Crystalis
Encyclopedia
Crystalis, known in Japan as , is an action RPG
/action-adventure
video game produced by SNK
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
. It was released on April 13, 1990 in Japan and later that July in the United States. Though Crystalis never became a runaway hit, it is now considered a cult classic
. The game's initial success prompted a release for the Game Boy Color
by Nintendo Software Technology
in , which is generally considered more of a remake than a simple port
. Many changes were made to the story, music, and other aspects of the game, upsetting many fans of the original.
The game begins with a man's awakening from a cryogenic sleep
one hundred years after a global nuclear war
. Even though he is unable to recall his name or who he was, he begins to discover that he may be the key to save this world from destruction. Aided by four wise sages and a mysterious woman, he rises up against the tyrannical
Draygonia Empire
to ensure that humanity ultimately has a future.
, one hundred years after a global thermonuclear war has reverted civilization to a primitive, medieval
existence populated with fierce mutated
creatures. Science and advanced technology have been abandoned, though the old ways of magic
have survived. The survivors of the terrible destruction built a floating "Tower" to prevent any future cataclysms, as its occupants would have the power to govern the world due to the Tower's weapons systems. A man known as Emperor Draygon, however, has revived the forbidden ways of science and combined them with magic. With these skills, he controls the world's last remaining military power and seeks to conquer what's left of the planet by attempting to enter the Tower.
The protagonist awakens with no memory, but, guided by four wise sages, gradually learns that the world is sinking into turmoil due to the Draygonia Empire's destructive influence. Entrusted with the Sword of Wind, he seeks to aid Mesia, another survivor from his time, and to combine the four elemental Swords of Wind, Fire, Water, and Thunder into the legendary sword, Crystalis. Together, they must defeat Draygon before he uses the Tower to achieve his evil ambitions.
of Crystalis is similar to that of other action RPGs
. The world is presented in a top-down perspective so the player
can move smoothly in eight directions using the control pad
. There are two action buttons; one is used for attacking with a sword
, and the secondary button is mapped to a chosen action, such as a magical power
or an item from the player's inventory. The start and select buttons bring up the status screen and the inventory menu, respectively. In addition, the player can equip various suits of armor and shield
s. Defeating monsters allows the player to gain experience point
s and levels, which boost his health
, defense, and attack strength.
The primary means of defeating monsters is through the use of the four swords scattered throughout the game (the fifth sword, Crystalis, is only obtained at the very end). The swords are capable of both normal slashes and powered-up attacks that launch energy projectiles. Each of the four swords is imbued with a distinct elemental power (wind, fire, water, and thunder), making each sword more effective than the others in various situations. The elemental nature of each sword also provides a necessary means of traversing otherwise impassable obstacles; certain barriers succumb to the power blasts of individual swords, and the Sword of Water creates a bridge of ice across some shallow, narrow sections of rivers., also some enemies are immune to certain types of elements and must be killed using their opposite element(Ice creatures are weak against fire). Also some bosses and enemies require a certain level for you to even get a hit on them, even if you use the correct sword.
The method of control is similar to the earlier NES action-adventure game
, The Legend of Zelda. The main difference is that the emphasis is much less on puzzle-solving and more on the combat. The player is also not limited to moving in the four cardinal directions, but can also move diagonally, allowing for smoother control; in this way, the mechanics are similar to those in the later The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
for the SNES
(and its 2D
sequels). In the Game Boy Color version, the player can also jump over enemies, and certain enemies can puddle and slide under the sword's reach, such as those in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
. The gameplay of Crystalis is perhaps best described as having Zelda-style combat blended with traditional RPG spell-casting and earning of experience points.
male protagonist
(named Simea by default in the Game Boy Color version) and his female accomplice, Mesia, are scientists who were cryogenically frozen
, to be released when the tower began to activate. The protagonist is assisted by four sages named Zebu, Tornel, Asina, and Kensu, primarily in learning magic spells and gaining information about the world and the quest. They are encountered frequently throughout the game, and the player can seek their advice using the Telepathy
spell. In the GBC version, the sages are each responsible for creating one of the four swords: Zebu for Wind, Tornel for Fire, Asina for Water, and Kensu for Thunder. The original game does not mention who forged the ancient swords.
