Crystalis Review! [NES] The Game Collection

[@TerminallyNerdy]

I can hear the overworld music in my head, endlessly looping. It never eats, it never sleeps...it never stops. But I still have fond memories of this game, to this day. I adore it. One of the few games I personally purchased on my own for my NES, alongside Mega Man 2.

[@arempy5836]

"Literally a couple of times"

[@SuperDerek]

+Pluto Bone *literally.* :)

[@chadmolitor6691]

HAHAHA

[@JG12]

Lol!

[@BeatEmUps]

Fantastic review! Another game I need! Sorry I set back the release date of this video by over loading you with work :(

[@SuperDerek]

Awe no worries man, I'm just proud that I had something to do with the styling of Season 1 for you. 10/10. would draw again. :)

[@austinmartin2927]

Hey it's Wood! Hello! Love both of your works!

[@GamingOnTheEdge]

I'm discovering Crystalis right now, thanks for your deep review!

[@HybridAngelZero]

Recently, SNK announced a 40th anniversary collection of their games for the Switch, and this was one of the games confirmed for the collection, and that has me pretty excited to finally play it

[@clayton_games]

Wow! I would really like to see a better remake of this game in the future.

[@raptorbandito]

Great review man! Something I personally love about your channel is how often you introduce a more obscure game I've never heard of. Hopefully I can find a copy of this one soon. Keep up the great work Derek!

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks Raptor! I just so happen to have recently gotten my hands on a slightly more obscure NES game... It's not an RPG, but I'm thinking about reviewing that one next. :)

[@raptorbandito]

That sounds interesting. I think you should follow your instincts and review that one next ;)

[@BenevolentDick]

Great Vid.. This ones been on my radar/list for too long now.. need to get this asap.

[@FleaCircusCartoon]

That was a really enjoyable review! I've been meaning to get a copy of Crystalis for years and wanted to refresh my memory of it before i ventured on to eBay. One thing I wanted to mentioned was, there a couple of times where your Music almost drowns out your voice, so perhaps keep a closer eye on your audio levels in future. You made some great insights so I'll definitely come back for some more videos. Maybe I'll discover something new to try.

[@LaughingSeeJack]

Nice review derek. Its a great game for any collection.

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks! And thanks for the great suggestion! ;)

[@BryanX64]

Great review! Always heard about it but never knew much about it. I'm just getting into RPGs so I'll be on the lookout for this one.

[@BlackStripePres]

I remember buying this back in 6th grade when I very first started collecting retro games. It was one of about two dozen NES games I bought that day, having just then realized that games did in fact get cheaper over time. Glad I got a head start long before the retro craze really kicked in. It was also the first NES game I'd ever seen with a save feature, blew my mind at the time.

[@SuperDerek]

I gotta be honest, I had a heck of a time figuring out how to save and load games from within the game. It was a little convoluted, and probably wouldn't have figured it out without my best friend Google helping me out! :)

[@BlackStripePres]

Yeah, I was pretty confused at the time too. I would say "how not to implement a save feature" was probably Crystalis's greatest legacy.

[@RPGtourguide]

Crystalis, awesome action RPG. Definitely an underrated game for the NES, although it was a bit confusing at times where to go. But that's the charm of old NES games, you had to explore and figure things out for yourself. 2:25 "A sword so powerful they named the game after it", hahaha. Awesome. Honestly, I don't have any problem with the American naming of the game. 3:55 Pretty spot on. I find it funny hearing these new games being described as "Nintendo hard". :P 5:23 The jumping between swords can be annoying. A fast switch button would have been nice, but not too many buttons on the NES controller to work with. Good review!

[@JG12]

Crystalis is severely under-rated and definitely deserved the justice that it was given with your great review! thank you!

[@SuperDerek]

Thank you for the great suggestion, Jacob!

[@brandonmaboroshi9561]

I grew up on this game and i have had the songs in my head all my life. Thank you so much for sharing the game that spawned my imagination.

[@loubilly]

Great review mate. Haven't been able to find sn unboxed copy online for less than $25 (US), but I certainly need to add this game to my NES collection

[@SuperDerek]

If it helps, my copy came from Amazon.com. It's got surprisingly good deals on retro games sometimes.

