Buying games as a kid in the ?90s using an already-outdated Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was always a gamble. I went to a garage sale once that had a box of NES cartridges, but with no real knowledge of the games, I had nothing to judge them on except a title and a small piece of artwork. At $5 each, I could only afford two with my eight-year-old’s budget, but I wanted to try Duck Tales, Duck Tales 2, and Crystalis. I liked the Duck Tales show, but Crystalis had a cool guy with a sword and a weird green blob monster, so that had to be a good time. Fast forward to 2023 and that Duck Tales 2 cartridge I left behind is worth over $200 USD, but I have no regrets: Crystalis remains my all-time favourite NES game.
Crystalis, originally released in 1990, (and later remade for the Game Boy Colour and released on the Nintendo Switch’s NES games library) is an RPG solidly in the lineage of The Legend of Zelda, but it actually shares far more with 1991’s A Link to the Past than the NES original. Players explore a surprisingly large and varied world, swinging swords, casting spells, and talking to strange and memorable characters.
Set in the distant future after the apocalyptic “October 31, 1997: The End Day,” civilization has transformed into a medieval fantasy world for… reasons… and your silent protagonist wakes up from a cryogenic sleep and is quickly sent off on a series of increasingly heroic quests.
While the game certainly shows its age, some parts feel surprisingly modern, with a deeper story and characters than any other NES game I’ve ever played. Replaying it on the Switch (where it is included with any Nintendo Switch Online membership) 30 years later, it’s made even better with the ability to use quicksaves to cut down on replaying tough sections. Having online guides as a reference also helps with a couple of confusing quests and unexplained items.
Crystalis also fits in nicely with some of the biggest indie game hits of modern gaming. The gameplay will certainly appeal to fans of Tunic, which emulates the sense of journeying into the unknown that these retro games are built around. The challenging, hack-and-slash gameplay also feels in line with games like Hades or even souls-like games such as Hollow Knight.
Like any retro game, it requires you to be in the right headspace to play, and a little bit of time to get comfortable with the outdated elements, but if you give Crystalis a chance, you will find a rewarding experience that reminds you that great games aren’t a new invention.
Jeff was The Cascade's Editor in Chief for the latter half of 2022, having previously served as Digital Media Manager, Culture & Events Editor, and Opinion Editor. One time he held all three of those positions for a month, and he's not sure how he survived that. He started at The Cascade in 2016.