Niahak's Place

Crystalis – Action/RPG – NES
SNK

So yesterday I looked at a PS2 Action/RPG. Today’s game is an NES Action/RPG which is largely unheard of, but it’s still a great game.
Crystalis starts off with actual story, something that most NES games left for the instruction books – there was a large-scale, near-apocalyptic war fought on October 1, 1997 (I wonder where they came up with that…). 100 years after the war, strange creatures have taken over much of the world and humans eke out a living in small towns. The war resulted in the building of a floating tower, which is still told about in legends as being able to stop evil. It is said there is going to be another war; you’re there to stop all that.
You wake up outside a small town, where the village elder gives you a sword and tells you to go see a sage living nearby. From there, the plot develops quite well. In fact, by the end of the game, I felt the plot was one of the best the genre has to offer.
Gameplay is similar to Zelda or Final Fantasy Adventure. You have a sword (you will find 5 different ones on your travels – enemies weak against one may be strong against another) which you can charge up to shoot a bolt of energy. There are several tools you can acquire, from jumping boots to gas masks, as well as several magic spells.
Music and graphics are both pleasing to the senses, and the whole game is quite well-done. I know there is a remake on the Game Boy Color, but I have not played it – I have heard it is not great.
All told, an excellent game. I recommend it.

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