[@TheCodedtestament]

This game was so awesome. I still pick it up and play it again now that I'm in my mid twenties. The graphics are good for the NES. The music is good. The amount of weapons, magic, armor, items, and powerups you can get are amazing for an overhead RPG Adventure game from this era. And all the weapons and items are useful and placed well throughout the game to keep you from getting too powerful too fast. The controls are good, and the menus are easy to understand. Pacing and difficulty are just right.

[@ayrikx]

Still my favorite game of all time. Thanks for the review!

[@braselthegamer]

I'm playing through this game for the umpteenth time. I love this game so much. I had a lot of fun with it as a kid, and it was one of the most satisfying games to finally finish back then.

[@FernandoMaldonado]

I just subscribed to Super Derek. He seems pretty cool.

[@ThePSXcollector]

Great video Derek :) really enjoyed watching!

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks man, it was a lot of fun to make, I'm glad that you liked it!

[@nickwest932]

Faxanadu is another great ARPG from the NES. It is part of the Xanadu series and is an underrated hidden gem.

[@LeftoverCultureReview]

That unbroken segment at the end where you deliver all your closing comments without cutting away... Magic?

[@SuperDerek]

Hah! I'm glad someone noticed that! No magic, just persistence. A lot of persistence. :)

[@hoffy1888]

Leftover Culture Review hey dude glad to see you! so derek is this game up there with pso 2 on the sega master system

[@LeftoverCultureReview]

How could a simple NES game compete with a Master System Heavyweight? Also, do you mean Phantasy Star?

[@hoffy1888]

Leftover Culture Review Yes Bruiser i mean Phantasy Star. I am new to Nes collecting, so i am scavaging ebay for yhe best n.e.s games. And Crystalis looks great! But is it as great as Phantasy star!

[@L1701]

If you own a Nintendo Switch, you can get Crystalis in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.

[@nativewildman9335]

I downloaded the game on my phone. It was my favorite nes game.

[@CMBDIA]

oh i definitely like what i see. gonna binge all the videos!

[@madmatt6454]

My favorite nes game. Blows final fantasy, dragon warrior and zelda for nes out of the water

[@DavetheNESGuy]

Just subscribed. Loved the episode and really loved the intro music. Where is that from? Or is it original? Either way it's awesome!

[@dusjin]

One of my favorite games of all time, and started my love of the rpg genre.

[@rai-rai2338]

This game is one of the best ARPG I ever played way back NES days. the game has its own difficulty in purpose. the game battle is challenging that you have to do the right timing on how you attack and cast magics.. I would say this game is innovative ARPG way back on its NES era.

[@arminiushermann09]

Seriously, I don't understand how people missed this game an games like Earthbound an so forth, when they came out an didn't realize how great they were. But then again I had two older brothers an three sisters that liked playing RPG, thanks to our father starting us on Ultima 1. So we had so many games that we all wanted to play our own game from what the others were playing so we could tell each other how good it was.

[@bradcook1537]

My cousin gave me this game when he "moved on" from his video game phase, still have it! Never beat it though, I remember trying several times when I was younger, always got stuck in the forest. I might give it another try now though that I'm older. Great review btw! I know I've suggested a few games already, but this video just makes me think of "off-beat" ARPGs. So... Secret of Evermore?

[@SuperDerek]

That one's also on my list... It's odd because I'm trying to do a set of games in a certain order... And I don't feel like I can begin properly in that direction without first getting my hands on a copy of Final Fantasy Adventure... But trust me, it's planned. And by the time I get to it I hope to have the skills to review it properly. :)

[@bradcook1537]

Super Derek Well I'm looking forward to both! FFA... remind me, that was the Mana game, right? That was later redone into Sword of Mana for the GBA? Or was it the SaGa series...

[@SuperDerek]

Joseph Lightfoot Yep! It was remade later into Sword of Mana, of which I just so happen to own a copy. I want to review it, but gotta play the original first so I can review it appropriately, since they've changed a lot between the two releases from what I've heard.

