• Review: Crystal Hunters (XBLA)

    by
    Jason Arriola
    Published on 05-02-2012 03:00 PM
    3 Comments Comments


    Crystal Hunters

    Developer: DreamRoot Studios
    Publisher: DreamRoot Studios
    Platform: XBOX 360
    Genre: Puzzle
    Rating: Everyone
    Release Date: April 23, 2012

    Crystal Hunters is the first game published by Indie game developer, DreamRoot Studios. Crystal Hunters is a top down puzzle game that also acts as a throwback to lovable old school games of the past. Crystal Hunters is definitely a great game for gamers who enjoy the puzzle genre and totally worth looking into if it catches your interest. Crystal Hunters is currently available for download on the XBOX Live Marketplace.

    Presentation

    Crystal Hunters follows the journey of two young explorers, either of which the gamer can play as. Thomas and Amelia are on a journey to obtain crystals throughout the land. Some crystals are easy to obtain and some require a daring and skilled display of timing and reflexes to acquire. Thomas and Amelia are also mentored by their seemingly retired crystal hunter grandfather, Grampa Buckley, who still has a few helpful tricks up his sleeve to make crystal nabbing all the more simpler. After a few helpful lessons, Thomas and Amelia are on their own to solve challenging puzzles through caves, forests, and ruins to recover every crystal in their path.

    Graphics

    The art style for Crystal Hunters is great and is one of the reasons why I was fascinated with the game in the first place. This includes graphics not only in actual gameplay but also when navigating the game’s menus. When I started playing the game, the first thing I thought of was that it looked similar to the original Legend of Zelda. Knowing that the game involves fortune hunters I also thought this was like an 8bit pairing of Indiana Jones and Zelda. With the NES being the first gaming console I owned, I felt right at home with the game’s graphics. It’s like a hi-def NES game. When you play in the forest area you can really pick up on things such as the flowers in the grass.

    In the tutorial portion of the game when Grampa Buckley offers hints, the character model is crisp and clean and also includes the matching text bubble. Very nostalgic. That also includes the character artwork for Thomas and Amelia of course. The characters are well drawn and nicely represented in the artwork that appears in the game. I also liked the attention to detail when scrolling through the menus. For example, when selecting a level you can navigate through the different worlds and the art style in the background will change from the interior of a cave, to a lush forest, to the interior of a castle ruins, and so on. It could’ve been one piece of art for the whole level select menu but I liked that the developers fluctuated the game’s art in this manner.

    Sound/Music

    Crystal Hunters follows that old school feel not only with its graphics, but also in how it sounds. To the old school gamer’s ear, you can quickly identify classic game sound effects such as the flick of a switch, or the “pew pew” sound of shooting a projectile weapon. Additionally, Crystal Hunters features an original soundtrack to keep the game interesting. It’s a classic 8bit music direction but with a modern take to it with more realistic sounding instruments, and it works great with the game.

    Gameplay

    The gameplay for Crystal Hunters can be called easy to learn and challenging to master. In that I mean it’s easy to understand how the controls work, but it’s solving puzzles that can leave you scratching your head from time to time and it’s all so satisfying when you figure out how a puzzle works and you move on to the next stage with all the crystals in hand. There are 5 chapters to play and 45 levels between them, so the game is definitely going to hold your attention for a great amount of time.

    The point of the game is to collect all the crystals in a level before you’re given access to the next level. At the top of the screen is a HUD that shows how many crystals are in a level as well as how many you currently possess. In addition the HUD displays a timer which acts as the time you must beat in order to earn a special medal for that stage. Timers are different from one level to the next, so you’ll need to put your puzzle solving skills to the test to beat the clock if you want to earn all the special medals. The HUD also shows how many red crystals you’re carrying. Red crystals act as a projectile type weapon and are useful when you need to get past or move tree stumps around when solving puzzles. It’s best to use them sparingly because they won’t regenerate.

    Puzzles will increase in difficulty from one level to the next which tests your ability to adapt to the game’s learning curve. It’s great to know that there’s a tutorial you can play to understand how the game works so you don’t have to go into it without a good understanding of the game’s mechanics. In fact before beginning the first stage you can move back and find the tutorials there for your use.

    There are numerous obstacles that will get in your way to prevent you from obtaining the crystals. These include tree stumps, lasers, sentinels, giant balls of death, and blockers. Tree stumps just get in your way, but they can be moved or destroyed depending how you handle them. Shooting them with a red crystal once will stun them, making them easy to move around and they’ll act like an extra block but stumps will soon revert back to their normal state and be planted firm to the area you pushed it to. Shooting a stump twice will completely remove it, but they can reappear after a certain time. Again, deciding when to use your limited reserve of red crystals is part of the puzzle solving experience. Lasers are both a puzzle solving tool and a hazard if you aren’t careful. Lasers can bounce off of mirrors to open up new pathways if you arrange mirrors in a certain sequence. Lasers can also destroy other obstacles if they make contact with the beam. It’s best to avoid the line of sight of an object that can fire a laser, because getting too close to it will get you scorched. Sentinels are stationary objects that also fire a laser at you if you get in their line of sight. You could be on the opposite side of the stage and they can zap you if you step within its watchful gaze. Luckily you can hide behind blocks and crystals, or push blocks to avoid it. Sentinels can be neutralized by placing blocks on its sides, disabling its view of the level. In some stages there are these large boulders that come alive if you snatch a crystal nearby. They act as a trap and chase you down. I liked this because it reminds me of that iconic scene in Indiana Jones when he’s running from that unrelenting boulder. While these boulders try to crush you with a mind of their own, it’s really fun to outwit them. Then there are blockers. These things don’t hurt you but they can hinder your progress through a level. If you pass straight in front of them, they’ll come running to you to block you with their shield. You need to move out of the way fast otherwise you’ll be blocked with no way to get out. Luckily blockers can be fooled too.

