be very unaware and ineffective, leading to some unintentionally hilarious situations.”
- “Sometimes their collision system is funny; for example, when a large group of KPA soldiers hears a sound, they'll try to hide and start colliding with each other and fall down.”
- “The humor in the game falls flat, overshadowed by its numerous bugs.”
- “The jokes are stale and fail to land, making the experience more frustrating than funny.”
- “I expected a lot of laughs, but the humor feels forced and unoriginal.”
atmosphere
51 mentions
61 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by impressive audio design, stunning graphics, and detailed environments. Many players highlight the combination of realistic sound effects and atmospheric music, which contribute to a captivating experience, particularly in key moments like alien missions. However, some reviews note inconsistencies in the overall experience, with a few describing the atmosphere as lacking excitement in certain areas.
- “The audio design, from the atmospheric soundtrack to the sound effects of the jungle and combat, further enhances the immersion and intensity of the gameplay experience.”
- “The visuals, the sounds, detail and atmosphere of the islands are gorgeous, immersive, outstanding and a remarkable triumph of game design.”
- “Crysis is rich with atmosphere and freedom of movement, offering a modest range of possibilities to deal with various scenarios.”
- “The story is shallow, the gameplay is broken, and the atmosphere is as exciting as a damp basement.”
- “It does nothing to increase the atmosphere.”
- “Gameplay, atmosphere, story, quests, characters - very mediocre.”
replayability
44 mentions
18 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
Crysis offers a mixed bag in terms of replayability; while some players appreciate the open-ended nature and multiple strategies for completing missions, others find the linear storyline and lack of collectibles limit its replay value. Many reviews highlight that the game can be enjoyable to revisit, especially on higher difficulty settings, but overall, the consensus leans towards a moderate replayability score, with some players feeling it lacks significant incentive to replay after the initial experience.
- “The open-ended nature of Crysis adds another layer of depth and replayability to the game.”
- “The gameplay offers more choice and replay value than most current first-person shooters; the maps are open and the player is granted freedom of choice when it comes to fulfilling his mission.”
- “Dynamic and tactical combat, almost infinitely replayable, with big levels that offer great amounts of options.”
- “Crysis is a solidly good FPS but ultimately it isn't extremely innovative and in terms of freedom of choice it is very linear, causing it to significantly lack replayability as a result (only 1 ending).”
- “Overall: 8/10, good game, worth buying, good storyline and combat mechanics, fun to run around killing AI with trucks and military vehicle guns and so on, replayability is 0/10 because the storyline is 80% of the sticking point; it's almost impossible to play again and enjoy unless you're trying to achieve a personal goal with a different difficulty.”
- “The game is also very short; you can beat this in eight hours or less, and despite the open world environment, the story is so linear there's barely any replay value.”
grinding
23 mentions
13 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
70 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many describing it as a chore that detracts from the overall experience. The combat, particularly against bosses and aliens, is often criticized for being generic and drawn-out, leading to a sense of boredom. While some appreciate the game's graphics, they feel it is ultimately overhyped and lacks engaging gameplay, making it a grind for many.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “If you like Halo, but wish it was more tedious, try this out.”
- “Boring, tedious, overrated and overhyped due to its graphical benchmark; this game is a glorified benchmark in regards to flexing with PC gamers.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is simplistic and predictable, the single innovation isn't really used to its full potential, and the gameplay gets stale quickly and remains tedious from that point on.”
monetization
20 mentions
15 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for its perceived cash grab nature, particularly with the release of a remaster that some feel relies on deceptive advertising and lacks substantial improvements. While there are no microtransactions or intrusive ads, players express frustration over the game's installation process and the presence of unskippable promotional content. Overall, the monetization strategy has left a negative impression, overshadowing the game's otherwise strong gameplay and graphics.
- “It's not advertisement; if you don't believe me, you can try it for yourself.”
- “=== Microtransactions / DLC Policy ===”
- “☑️ No microtransactions, thank you!”
- “What a shame, first to use deceptive advertising and second to refuse a refund because it went a couple hours beyond the 'two hour' limit.”
- “Another cash grab by Steam.”
- “Started life as an advertisement for the Crytek engine.”
emotional
14 mentions
79 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
Overall, the emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews. While some players found the story to be unengaging and lacking in emotional depth, others noted that it became gripping as they progressed, evoking a sense of investment in the battles. Additionally, the presence of animals and destructible environments added a layer of enjoyment, though many felt that the game ultimately prioritized action over meaningful emotional experiences.
- “Emotional characters.”
- “The story is excellent here, now while I haven't gotten too far in the story, I've gotten to the point where it's actually starting to grip me, making me want to fight in the battles that occur later on, it gets extremely emotional.”
- “Almost shed a tear when I saw it in the $20 bin at Walmart one day for PS3.”
- “Boring storyline, jittery, bugs.”
- “If you can deal with the dead multiplayer, broken stealth, and boring story, this is the best game to test your hardware, and is not at all just a technical showcase.”
- “Often, Crysis was referred to as 'a graphic tech demo with some gameplay' and a boring story.”
character development
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking, with many reviewers noting minimal depth and connection to characters, particularly the main protagonist and antagonists. While some praise the character design and voice acting, the overall consensus is that more substantial development and lore would enhance the experience, as many characters feel forgettable and underdeveloped.
- “The character development and voice acting are top-notch, further immersing players in the game's world and its memorable cast of characters.”
- “☑ has depth and character development.”
- “The story was quite interesting, but I could have done with a bit more character development as the characters just seem to be dropped in at will.”
- “I think a little more character development and lore would not have hurt, but helped make this more enjoyable.”
- “The campaign was lackluster, no serious character development.”
- “The character development is not there, and there is really no connection to your fellow soldiers.”