Crystals of Time

About

"Crystals of Time" is a mystery adventure game featuring Ashley Ford, a skilled thief seeking her missing father. Armed with a time-traveling crystal, Ashley explores the secrets of the Three Oak Mansion across 80 hand-drawn scenes, solving 24 mini-games and hidden object scenes. The game offers a classic gameplay experience with an atmospheric soundtrack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 507 reviews

story38 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a nice soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere.
The hint system is generous and helps players progress when they are stuck.
The puzzles are varied and provide a decent challenge, making the gameplay engaging.

The story is weak and ends abruptly, leaving players unsatisfied.
There is excessive backtracking required, often forcing players to revisit the same locations multiple times.
Some objects are poorly defined or misnamed, leading to confusion during hidden object scenes.

story
174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
59%
20%
The story in this game is generally perceived as weak and lacking depth, with many players noting its abrupt ending and minimal character development. While some found the premise interesting, the execution often felt disjointed and unengaging, relying heavily on backtracking and repetitive hidden object puzzles that detracted from the narrative experience. Overall, the game fails to deliver a compelling storyline, making it less appealing for those seeking a rich narrative alongside gameplay.
- “The story is pleasant and preposterous, in the manner of hidden object games, and everything pretty much plays out in the regular way.”
- “The story is also there; you follow the story of a young thief in search of her father.”
- “The story elements are pretty good, but the game fails in most other aspects.”
- “The story, which might've been its saving grace, was lacking so much.”
- “Very dull, lacks character development, no voice acting, slow lackluster story that ends abruptly.”
- “The story is pretty much non-existent and the characters are uninteresting.”
music
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
5%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as atmospheric, relaxing, and fitting for the game's mood, though it suffers from repetitiveness and occasional silence. While some players appreciate the haunting quality of the soundtrack, others note that it can become tedious due to limited variety and looping issues. Overall, the music enhances the experience but could benefit from a broader selection and more consistent playback.
- “I really loved the soundtrack the most.”
- “The visuals were attractive, and the atmosphere generated by the music was pleasant, often evocative and only rarely annoying.”
- “The music is actually pretty good, rather haunting.”
- “The soundtrack is bad and it will accompany you through the entire game, and you have a lot of backtrack to make.”
- “There's only one song in the game, and it plays in a loop.”
- “Sometimes the music will randomly stop, leaving the game in total silence for a few minutes.”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
36%
12%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful artwork and smooth animations, while others criticize the low resolution, grainy textures, and dated visuals that can appear blurry on modern displays. Overall, while the visuals are considered decent for the genre, they often lack interactivity and can detract from the gameplay experience. Despite these shortcomings, many players find the graphics satisfactory, especially when considering the game's low price point.
- “The visuals and art were beautiful, the animation and effects were there and ran smoothly, and then there was the nice background music to suit the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The graphics are beautifully rendered and painted.”
- “The scenes are nicely made and the artwork is more cohesive than you find in many others.”
- “Really dated, the graphics seem almost blurry on a new monitor.”
- “As with most mobile ported HOGs, there's a simplistic interface, locked/unchangeable screen resolution, next to no customizability, and somewhat low resolution graphical assets.”
- “The seek and finds are tediously repetitive, the graphics are grainy and low resolution (adding to the tedious nature of the seek and finds) and the ending to the game is ultimately unsatisfying.”
gameplay
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
55%
16%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and clunky, particularly due to the hidden object mechanics and the need for backtracking. While some appreciated the simplicity and the hint system, others criticized the lack of creativity in the time travel mechanic and the overall design choices. Overall, it offers a straightforward experience that may appeal to genre fans, but it lacks depth and innovation.
- “A good little story with some easy-time-passing gameplay.”
- “The puzzles and game mechanics are good, with a few interesting puzzles in there.”
- “Gameplay wise, I am very pleased with the hint system, helping you progress when you're truly stuck.”
- “Granted, this is an older game, but I have played hidden object games older than this one which had better mechanics, directions, and narratives.”
- “The gameplay is a bit clunky, in that it is sometimes difficult to figure out where you need to go, and what you need to do.”
- “The worst part is the gameplay and the presentation; the game is littered with horrible design decisions.”
grinding
