Crystalline

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"Crystalline" is a single-player romance role-playing game with an intriguing story and good mechanics set in a fantasy world powered by magical crystals. The game features exceptional visuals, an excellent soundtrack, and plenty of humor, but it is also plagued by bugs. Players will journey through an expansive world, shaping their story and relationships with hundreds of decisions, as they uncover the mystery behind their arrival in this emotional adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,184 reviews

story430 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features beautiful artwork and animations, enhancing the overall experience.
The voice acting is well done, bringing the characters to life and adding depth to their interactions.
The story, while somewhat predictable, is engaging and filled with humor, making it a fun and enjoyable experience.

The game has only one romance option, which may disappoint players looking for multiple routes.
Some choices feel inconsequential and do not significantly impact the story, leading to a sense of linearity.
The mini-games included in the gameplay are overly simplistic and do not add much to the overall experience.

story
1,119 mentions
38 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story of "Crystalline" is generally described as a standard isekai narrative, featuring a protagonist transported to a fantasy world where they must navigate various adventures and relationships. While some reviewers find the plot predictable and clichéd, many appreciate the character development and humor woven throughout the story, which keeps it engaging. Overall, the game is praised for its emotional depth and well-crafted characters, despite criticisms regarding its linearity and lack of significant plot twists.
- “The story is engaging, sprinkling various interactions between your main character and heroines throughout the story while doing a great job at preserving various emotional tones.”
- “The story is beautifully crafted and has me hungering for more with each line.”
- “Crystalline is a fantastic visual novel, with beautiful art, solid voice acting and an amazing story to tie it all together.”
- “The story and characters are fairly average, mainly just an isekai plot where you fight an evil monster at the end and save the girl.”
- “If you're looking for a deeper plot and character growth, then look elsewhere.”
- “The story is very generic, it is very linear, and orthodox.”
humor
216 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and ability to evoke genuine laughter, with many players highlighting the hilarious character interactions and witty dialogue options. The comedic elements are well-integrated into the narrative, balancing lighthearted moments with emotional depth, making it a memorable experience for fans of visual novels. However, some humor may not resonate with everyone, as a few references and jokes were noted as cringeworthy or overly reliant on pop culture.
- “The interaction between characters and the level of humor in the game suit my taste.”
- “It's funny, romantic, fantastic visuals, music, sounds, and dialogue.”
- “The humor is outstanding and also clean, only going blue at a few points or leaving things at innuendo.”
music
194 mentions
49 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers praising its emotional depth and suitability for various scenes. While some noted a desire for more variety and expressed that certain tracks felt repetitive, the majority found the soundtrack to be memorable and well-crafted, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere. Overall, the music is considered a strong point, complementing the visuals and narrative effectively.
- “The music, stellar as always, Eric Benaim creates such amazing pieces of music for the game and sets the mood right for any situation that happens in the story.”
- “The game is woven together with a lovely soundtrack and well-crafted background art.”
- “The music fits the game perfectly and most of the tracks I find to be most appealing.”
- “The music is okay but I wish there was a bit more variety at times.”
- “The artwork is beautiful, and while the soundtrack can tend to be a tad repetitive, it complements the scenes and events quite adequately.”
- “In my opinion, the 'poppy, cheerful' standard background music becomes a little dull after a time and does not really suit every scenery - I would like more variety there, because in some scenes it's just inhibiting the atmosphere that could have been built up with a more fitting tune.”
graphics
188 mentions
61 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Crystalline" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning artwork, vibrant character designs, and smooth animations that enhance the visual storytelling experience. While many reviewers praised the overall aesthetic and the quality of the animated sprites, some noted occasional issues with model lag and reused backgrounds, which detracted slightly from the immersion. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a significant highlight, contributing to its engaging narrative and character development.
- “The artwork is stunning, and although some assets are definitely reused several times, the major cities, temples, and big moments have very unique artwork that flesh the world out more, and make the game stand out.”
