The world ended in nuclear fire, and you awaken from a hundred-year sleep into a post-apocalyptic landscape where technology and magic have collided into one wondrous world. So begins Crystalis — an action RPG that to this day ranks among the most ambitious and at the same time most underappreciated titles on the NES.
The story unfolds after a devastating war in the year 2097, and from the very start it breathes a distinctive atmosphere: the ruins of civilization, nature come back to life, tribes and mysterious towers. Here the studio SNK blended a top-down action combat system with fluid controls that in many respects recalls the Zelda series, but it charts its own course. You have at your disposal swords of the four elements, which can be charged for stronger attacks, along with a set of spells and a gradually growing arsenal.
Against purely action-based clones, Crystalis sets itself apart with a deeper RPG layer. Your character gains experience, grows stronger, learns new incantations, and so combat carries weight — it's not just swinging a sword, but the gradual building of a hero capable of facing ever more dangerous threats. The chargeable elemental swords also force you to think about which element to deploy against which enemy.
On the NES the game excels both technically and in design: a vast world to explore, a decent amount of text and storytelling, fluid animations, and a soundtrack that burrows into memory. It's no wonder Crystalis built up a devoted fan base that to this day calls it one of the console's best but little-appreciated works.
The game later received a remake on the Game Boy Color, which is, however, controversial among fans — it changed the story and the atmosphere, and for many the original remains the clearly better version.
Why play: For a post-apocalyptic world full of ideas and the combination of action with a real RPG — Crystalis is a quiet gem of the NES that deserves far more attention.
Game 19 of 120 for Nintendo NES
