
Cris Tales follows Crisbell, a young time mage who can simultaneously see the past, the present, and the future. Many recent releases have had trouble performing on the Switch, and it’s worth noting that if you have other means to play this game, that might be the way to go.Ĭris Tales might be about many things, but time travel influences everything from the story to the gameplay and look. Moving between zones could sometimes take over 15 seconds to load, and random battles even took six to seven seconds to load at times. Unfortunately, at least on the Switch, this beautiful look comes at a cost: egregious load times. The developers wanted Cris Tales to feel like a Colombian fairy tale, and if anything gets us there, it’s the game’s look. The character designs are equally beautiful. I was particularly taken with the towns, each having a particular look and feel appropriate to its respective culture. Many of the areas take their inspiration from Colombian architecture, and they feel big, grand, and beautifully specific. Sporting a highly colorful, stylized look, the level of care and artistry on display here is just stunning.

The best way to describe it is like a colorful, ornate stained-glass mural brought to life.

For many, it’s the game’s biggest draw, and it absolutely delivers. Speaking of love, let’s start by talking about how much I love the look of this game. The developers have a lot of love, and they wear it on their sleeve throughout Cris Tales. Above all of these influences, though, the one thing the developers like talking about more than anything is Colombia: Its culture, its architecture, its storytelling, even its very cute (and very deadly) frogs.

They also point out inspiration for the art from animated works like Samurai Jack. First, they talk about the influence of games like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Persona, Bravely. Cris Tales’s developers, Dreams Uncorporated, do a lot of talking. Okay, that might seem off topic, but it’s vital to what makes Cris Tales tick. Whenever I get started talking about NieR: Automata, or the movie Moonlight, people might be interested, but eventually, people stop listening to my rambling about the endless intricacies of these things I love. Cris Tales Switch NSP + Update (eShop) Free Download RomslabĬris Tales Switch NSP + Update (eShop) Free Download If you want to know what people love, listen to them talk.
