Ok, so, really weird thing about the different swords and varying enemy vulnerabilities: there is absolutely no in game reason to try this, but if you take the last elemental sword back to the very first area and try to use it on the slimes, it not only doesn't hurt them, it makes them bigger. It only makes them a little stronger, but IIRC it does make them drop more money.

Crystalis and The Guardian Legend are my two favorite NES games of all time. They've been so inspirational in my own work as a game developer... So many great childhood memories of those two games.

I remember I replayed Crystalis on October 1st 1997. I was aware at the time of the date so weeks in advance I was expecting to replay the game once again at that specific date, it was a once in a lifetime thing I guess.

In the time before the internet, I stumbled upon Crystalis through buying it for $5 at a small video store going out of business sale, I didn't know much about the game besides the cover art, but it looked interesting to nine-year-old me, so I picked it up. What a discovery I made that day! This game has been in my head since 1991! I can still hear the music as clear as day in my head when I think about it. I love, love, love Crystalis.

Possibly the most underrated (action) RPGs on the NES and ever!

I'll admit, I never had the chance to play this one on the real hardware, but it's definitely one of the most underrated gems on the NES by far.

I played this game briefly via Nintendo Switch Online, and I was surprised at how smooth the controls were for an NES game. It felt like something I’d expect to see in a SNES game. I didn’t get very far, but I want to pick it up again.

I really liked Crystalis, and it is one of a handful of games I played through again more than once as an adult. It's definitely one of my favorite classic action/RPG style game.

I never, NEVER would have been able to beat this game if it wasn't for Nintendo Power magazine, who did a special in-depth feature on this game, including providing an in-depth map of the game's world.

This game was way beyond it time , one of the best gem of the NES .

Watching you play, it suddenly occurred to me how much "Ys" must have been an influence. The speed, the bosses, the menu system, the jaunty power-walking hero... it almost looks like a Falcom game. Even then, it's impressive how good this is, since SNK had almost exclusively made arcade-style games previously. They apparently learned a lot of good lessons from their inspirations!

Currently wasted 70 bucks on a AAA game that i havent been able to access for ten hours. Reeeeeeallly missing the days of my console systems lol. Crystallis was a wonderful adventure and glad you're covering it. Great content per usual

Ahhhh, my love! Crystalis holds a tremendous place in my heart for all the great memories it brought me. My mom and I still play this game every few years. An excellent review as always, and I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed it!!

Glad to see this covered. I loved this game and struggled to get my hands on it when I was young. Very underrated and under appreciated.

As a child it took me forever to get past Mt. Sabre because I didn't realize I had to unequip my magic to jump with the rabbit boots. I managed it though, and glad I did because this is one of my all-time favorites.

I bought it back in 2008 when I was seriously starting a retro collection and played it on my NES blind, it was really great, never went back to it though but finished it and loved it, the game feels awesome to control and the musics and graphics are top tier for the system.

Spent so much time on this game. It was one of many that got me into RPGs. Unfortunately, I never beat it until much later because it seemed I was cursed to have my save file delete itself whenever I'd get close to the end.

Definitely one of the better action RPGs on the NES, my only problem is the sword juggling. I'd say there are a few more, lesser known ones, like The Magic of Scheherezade or Grand Master, but this one is definitely much more well-known. Nice of you to cover it!

I would give my soul for a new game in this series or a remake. It's been one of my favorite games ever since I was a kid back in 1990. My step grandma got the game for me from some random game store in the middle of nowhere. Took it home and played it and it was life changing at the time. Game was so revolutionary. Amazing gameplay. Amazing music. Tons of power ups and secrets to find. I beat it back in 1990 or 1991 or so and still play it to this day on original hardware. It's a timeless game that will never get old

Great review, I think you did a good job showcasing both the good and bad :) Loved this game as a kid, it took my family years to finally beat it cause we didn't know about the item needed to beat Draygon's second form! Very frustrating at times, but we still had a blast running around anyway. Also if anyone else is interested, there is a Crystalis Randomizer thats very mature and still getting updated! We'd love to have anyone stop by and experience a fresh take on this classic :D

Nice review! Fair criticisms, I think. I really enjoyed this one as a kid. It’s part of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection that came out a couple years ago, too!

Oh, you got to Crystalis. Awesome! This was the game that fully cemented for me that I actually much prefer the action-adventure style of gaming to the JRPGs like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior. And you nailed why about halfway through: movement. Being able to move freely, run once you get the upgrade, and attack in all directions, will always be superior for me to turn-based random encounters. Games like this, the early Zelda games, Soul Blazer, and even the halfway-between that was Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (literally a "Baby's First Final Fantasy Game" game, but I've always had a soft spot for it) will always capture my interest before the JRPG-styled games.

