Explore the world and fight back the forces of evil in a clever twist on retro RPGs as you try to recover the Crystals of Irm.
Crystals of Irm is a fascinating twist on classic RPGs, combining three different screen layout styles into a really fun combination that insists you keep moving forward. By fusing a first person, realtime ‘area exploration’ (in a polygonal style) with an early NES-style overworld and then bringing it all together with a battle screen that looks like a strategy game but plays out as a fast-paced twist on bullet hell.
You’ll spend your time exploring the world map and then snooping around in town and adventure areas, approaching NPCs to trade and solve issues, there’s also interest points and extra elements (such as fishing!) littered around each of these screens. That said, as your three heroes are fixed — each being representative of one of the missing, enigmatic and titular Crystals of Irm — there’s less of a concern about party composition or equipment than you’d find in other games.
My favourite part is definitely the combat — I was completely caught off-guard by it, having not heard anything about the game prior to sitting down and playing some of it while at Gamescom. In it you’re on a grid, with enemies displayed on the left, and your characters on the right. Each unit has an attack type, but you need to collect items that are dropped by your players from around the field — while avoiding real-time enemy attacks — in order to attack the enemies.
Innovative combat aside, there’s a lot to like about Crystal of Irn, alongside the fishing minigame there’s also cooking and more. The levelling system is robust and approachable, and the NPCs are fun and memorable because the whole thing never takes itself too seriously. Afterall, what’s wrong with a little whimsy in an RPG?
Crystals of Irm doesn’t currently have a release date or specific platforms for release, but it is listed as releasing on PC over on Steam.