    That’s the essence of the game and it’s a matter of avoiding and/or influencing these obstacles to your advantage to get all the crystals to move on from one stage to the next. Some of these puzzles will get more difficult to solve as you go, and gosh will the game test your ability to solve a brainteaser as best you can. What the timer displays as two or more minutes sometimes took me ten or more minutes of trial and error to figure out. This is a testament to Crystal Hunters gameplay though, not an obstruction. Great puzzle games are known for their amusing intricacies. There’s always a way to solve a puzzle and you just need to get creative. Luckily there’s a “redo” option in the game that you can take advantage of. This will revert your actions back a bit so you can correct or adjust your strategy. Additionally, each time you’re killed you’ll be taken back to the last possible checkpoint to resume the game. The fewer deaths you have in a level, the more stars you earn when you’ve completed it. This was just one thing about Crystal Hunters I had a little hassle with. Only in certain levels that involved lasers, when I respawned I was close to the line of sight of a laser, or rather an object that can fire a laser. If that object happened to be moving I had only a little time to react and run away or influence an object to protect me from the laser. Often times my character would get zapped and I’d have to start over. Also, I’d like to offer a comment regarding the redo option. You can only go back to your previous actions once and not multiple times. Think of it like a board game. If I advance five spaces ahead I can redo my actions but only move once space back instead of the full five spaces when I originally started my strategy. Sometimes I’d realize what I should have done in a puzzle, but it was too late. I couldn’t manipulate an object to advance further so I would have to resort to restarting the stage from the beginning in another attempt to get it right. If a sequel is planned, this kind of revamped feature would be great and helpful, not to mention a time saver when going after the precious medals. Other than that, it was a real treat playing the game.

    Lasting Appeal

    Crystal Hunters gets its replay value from a few extras. Again, each level has a medal that can be earned by completing it in as fast a time as possible. Earning every star in a level can be achieved by not losing a single life during your run through. For all your hard work Crystal Hunters features some in-game achievements and unlockable concept art for conquering these commendable time trials.

    Conclusion

    Crystal Hunters was like a breath of fresh air after being away from the old school style games for quite awhile. The game’s puzzles will certainly deliver a challenge. Sometimes the in-game hazards got the best of me when I respawned after getting killed, but after trial and error I started figuring out puzzle after puzzle. Given Crystal Hunters talent to deliver tricky, yet fun, brain teasers, it’s a creditable puzzle game and a splendid addition to the XBOX Live Indie Games collection. It takes a lot of time and dedication for an indie developer to put a game together and DreamRoot Studios first entry into the gaming scene is a successful and fun one. The game is priced at 240 msp, not bad by XBOX standards. Crystal Hunters is absolutely worth exploring. Definitely check this one out.

    Score
    8.5/10

    Comments 2 Comments

  • Review Scale

    Score 10- Flawless Victory: A score not handed out to every game. Games earning this rare score sit at the very pinnacle of excellence. These games act as the examples for which all others should be measured with. They are instant classics from the beginning. These games not only deliver what was expected of it, but also exceed the player’s expectations. The game’s features are innovative and original. No game is without its absolute flaws, but the finished product you bring home surpasses the anticipation the game has formed. A day one buy is a must. The game you hold in your hands with this score is a video game jackpot.

    Score 9 - 9.5- Outstanding: Games earning scores such as these absolutely must be played. Games that achieve this high ranking do so because they define the genres that they are in. Flaws are few and barely noticeable. Features seen in the game have been renovated to provide something new and fresh. The story, gameplay, graphics, and lasting appeal are all fantastic and is reason enough to bring the game home and to enjoy with family and friends. Every penny you spend on the game is so worth it.

    Score 8 - 8.5- Great: Any flaw the game may possess is overshadowed by its fun factor. These games would be great for gamers to play. These great games appeal to gamers more and more outside its normal player base because of what it brings to the table.

    Score 7 - 7.5- Good: Flaws do exist in these games, but the positive features of the game can counterbalance the flaws. Additionally, players who are predisposed to liking a game of a particular series or genre with this score should enjoy the game. These are in no way bad games, and much fun can be had with them. An overall good game is worth taking a look at, whether you are willing to buy the game or rent it first. That or you can also wait for the game to reach a good price.

    Score 6 - 6.5- Decent: Games falling into this category may suffer from numerous flaws (for example, graphics or gameplay), but are still worth playing. Granted, the player should be aware that a game with these scores may not guarantee them full satisfaction.

    Score 5 - 5.5- Average: An average game is one in which a game’s features are neither good nor completely terrible. Instead, the finished product is manageable. Little has been done to hold the player’s interest. If anything, rent this game before you consider buying it so that you can at least get a feel for the game’s overall experience.

    Score 4 - 4.5- Poor: Games falling into this category may only keep gamers entertained for a short while. While the game may seem enjoyable for moments at a time, it can quickly grow old and may never be revisited again. The game’s overall function is lacking in quality and may not hold the player’s attention for long. The game leaves little or nothing else to return back to.

    Score 3 - 3.5- Bad: If any positive qualities about a game in this category exist, it is not enough to redeem the game for its shortcomings. Sure you may find yourself playing it, but for how long? You will wind up not giving the game a second glance.

    Score 2 - 2.5- Horrible: Games such as these may not be totally unplayable, they nearly are. Additionally, they may lack, or greatly suffer in, the fundamental functionality of the software as a whole. The game simply does not come close to meeting industry standards at the time of its release.

    Score 1 - 1.5- Appalling: Gamers should avoid this game at all costs. The game was clearly not ready to make its way to store shelves in its status. Save your money and find something else. See it in the bargain bin? No! Stay away! Keep moving and look for something else.

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