[@JG12]

Super Derek Sword of Mana is a remake of Final Fantasy Legend for the classic Game boy. It is the first game in the Seiken Densetsu series. Secret of Evermore was built around the same engine as Secret of Mana but is not in the Mana series.

[@SuperDerek]

Yeah, but just the same it feels like a better seguay to do it after SoM... I'm just a little particular sometimes :)

[@wardrich]

Heh, I got this game for my 7th bday - and the songs STILL get stuck in my head 😂

[@leop3702]

I've been playing this game for over 20 years. And always enjoy a playthrough. Music is good. The ideas were novel for it's time. Story was actually original. But yes, the hit detection was a bit biased. And the dungeons were outright mazes. But aside from that, I will always love this game.

[@raylowery9466]

I am in a dire situation, i have the rabbit boots but when i select them my figure does not jump no matter which buttons i use on the controller. Needless to say i am in the ice cave trying to get to the power bracelet but cannot make my guy jump up any of the icy paths to get to the bracelet, this is a game ending problem if you cannot help me. HELP!!!! thanks ray lowery

[@ayrikx]

+ray lowery Probably a little late, but you have to disable whatever spell you have selected in order to use the rabbit boots. :)

[@paulrainey4990]

This was a great game, almost a precursor to Secret of Mana in a lot of ways. While the game is fairly grind proof, you do have to grind to a certain extent. There are boss enemies that cannot be hurt unless you're at a certain level.

[@thegrandwazooofheliopolis4344]

Played it as kid. Didn't beat it until I was 23. 34 now. I doubt I will ever beat it again.

[@justinsherwin8809]

Sweet I had this one too! Check out Phantasy Star 4 if you havent already for the Genesis. Another obscure rpg for NES is Magic of Scherazade

[@Feelin_DanDy]

My favorite NES game.

[@omegax2006]

I started playing this on NES app from that NintendoSwitchOnline service, I'm loving it. After that video I ran for a side-by-side version comparison, considering your point of view all to end up concluding one thing... That "remake" (if we can ever call it like that) is nothing but a lazy and poorly made port gbc, it may has some "new things" added to the plot (that couldn' even save itself), but if you compare their screens it's ridiculously evident that it looks way better on NES, GBC version is clearly the same... not to mention it looks a bit blurred and vibrant colors (wow what an improvement!).

[@Malouco]

Where can I play this crystalis not on switch?

[@shmackatrotsky5394]

emulate the crap outta that bad larry, if for no other reason than to spite nintendo.

[@RPGtourguide]

I just recently picked up a cart only copy of Crystalis for $5. Very happy with it. I had played the game before, but hadn't owned it until now. Glad to have it as part of... The Game Collection!... Well, my game collection. :P For some reason, my first comment on this video didn't pop up, so I thought I hadn't commented on this one yet. KZbin likes to mark my comments as spam so they don't always show up... Blah KZbin. :P

[@roguerifter9724]

Ahh Crystalis. Despite its difficulty it is still one of my favorite 2d action RPGs I pre-ordered the SNK collection just to be able to play this again though I'm sure I'll like many other games on it as well.

[@erikofskullisland3987]

There's something so deep about this game, somehow...

[@Korogames]

I don't know who you are but your intro is pretty good.

[@jessebijma]

A friend of my mom sold me and my sister a nes ( with 2 controllers, a custom made nintendo box, 3 boxed games including shadow warriors and like 10 others games ) and a ps2 with 2 controllers and like 12 random games for like 70 euro's. Best deal ever

[@bugslayerprime7674]

This game makes me think of a Proto Secret of Mana/Final Fantasy Adventure I wonder if any members of the dev team are the same.

[@keatonkitsune4064]

I had the GBC game back in the day and enjoyed it though....

[@ChaoticHoly]

Got my copy by mistake at a K B Toy decades ago (thought it was a different game). Never regretted it - except the time I played it from start to finish in one sitting and wound-up in the ER the next day - totally unrelated...really! GBC has a much better story with several QoL changes...but good god do enemies pop outta no-where a lot.

[@phoenix_force_9867]

This game i never beat but my Dad did. It is one of my favorites right down to the music. SNK released a collection i thought this was on?

[@chal1821]

cool review bro

[@joshpalzer4987]

I really like that you mentioned that abomination that is the gameboy re-release. I think that is what killed off interest in the game.