There are also four recurring boss characters, "Dragonia's Finest Four." Comprising this group are a warrior named General Kelbesque, Sabera the Witch, the Swordsman Mado, and Karmine the Wizard. Each of them has a distinct elemental weakness, and with the exception of Karmine, each is encountered twice during the adventure. Though not the final adversary in the game, Emperor Draygon is the ultimate antagonist
and the root of all of evil in Crystalis. After defeating him in his human form, the hero encounters him again and reveals his true, dragon
-like form. After defeating Draygon a second time, the hero gains access to the Tower for a final showdown with a machine called DYNA.
gained the license to re-release Crystalis for the Game Boy Color
on June 26, 2000. This version, however, is a significantly different game, exemplified by a different opening sequence. The nature of the Tower's origin and its purpose were fundamentally altered, with the Tower now being a weapon created by the game's antagonist, and the protagonist has been elevated to a hero of ancient prophecy
destined to save the world.
Other major changes include an almost completely new soundtrack, re-translation differences (for example, Draygon is now known as Dragonia, as in the Japanese version) and rewriting of story-items and events (Kensu's Body and the dialogue in the Dwarven village, for example). The game now has a longer end due to the incorporation of a new dungeon, the Tower dungeon being redone, and re-ordering of the ultimate and penultimate boss battles, excluded from the original game due to space constraints (Draygon's second form serves as the final boss in the remake as opposed to DYNA). Also, a digital voice was added to state the name of each sword upon discovery.
Unlike the original version, enemies are no longer immune to certain elemental swords, negating the strategic element of continually switching between weapons during the game. The reduced resolution
of the Game Boy Color screen, compared to that of the NES, results in a field of view far smaller than in the original, making the GBC port
considerably more difficult, as it is much more difficult to see approaching enemies in time to deal with them, and some enemies can attack the player from off-screen. Due to these and various other modifications to the plot, soundtrack, and gameplay
, the Game Boy Color version is largely seen as an inferior release.
and high quality soundtrack, and also for its elaborate plot. The main criticism of the game was its repetitive gameplay, as many enemies can be overcome by continuous rapid pressing of one button. Some reviewers have also mentioned flawed collision detection
, which sometimes allows enemies to harm the player without visibly coming in contact with him. In December 2005, Nintendo Power ranked the NES
release of Crystalis at #115 in a list of the 200 best games ever to appear on a Nintendo
system, the "NP Top 200".
The Game Boy Color port
was not received as favorably, the majority of reviews citing it as an inferior copy, due to reduced screen resolution and altered plot, as well as the fact that the game is seen as "dated" compared to more recently made games. The music is regarded as one of the port's worst aspects, said to be "annoying" and "begs to be turned down." The port was given an 8.0 rating by the gaming site IGN
, however, which denotes an "impressive" game, but the reviewer in question had not played the original game. IGN criticized the game for being too linear
and having a low difficulty level but praised the game for its large world and visually detailed "cinema cutscenes". GameSpot
also gave the Game Boy Color port an 8.0, saying of the original NES release: "Crystalis' sheer depth - and the quality of its presentation - was without peer, and it is still regarded as a milestone title in the [action RPG] genre."
anime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and some aspects of the art design appear to be, as well (for example, the giant insect boss in the swamp appears almost identical to the Ohmu giant insects seen in the movie). The "Valley of Wind village, Leaf" also may have been influenced by Nausicaä. Two of the characters from Crystalis are subtle nods to earlier SNK
characters who later became part of The King of Fighters series; the latter two sages, Kensu and Asina, are based on Kensou Sie and Athena Asamiya
from the Psycho Soldier
arcade game. In The King of Fighters series, Kensou is well-known for his obsession with Athena, a quality demonstrated even in Crystalis.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
/action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game produced by SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It was released on April 13, 1990 in Japan and later that July in the United States. Though Crystalis never became a runaway hit, it is now considered a cult classic
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. The game's initial success prompted a release for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
by Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation is an American-based first-party developer for the Japanese video game corporation Nintendo. NST was created to specifically create games for Nintendo consoles for the North American market. Although Claude Comair was co-founder of NST, he retired from his...
in , which is generally considered more of a remake than a simple port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
. Many changes were made to the story, music, and other aspects of the game, upsetting many fans of the original.