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious and repetitive due to excessive backtracking and uninspired hidden object scenes. Players frequently encounter the same locations and puzzles without meaningful progression, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the artwork and music, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding mechanics make the gameplay feel laborious and unengaging.
- “Stay away, this game is one of the worst games of its type that I've ever played. The story is somewhat interesting but there's no hook, no progress, and the ending is boring. Too much backtracking without explanation or story hints, no animation or voice acting, lazy puzzle design which repeats many times in your playthrough. You can't warp, and even though the game isn't that big, since there's so much backtracking, it becomes tedious when you go from one point of the mansion to the other.”
- “However, when you need to travel back and forth across the map to areas you need to search and there are painfully few quick travel points on your map, it makes it beyond tedious.”
- “The seek and finds are tediously repetitive, the graphics are grainy and low resolution (adding to the tedious nature of the seek and finds), and the ending to the game is ultimately unsatisfying.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals and effective background music, which enhances the overall experience. Reviewers note that the music is atmospheric, often melancholic yet modern, and complements the art style well, creating a pleasant and immersive environment. While some areas may lack depth, the combination of art and sound design contributes significantly to the game's ambiance.
- “The visuals and art were beautiful, the animation and effects were there and ran smoothly, and then there was the nice background music to suit the atmosphere of the game.”
- “It had a great atmosphere and the music is truly lovely - melancholic but modern.”
- “In addition to the art, the soundtrack is both simple yet effective, adding to the atmosphere of the game in a substantial way.”
- “The areas themselves don't look so bad, but they don't provide much atmosphere besides 'spooky (maybe haunted) mansion, woo.'”
- “The soundtrack is both simple yet effective, adding to the atmosphere of the game in a substantial way.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent bugs affecting the hidden object feature, unresponsive UI, and instances of freezing upon launch. Players report issues with unclickable spots and glitches, which detract from the overall experience. Despite some creative ideas, the technical shortcomings significantly hinder gameplay.
- “I can't even get this game to work; as soon as I launch it, it freezes and I have to Ctrl + Alt + Del to shut it down.”
- “The UI is horrible compared to newer games and is occasionally buggy.”
- “There were a lot of nice ideas in this game, but that can't save the spotty object clicking, glitches, tough-to-see language, and game length padding searching.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The reviews indicate a consensus that the game lacks significant replayability, with many users expressing disappointment in its minimal replay value and unsatisfactory endings. Overall, players feel that the game does not encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “And the ending was poorly done, but I wouldn't want a refund; I wish there was more replayability.”
- “There is no replayability to this.”
- “Minimal replay value.”
- “Zero replayability.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, reminiscing about childhood experiences that evoke nostalgia. However, the narrative's lack of engagement and coherence detracts from the overall emotional impact, leaving some feeling disconnected despite the initial sentimental ties.
- “I loved I Spy as a child, and this was my first hidden object game; it made me feel at home.”
- “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
- “But then I spent the game seeing and not touching all these gems, diamonds, gold, and crystals, completely ignoring them.”
- “The story is very boring, with a nonsensical sequence of events.”
- “The emotional depth is lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I felt no emotional impact; the narrative failed to engage me.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both hilarious and entertaining, often leading to strong emotional reactions. Many users report that the comedic elements contribute significantly to their enjoyment, making the game addictive and memorable.
- “The ending is hilarious.”
- “It's a fun game; so funny I'm now an addict.”
- “It's funny and entertaining.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is polarizing; some players find it lacking and dull, criticizing the absence of voice acting and a slow, abrupt story, while others praise it for its well-written dialogues and engaging character arcs that enhance the overall experience.
- “Spending several hours in mind battles with the clever puzzles, well-written dialogues, and enticing character development, I must say this is truly a game for the ages.”
- “Very dull, lacks character development, no voice acting, slow lackluster story that ends abruptly.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report that the game's optimization is lacking, leading to harsh performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “The game's performance is harsh and unoptimized.”
- “I experienced significant performance issues that made the game unplayable.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”