[@thewelf2]

You should play the Ys series.

[@paulsowers220]

Best NES game ever. Wish it could be remade today!

[@SuperDerek]

This was really great, but I have to say that I just beat Dragon Warrior IV and.. Holy smokes, it gives Crystalis a run for it's money! :)

[@cube2fox]

I wonder whether Seiken Densetsu (Final Fantasy Adventure / Mystic Quest / Sword of Mana / Adventures of Mana) intentionally copied the gameplay of Crystalis.

[@zeldatreasury6519]

This is NTSC only right?

[@SuperDerek]

Yeah, sadly it's NTSC Only. However -- In that video that I linked to at the end I also show how to restore and region unlock a NES. I recently walked ***** through the process. I think he was really surprised how easy it was, using only a screwdriver and a pocket knife. :)

[@jamesburns2075]

A fan translation of the Japanese version just came out a few days ago.

[@Zeroksas]

This is great RPG for NES era but it has major weakness - it almost impossible to figure out what to do next without using internet. NPCs clues are way to short and vague. I failed to beat this game in NES era because there was no internet at that time.

[@jaquio69]

I loved this game.

[@nateblack8669]

This is gonna sound weird (maybe even dumb) but Crystalis gave me Mega Man vibes. I've always wished there was a top down Mega Man RPG back in the days of bit consoles and for some reason I think Crystalis' game play would've been perfect for a Mega Man RPG. It sounds weird, I know, but I think the room you start in is very Mega Man-esque, including the soundtrack, and the pacing of Crystalis is more akin to that of a side scroller than a typical NES RPG. Maybe someday somebody will do a fan made Mega Man RPG using Crystalis :P

[@UltraJerky]

Nice Review :o

[@zborgerd]

How is it that you like all of the same game that I like? Yet another great game has been covered by Super Derek. I still have my original copy of this game, which I bought off of the shelf in KB Toys around 1990. I still haven't completed 100% of this game but did get to the end. It's at the top of my list of games to finish here soon. My save batteries are still good. The GBA port is an abomination that never should have existed. It wouldn't be quite so bad if they hadn't remastered the music (terribly). I read that it was a DigiPen class project for some students and published under Nintendo Software Technology. It's been said that this game borrows elements from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Some of it is fairly evident in the poison jungle area. SNK is awesome. I just recently played through Dark Arms: Beast Buster 1999, on the NGP Color, and was pleasantly surprised that it looks, plays and sounds a lot like Crystalis. Obviously, the theme of the game is radically different and that one can be completed within about 5 hours.

[@SuperDerek]

Great minds, right? Also, something I found out when playing through the game was that 2 of the sages were named Kensu and Asina (Athena,) which are the names of 2 of the characters from the King of Fighters series. :)

[@SuperDerek]

Zach B Agreed. I wasn't aware there was such controversy. But had I known, I still probably would have said it the way I did, because an announcer reading off a script who's probably never played a video game isn't what I'd consider an authority on the matter. ;) Another reason that I liked the title God Slayer, which I didn't get to in the review, is the fact that you are slaying bosses throughout the game, like the giant bug in the poisonous marsh, or the four generals, who are in fact god-like compared to the normal baddies you face off against. Not only that but [SPOILERS] the the final battle of the game is your battle against an AI playing god in a floating tower, deciding the fate of humanity based on it's perception and judgement of what is and is not evil. Symbolism through the roof!

[@zborgerd]

Super Derek I finally finished this game a week ago. I'd forgotten that I'd beaten the game back when I was a kid, but this time I didn't use the controller 2 warp cheat and played straight through. It all came back as soon as I got to the tower. Great game, and I'm glad that I got a chance to play it again. Would love it if SNK would revisit this series.

[@SuperDerek]

Zach B Crap! You're telling me I could have used a warp cheat?! ;)

[@Satiator123]

This game was way better than NES Zelda!

[@bugslayerprime7674]

Protip: Don't clean your NES cartridge slot lid with Ethyl Alcohol. It will clean the Nintendo logo right off.... :(

[@GameDefiency]

I want Crystalis now. Hope your proud of yourself. You should be! Rad review!