The game begins with a man's awakening from a cryogenic sleep
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
one hundred years after a global nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
. Even though he is unable to recall his name or who he was, he begins to discover that he may be the key to save this world from destruction. Aided by four wise sages and a mysterious woman, he rises up against the tyrannical
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
Draygonia Empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
to ensure that humanity ultimately has a future.
Plot summary
Crystalis takes place in a post-apocalyptic worldApocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
, one hundred years after a global thermonuclear war has reverted civilization to a primitive, medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
existence populated with fierce mutated
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
creatures. Science and advanced technology have been abandoned, though the old ways of magic
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
have survived. The survivors of the terrible destruction built a floating "Tower" to prevent any future cataclysms, as its occupants would have the power to govern the world due to the Tower's weapons systems. A man known as Emperor Draygon, however, has revived the forbidden ways of science and combined them with magic. With these skills, he controls the world's last remaining military power and seeks to conquer what's left of the planet by attempting to enter the Tower.
The protagonist awakens with no memory, but, guided by four wise sages, gradually learns that the world is sinking into turmoil due to the Draygonia Empire's destructive influence. Entrusted with the Sword of Wind, he seeks to aid Mesia, another survivor from his time, and to combine the four elemental Swords of Wind, Fire, Water, and Thunder into the legendary sword, Crystalis. Together, they must defeat Draygon before he uses the Tower to achieve his evil ambitions.
Game mechanics
The gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
of Crystalis is similar to that of other action RPGs
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
. The world is presented in a top-down perspective so the player
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
can move smoothly in eight directions using the control pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
. There are two action buttons; one is used for attacking with a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
, and the secondary button is mapped to a chosen action, such as a magical power
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
or an item from the player's inventory. The start and select buttons bring up the status screen and the inventory menu, respectively. In addition, the player can equip various suits of armor and shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s. Defeating monsters allows the player to gain experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s and levels, which boost his health
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
, defense, and attack strength.
The method of control is similar to the earlier NES action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
, The Legend of Zelda. The main difference is that the emphasis is much less on puzzle-solving and more on the combat. The player is also not limited to moving in the four cardinal directions, but can also move diagonally, allowing for smoother control; in this way, the mechanics are similar to those in the later The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, known as in Japan, is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console, and the third installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was first released in Japan in 1991, and was...
for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(and its 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
sequels). In the Game Boy Color version, the player can also jump over enemies, and certain enemies can puddle and slide under the sword's reach, such as those in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, known as in Japan, is a 1993 action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy...
. The gameplay of Crystalis is perhaps best described as having Zelda-style combat blended with traditional RPG spell-casting and earning of experience points.
Characters
The anonymousAnonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
male protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
(named Simea by default in the Game Boy Color version) and his female accomplice, Mesia, are scientists who were cryogenically frozen
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
, to be released when the tower began to activate. The protagonist is assisted by four sages named Zebu, Tornel, Asina, and Kensu, primarily in learning magic spells and gaining information about the world and the quest. They are encountered frequently throughout the game, and the player can seek their advice using the Telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
spell. In the GBC version, the sages are each responsible for creating one of the four swords: Zebu for Wind, Tornel for Fire, Asina for Water, and Kensu for Thunder. The original game does not mention who forged the ancient swords.
There are also four recurring boss characters, "Dragonia's Finest Four." Comprising this group are a warrior named General Kelbesque, Sabera the Witch, the Swordsman Mado, and Karmine the Wizard. Each of them has a distinct elemental weakness, and with the exception of Karmine, each is encountered twice during the adventure. Though not the final adversary in the game, Emperor Draygon is the ultimate antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
and the root of all of evil in Crystalis. After defeating him in his human form, the hero encounters him again and reveals his true, dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
-like form. After defeating Draygon a second time, the hero gains access to the Tower for a final showdown with a machine called DYNA.