- “Not only is the artwork clean and appealing, the characters are fully animated, changing expressions and poses smoothly during dialogue.”
- “The visuals and artwork, animation, voice acting, interface, and writing have all progressed to the next level, with the live2d animation in particular standing out as visually impressive.”
- “I'll start with the graphics: the backgrounds, the art style, and so on are great, but the models sometimes lagged, caused some stuttering, and just look a bit stiff.”
- “The lack of visuals at times is also apparent when you visit all kinds of new places, and you see old backgrounds being reused.”
- “For a visual novel, this game crashes as often as action games that are graphic intensive.”
emotional
98 mentions
98 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and genuine character interactions, often evoking strong feelings of joy and sadness among players. Many reviewers noted that the narrative is both heartwarming and engaging, with moments that can lead to tears, particularly during pivotal scenes and character developments. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with emotional depth, creating a memorable experience that resonates deeply with players.
- “I cried with this game.”
- “The story is simply amazing; it actually managed to drag emotions out of me I have not felt for quite some time. The characters are dynamic, and you grow quite emotionally attached to every single one.”
- “Trust me, this visual novel is an emotional roller coaster.”
- “I loved Ace Academy, but this game is just full of pointless conversations, stretched-out dialogue, bland characters, and a boring story.”
- “This game is no mere hentai game with a boring story; it has a great story, funny moments, and it's really entertaining.”
gameplay
51 mentions
20 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Crystalline is primarily focused on visual novel mechanics, involving minimal interaction such as making choices and engaging in simple mini-games, which some players find lacking in depth. While the story and character development are praised, many reviews highlight that the gameplay feels shallow and often tedious, with some mechanics being overly simplistic or uninspired. Overall, the game is more about narrative experience than traditional gameplay, appealing mainly to fans of the visual novel genre.
- “I’ve played for 12 hours now and it looks like there might be plenty more gameplay to come!”
- “The gameplay is smooth and fairly polished.”
- “The blend of QTE gameplay at appropriate moments and standard VN choice trees fits well, and makes the experience feel more like playing a fantasy RPG than a VN, except with about 12x as much story due to the lack of combat grinding.”
- “Gameplay is non-existent or irrelevant.”
- “In most cases, there is zero gameplay.”
- “The rest of the gameplay kind of reminds me of mini-games I played as a kid... meaning you match the pictures together or click on them in a pattern... and that's it.”
character development
36 mentions
47 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting the depth and complexity of the characters, making them feel three-dimensional and relatable. The story is well-written, featuring engaging interactions and emotional moments that enhance the overall experience. While some critiques mention a lack of variety in character designs, the overall consensus is that the character development significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a standout in the visual novel genre.
- “The story and character development is amazing, and for only 15 bucks, it's a steal.”
- “The way the character development is written makes the characters feel very three-dimensional and real.”
- “Character development is evident across its engrossing cast of characters, and the story is compelling, with both characters and background being built out in a believable way across the world of the game.”
- “I could accept the limiting to a single romance route as a tradeoff for increased character development/better story, but instead we got a singular romantic route and nothing in return.”
- “Character development is a bit drab, but can be ignored due to the minor 'slice of life' themes going on in-between the characters you interact with.”
- “I assume part of that has to do with the fact that Pixelfade wanted to focus more on character development than action, but there needs to be more of a balance in later episodes, however more there are left to be released.”
replayability
20 mentions
30 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers multiple endings and dialogue choices, many players feel that the ability to easily access different outcomes diminishes its long-term value. Some reviews highlight a lack of significant replay value compared to other visual novels, particularly those with more diverse storylines and character interactions. Despite these criticisms, many players still find the initial experience enjoyable, suggesting that while replayability may be limited, the game can still provide a memorable first playthrough.
- “The story was heartfelt and the game is very replayable.”
