Rishabh Borde
Games with a unique aesthetic always tend to capture the imagination, and Modus games upcoming Japanese role playing title ‘Cris Tales’ is one of them. First revealed during E3 2019, ‘Cris Tales’ is an ode to games of old presented from a new perspective, in more ways than you might think.
However, don’t be fooled by the pleasing exterior; ‘Cris Tales’ also has some very unique gameplay concepts behind it that elevate it above and beyond just another pretty face. Inspired by classic role playing titles such as ‘Persona 5’ and ‘Bravely Default’, ‘Cris Tales’ seeks to put its own spin on the classic JRPG genre loved by millions across the world. Read on to find out everything we know about ‘Cris Tales’
Cris Tales Plot: What is it About?
You play as a young girl named Crisbell who possesses a very potent super power – she can view her past and her future from where she stands in the present. The Steam page for the game describes it as follows:
“Crisbell must embark across Crystallis and the four Kingdoms in a bid to stop the powerful Time Empress and rewrite the future of the world and all those living in it. Along the way, she’ll meet and recruit powerful allies with their own unique stories and skills like Matias the Frog and Willhelm the Child Mage.”
The entire world of ‘Cris Tales’ is full hand drawn and each frame is animated individually to create a truly memorable game experience. This theme is also apparent in the game’s central mechanic – looking back into the past to change the future. Together with a time traveling debonair yellow frog named Matias, Crisbell can travel freely across past, present and future, all on the same screen. At any given time, Crisbell is surrounded by the present, the left side is a gateway to the past, and the right side is a portal into the future. All three states exist simultaneously, with Crisbell’s frog Matias able to move across them at will.
Unlike a lot of other games that make time travel their core premise, ‘Cris Tales’ truly commits to the idea. People and things in the future will visibly show their advanced age, while going into the past also turns back the clock for Matias the frog, who becomes Matias the tadpole. Actions in the present based on knowledge of the past have the potential to change the outcome in the future, and ‘Cris Tales’ lets you see those consequences in real time.
The storyline of ‘Cris Tales’ will take place across 5 distinct regions with branched pathways and endings that depends heavily on the choices you make along the way.
Cris Tales Gameplay
‘Cris Tales’ is a role playing game inspired by the classic JRPGs of old but presented from a flat 2D perspective. The central gameplay mechanic is, of course, the game’s time traveling system. The screen is divided into three distinct sections; the area surrounding Cris Bell represents the current timeline, the area to the left represents a time in the past at the very same location, and the area to the left represents the future, which is contingent on the player character’s decisions during the present.
However, while Crisbell can view all three states of time, she cannot move across them. On the other hand, her trusty amphibian companion certainly can. Matias can move freely between the past and present scenarios, and can tangibly affect them by completing a series of simple quests and tasks.
The combat is ‘Cris Tales’ is also very reminiscent of old school JRPGs such as ‘Fire Emblem’ and ‘Final Fantasy VII’. It uses a turn based Active Time battle system, with characters employing basic attacks, special attacks, supplementary abilities, defensive guards and items to gain an edge in battle. However, what sets ‘Cris Tales’ apart is how the game incorporates its time traveling mechanic into the combat as well. Just like before, the area left of Crisbell represents the past, while the area on her right visualizes the future. You can use her time travelling powers to send enemies way back in time, or far into the future. This can have a fairly tangible impact on the encounter, as younger enemies tend to be faster but rather unskilled, as opposed to the future when the same enemy becomes older and wiser, but also slower and significantly less durable.
Sometimes, the time traveling mechanic serves as a tactical option while taking on extremely tough boss battles, where you may need to take specific targeted action in the present in order to expose the boss in the future.
Cris Tales Developers: Who Are The People Behind It?
‘Cris Tales’ is being developed by newly founded indie video game development studios Dreams Uncorporated and Syck. It is published by Modus Games, best known for publishing titles such as ‘Trine 4’ and ‘Extinction’. The game’s principal creator is Colombian developer Carlos Rocha, who was heavily inspired by the architecture of his home country when designing the game world of ‘Cris Tales’. This is fairly apparent from some of the in game locations that mirror real places in Colombia, as well as how the NPCs are dressed. Even the lovable time hopping frog Matias is inspired by the appreciably more deadly Colombian Golden Poison Frog.
Cris Tales Release Date: When And Where Can I Play It?
‘Cris Tales’ is set to launch on an as yet unconfirmed date sometime in 2020. At launch, it will reportedly be available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch.
Cris Tales Trailer
You can view the incredibly detailed, fairy tale like trailer for ‘Cris Tales’ right here:
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