Game Boy Color version
Nearly ten years after the game's initial release, NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
gained the license to re-release Crystalis for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
on June 26, 2000. This version, however, is a significantly different game, exemplified by a different opening sequence. The nature of the Tower's origin and its purpose were fundamentally altered, with the Tower now being a weapon created by the game's antagonist, and the protagonist has been elevated to a hero of ancient prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
destined to save the world.
Other major changes include an almost completely new soundtrack, re-translation differences (for example, Draygon is now known as Dragonia, as in the Japanese version) and rewriting of story-items and events (Kensu's Body and the dialogue in the Dwarven village, for example). The game now has a longer end due to the incorporation of a new dungeon, the Tower dungeon being redone, and re-ordering of the ultimate and penultimate boss battles, excluded from the original game due to space constraints (Draygon's second form serves as the final boss in the remake as opposed to DYNA). Also, a digital voice was added to state the name of each sword upon discovery.
Unlike the original version, enemies are no longer immune to certain elemental swords, negating the strategic element of continually switching between weapons during the game. The reduced resolution
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
of the Game Boy Color screen, compared to that of the NES, results in a field of view far smaller than in the original, making the GBC port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
considerably more difficult, as it is much more difficult to see approaching enemies in time to deal with them, and some enemies can attack the player from off-screen. Due to these and various other modifications to the plot, soundtrack, and gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
, the Game Boy Color version is largely seen as an inferior release.
Critical reception
The original NES version of Crystalis was praised for its advanced graphics2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
and high quality soundtrack, and also for its elaborate plot. The main criticism of the game was its repetitive gameplay, as many enemies can be overcome by continuous rapid pressing of one button. Some reviewers have also mentioned flawed collision detection
Collision detection
Collision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with its use in video games and other physical simulations, it also has applications in robotics...
, which sometimes allows enemies to harm the player without visibly coming in contact with him. In December 2005, Nintendo Power ranked the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
release of Crystalis at #115 in a list of the 200 best games ever to appear on a Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
system, the "NP Top 200".
The Game Boy Color port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
was not received as favorably, the majority of reviews citing it as an inferior copy, due to reduced screen resolution and altered plot, as well as the fact that the game is seen as "dated" compared to more recently made games. The music is regarded as one of the port's worst aspects, said to be "annoying" and "begs to be turned down." The port was given an 8.0 rating by the gaming site IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, however, which denotes an "impressive" game, but the reviewer in question had not played the original game. IGN criticized the game for being too linear
Linearity (computer and video games)
A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each player sees only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played in a different order. A video game with linear gameplay will confront a player...
and having a low difficulty level but praised the game for its large world and visually detailed "cinema cutscenes". GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
also gave the Game Boy Color port an 8.0, saying of the original NES release: "Crystalis' sheer depth - and the quality of its presentation - was without peer, and it is still regarded as a milestone title in the [action RPG] genre."
Influences from other media
There are several aspects of Crystalis that are based on specific elements in other media. The game's story appears to be somewhat influenced by that of the Hayao MiyazakiHayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
anime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and some aspects of the art design appear to be, as well (for example, the giant insect boss in the swamp appears almost identical to the Ohmu giant insects seen in the movie). The "Valley of Wind village, Leaf" also may have been influenced by Nausicaä. Two of the characters from Crystalis are subtle nods to earlier SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
characters who later became part of The King of Fighters series; the latter two sages, Kensu and Asina, are based on Kensou Sie and Athena Asamiya
Athena Asamiya
is a character originally from the former SNK's video game Psycho Soldier and a descendant of Princess Athena in its Athena. She later appears in The King of Fighters series of fighting games as a female fighter character and has appeared in each of its thirteen editions...
from the Psycho Soldier
Psycho Soldier
is an action arcade game developed by Japanese software company SNK that was originally released in 1986 and internationally in 1987. It is somewhat of a sequel to Athena released a year earlier, Psycho Soldier continues the adventures of Athena, and is noteworthy for being the first video game...
arcade game. In The King of Fighters series, Kensou is well-known for his obsession with Athena, a quality demonstrated even in Crystalis.
External links
- RPG Classics - Crystalis Shrine
- Hardcore Gaming 101: Crystalis
- Crystalis speedrun at Speed Demos Archive
- Crystalis ROM viewer at BrianClifton.com