Crystalis

"A HORRIBLE port!"

I don't like being harsh in reviews, but having played and thoroughly enjoying the NES version and after seeing if this port does the original version justice, I must say I am not pleased at all. The fact that there are nice looking story pictures doesn't save this game by a longshot.

Story: 8
Basically the same story from the NES version, but changed so smaller children can play it (I'm guessing). The reason this port is crap is not because of this at all, however...

Gameplay: 10
I have to give this a 10 because after all, it's the same game. You have to find four swords (Air, Fire, Water and Thunder), explore the world and stop the enemy from forging magic and technology. On the way you meet up with Mesia, your partner (girlfriend?), who was frozen at the same time as you. You learn a large amount of magic spells, some used in combat, others used strategically. You can also buy from an assortment of cool armors and shields. Although the game world is kind of linear in design, it is very, very big and fun to explore. It's a great game! Too bad this port is absolutely wretched...

Graphics: 3
What happened here!? Hm, lemme see how I can describe this port's graphics...if you take an NES, slow its processing speed down by 50% and then try playing Crystalis, you'll get an accurate depiction of how the GBC port looks. The scrolling is not smooth at all (it almost looks as if they did the scrolling in a tile based way instead of line by line). The way characters move on screen makes them look as if they're missing frames of animation. They may have used the same sprites from the NES version, which was a smart move, but they cannot be fully enjoyed because of the choppy framerate.

Big deal, the game has some nice fullscreen pictures...that's basically the only new thing in this version. This addition is obviously NOT enough to merit a rebuy of this game. In fact, all the extras in the world wouldn't make me get it.

Sound/Music: 1
The NES sound effects were great, as was the music (I loved the final temple song). Guess what? I'TS ALL GONE! Not only that, the sounds and songs they were replaced with are extremely unfitting and lackluster. Grrr.

Control: 4
I can't tell if the control is bad because of the choppy graphics or because the control genuinely reeks, but it reeks no matter what the case may be. At the beginning of the game, the weak tigers were even slightly hard to hit. Is this their way of increasing the challenge or something???

Replay Value: 6
If you can get past the REPULSIVE graphics, audio and control, then you will want to play through this game a second time (how in the name of all that is sacred did you keep your sanity playing through the FIRST time!?).

Bottom Line?
If you have the NES version, be happy that you have it and RUN FAR FAR AWAY from this port! RUN FAR FAR AWAY even if you don't! Go get the NES version at Funco Land for a much lower price and enjoy one of the best 8 bit adventure games ever made. The GBC is supposed to be better and more powerful, but this game makes the GBC look weaker than the NES, not to mention the sound is disgusting and the controls make progressing through the game way too frustrating, which is why I give it a 5.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/01, Updated 06/21/01