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks guys! If you want to buy Crystalis, my job here is done.. ...Unfortunately it's an NTSC-Only release, so you'll have to region mod your NES to play it. Fortunately, I just so happen to know a guy who made a video on how to do this in his NES repair series. ;)

[@GameDefiency]

The old NES 10 chip trick, ey?

[@SuperDerek]

GameDeficiency It's a classic! ;)

[@MARK111174]

I taped the music when I was a kid

[@MARK111174]

one of the best NES games

[@chrisdelaney926]

Good balance between game footage and 'talking head' .

[@wardrich]

I hate that this game never got a sequel. It's absolutely one of (if not the) best action RPG of its time (and for some time after). Arguably better than Zelda (or at least as good as)

[@dhz2692]

Wonderful Game 💪

[@spinz7306]

Thankfully crystalis is on the nintendo switch NES collection

[@InfinityDz]

Please review Mother 3

[@hanselmanryanjames]

Pretty sure it's "Chris-Tall-Is

[@austinmartin2927]

This game looks too good for the NES.. lol.

[@RubyShores]

Looks like a great game even after you pointed out so many flaws. However, maybe next time you can make background music play in the background and not drown your voice? Great video otherwise.

[@talongaudio939]

This game was so underrated, the reviews of it made it seem awful. Nintendo power gave this game scathing reviews from what I remember. My brother bought this for under $5 at a end of he year clearance sale and we were hooked.

[@MARK111174]

also try Battle of Olympus

[@CinemaniaVlog]

Good review, backround music ingame music way too loud.. hard to hear what you are saying

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks man! And yeah, I agree. I've been working on getting my levels right in my newer reviews, and I think now I've just about got it. :)

[@CinemaniaVlog]

Good job!

[@wenni49]

HY BOYS! GO HERE--> facebook.com/1638724503053626/photos/a.1638725513053525.1073741828.1638724503053626/1638725333053543/?type=3&pidid=4af923a8-0acd-4abf-b8bb-a81b31c6b284 FOR THE Dino Hunter Deadly Shores CHEAT THAT WORKS! IM USING IT :) Crystalis Review! [NES] The Game Collection

[@Satiator123]

Great Game. Mispronounced though. Check out the commercial.

[@SuperDerek]

Crystalis, or Cryst-aw-lis, at least we can _all_ call it awesome. Though "God Slayer" would still have been a pretty awesome title!

[@saabturbografx]

gosh ur soft spoken. i/m falling asleep

[@GoondocksCastle]

you say that it differs from zelda because it has leveling up. zelda 2 has leveling up.

[@danielvillanueva3792]

>Calling Dragon Quest, Dragon Warrior Ok Boomer

[@AceMcSchooly]

This guy sounds to fake...like he's reading cue cards...just be yourself man.

[@shmackatrotsky5394]

Super Derek is definitely reading from a script and appears to have a naturally low, soft-spoken voice. Personally, I love his enthusiasm for the games, as well as his deep knowledge and insights. Also, his presentation is really quite polished. I gots to respect that and give him props!

[@judsonkern5202]

i love it too,buddy.and,not being a troll-ass,but it's pronounced Crys-tah-liss.i worked on sales.

[@patrickcurtis1278]

yeah the mispronounciation was making my O.C. explode

[@billny33]

I HATE the Crys-TAH-lis pronounciation and if I ever were to make a video game review channel and discuss it, I will never use that pronounciation even if it's the only 'correct' one. It just sounds so unnatural and pretentious to me. It always was and always will be CRYS-tuh-liss to me. Plus, I don't know if I've ever heard an official NES authority pronounce the name of the game on a commercial or anything like that. So isn't it possible it could have either, or both pronounciations be correct? This reminds me of the Ninja GUY-den vs Ninja GAY-den debate. In that one I always went with GUY-den.

[@FireMinstrel]

The only thing I didn't really like about this game was the music. I disagree with Derek about it. To me, there's nothing special about it at all. I wish it could be remade again with a better soundtrack, like the one from Secret of Mana.

[@cookieskoon]

Crystalis and Willow are two of my favorite action-RPGs of all time.