- “While being more linear than most visual novels, it still has a very strong presence and replayability.”
- “Replayability is a huge thing, and while it isn't commonplace in most visual novels, I found that Pixelfade's previous work actually managed a replayability that I almost never see.”
- “My final gripe with this game would be replayability, and that there isn't any.”
- “I will admit though that the game does somewhat lack replayability due to this lack of different outcomes, but I guess the game is still in early access and also the game is mostly in the 'training sequence' part so this might change in the future.”
- “I'm a little disappointed that there is only one route because the multiple routes bit really added to the replayability of Ace Academy, so I'm hoping the dev team will read this and see that.”
optimization
15 mentions
67 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while the graphics and voice acting are commendable, players have reported issues such as model lag, stuttering, and occasional crashes. Some scenes suffer from awkward character animations and physics glitches, indicating that further optimization is needed to enhance the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game performs relatively well for an early access title, with only a few crashes reported over extended play sessions.
- “The voice acting performances are stellar.”
- “All the characters are fully voice acted and the performances are by and large excellent, especially for a smaller studio's second ever game.”
- “For an early access game, the performance is very good and it crashed only about 3 times in 9 hours.”
- “I'll start with the graphics: the backgrounds, the art style, and so on are great, but the models sometimes lagged, caused some stuttering, and just look a bit stiff.”
- “I will note that the engine needs a bit of optimization work, as there were some weird pauses and the characters would just pop up as if they were being 'spawned' and the hilarious, erm, physics acted up.”
atmosphere
15 mentions
60 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by high-quality art, engaging music, and well-crafted lore that draws players into its world. While the cheerful background music is noted as occasionally repetitive, it generally complements the lighthearted tone of the game. Overall, players appreciate the emotional depth and character interactions that contribute to a captivating experience, despite some minor criticisms regarding the inclusion of mini-games that disrupt immersion.
- “The words themselves describe and build up the atmosphere in correlation with the art, which was on a whole different level.”
- “Amazing atmosphere, interesting characters (although they're not too extremely special) and it sometimes really gives you the feeling of actually being in this world.”
- “The tracks fit in like gloves, embedded in situations during the game to create amazing atmospheres (it can really get you emotional, so prepare tissues).”
- “In my opinion, the 'poppy, cheerful' standard background music becomes a little dull after a time and does not really suit every scenery - I would like more variety there, because in some scenes it's just inhibiting the atmosphere that could have been built up with a more fitting tune.”
- “I thought I was playing a 'Tales of' game; it has that same atmosphere and quality of story, just skipping out the combat and rushing through the main storyline.”
- “A few words are said differently by different characters; it's not an issue, it is just part of this game's atmosphere which so far is done very well.”
stability
12 mentions
17 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs, freezes, and glitches, particularly during basic features like auto-skip and loading screens. While some players experienced smooth gameplay with minimal issues, others faced frequent crashes and visual anomalies, indicating that the game may still require substantial polishing, especially since it is in early access. Overall, the stability appears to vary widely among users, with a notable number expressing frustration over the game's performance.
- “Everything was done flawlessly, and there are no glitches.”
- “$20 USD is a bit pricey but a fair value for a quality title with no glitches or other problems.”
- “Very buggy when trying to use some very basic features for a visual novel, such as auto-skip.”
- “I've updated everything and also deleted and reinstalled this game 4 times and it freezes at the same exact point, which is a shame.”
- “I think I experienced about 6 game freezes going through episodes 1-3.”
grinding
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the non-restrictive branching choices in the game, which contrasts with other visual novels that require exact selections, making the experience feel less tedious. The integration of quick-time events and standard choice trees enhances the gameplay, providing a refreshing RPG-like experience without the burden of combat grinding.
- “The blend of QTE gameplay at appropriate moments and standard VN choice trees fits well, and makes the experience feel more like playing a fantasy RPG than a VN, except with about 12 times as much story due to the lack of combat grinding.”