Free story-driven RPG experience
Crystal Sea is a free-to-play role-playing game from Abstract Energy Studios. This indie game has all the features of a retro JRPG: pixel graphics and anime-style design, turn-based combat, and story-driven adventure with allies along the way. Here, you play as Libra Spectre, a former healer in the Imperial Army who leaves to find the truth.
With a female protagonist at the helm, Crystal Sea is an immersive game that plays with a lot of ideas such as magic, romance, and even bits of comedy thrown in, leaving you wanting more. Similar games include Eastward or Powers in the Basement.
A short search for truth
Like most indie projects, Crystal Sea suffers from the same problem: short playthrough. It sets up a fantasy world that is quite similar to Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy VI. As you travel, it even introduces you to a host of exciting characters of diverse backgrounds—a common trope in JRPG games. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have much content, allowing you to go through the game in less than an hour.
Still, it’s enjoyable in its own way. It offers two movement options: walking and running. There are even a couple of elements that make you examine everything. You walk into rivers, check ponds, and more. Add an intuitive turn-based combat system and a couple of puzzles along the way, and you have something to work with for the next hour.
Lastly, the art style is also true to the genre. You have pixel art for the rest of the game, combined with anime-style artwork for the characters. It even uses chiptune music, which remains fun to listen to, despite being dated and on low resolution. You can enjoy everything this game offers with smooth and optimized performance and essentially no game-breaking bugs.
A quick and fun JRPG
Overall, Crystal Sea is suitable for casual JRPG fans. It’s better to treat it as a quick adventure and not invest too much because it ends rather quickly. It sets up a good world, introduces you to a likable cast of characters, and employs gameplay mechanics that you’d wish would last for longer. Since it doesn’t cost anything, you might include it in your next casual gaming session.