Appreciate you reviewing this, and youtube for recommending it to me. Got this game in elementary school when it was new after another kid on the schoolbus let me borrow his one weekend... Holy crap, Crystalis took my appreciation for games from a casual hobby with Mario, Contra, Double Dragon, and Metroid, to a level of immersion and appreciation for interactive storytelling that my little brain didn't consider possible back then. Finally got my hands on a CIB copy recently and proudly mounted it in a shadow box on the wall, but my OG copy still graces the original hardware from time to time, some 30+ years later. Nice to hear you got some enjoyment out of it!!

This is one of my favorite games ever. Thank you for sharing this with us.

I remembered passing up renting crystalis a bunch because of the box art, but one day i gave it a shot and it was amazing! No one really knew about it back then.

Damn, crazy timing. Im playing this now, just started yesterday. I thought my phone was spying on me when I saw this at the too of my feed but no its brand new video. Im really digging it so far and im like level 5.

Yay, another Hungry Goriya video! I remember as a kid having SO much fun playing this game with the son of one of my mom's co-workers. He was a bit older than me but we got along so well. Mom and the other lady ended up having some kind of major falling out and I never got to see him again after that one time. I just didn't understand and was so sad and upset about it.

I'm proud to say my earliest memory is when I got an NES along with Crystalis on Christmas morning... I guess it was 1990 based on Crystalis' release date. I was able to play one game before breakfast and this is the one I chose. I had no clue what I was doing and think I didn't even get the sword of wind before it was time to eat but was loving every minute of it.

Keep bringing more and more of your personality into the videos, they're only getting better and better!

A hidden gem of the time. One of the best games ever made for the NES. I miss the days of awesome manuals. With games that are constantly patched and updated online, I know a manual would quickly become irrelevant. But having a manual to read greatly facilitated understanding a game's bones.

When I first played the game as a kid, I remember almost never using the bracelet attacks because I felt they were a waste of MP that could have been better used on Refresh. This is because I kinda used math to see how many enemies I could kill with a bracelet attack, which is much fewer than enemies I could kill by just using normal attacks and healing the damage they would do to me. In other words, Refresh was more MP efficient. And then I remembered as a kid I struggled on some of the games later bosses. But, when I replayed it as an adult, I found that bracelet magic deletes bosses from existence, especially the late game bosses. It was really fun going through the late game boss gauntlet and murdering each one in a few seconds with a well-timed bracelet attack.

This is one of my favorite NES games and rpg/adventure games. I also love that the swamp and it's boss are inspired by Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (a manga and anime movie from Hayao Miyazaki) , yhe swamps air is poisonous just as certain areas in the world of Nausicaä and the boss is an Ohmu, a giant insect-like creature.

This game is pretty special to me. As a kid in the 90s, my best friend owned this game. It was fun for us to solve the puzzles and figure out where to go next. Sadly, he moved away and I never saw this game completed. Fast forward to my early 30s, I saw this game in a retro-game store complete with the box and instruction booklet for $10. I was broke and going through a tough time, so finding this game complete, and then playing through it, helped me get through that rough spot.

I grew up with the NES yet never played this until just a few years ago. I kind of regret denying my childhood self that experience. I even got every achievement.

Always love listening to old retro reviews like these before bed. You earned my sub. Can't wait to watch the rest

This game really was a hidden gem and the music was excellent. Thanks for shining a light on this entry.

Crystalis has been a favorite NES game of mine ever since it came out. There's just something about everything that came together: post-apocalyptic science fantasy, zippy action RPG, colorful anime aesthetic, and great music! True: it has its annoying flaws; but it's an underrated classic, overall! I liked how you used the various Swords, psychic powers, and items to progress in different ways. And yeah--that manual is fantastic! Back in the time when those things were both instructional and part of the storytelling!

Thank you for all the great content! I've been busy the past few weeks but thankfully so have you! Please keep it up!

I still remember visiting some RPG fansite as a kid in October of 97 and seeing them celebrate the day the world canonically ends in Crystalis on the front page. I miss fansites. They're almost all dead now. R.I.P. ffshines

I spent years trying to locate this game after remembering it as a kid (I’m in my 30s). Thankfully I found not just one but two copies!! Also, I cannot believe people are still posting about this only 7 months ago! The 80s and 90s era of gaming was hands down the best in history. I was a little too young to remember getting our first NES but I do remember playing it and def remember my first PlayStation! I fear I’ll be cursed for the rest of my time longing for the life of my childhood 😂

Oh wow! I remember playing this as a child. It was a rental for me, back then. No manual! As you can imagine, things are extra baffling when you only have the in game info to go on. Still, I loved it! It just felt vast to me. And the first time I got to use the 3rd level thunder sword... Oh boy, I felt like a GOD!! I replayed about 7 years ago. I think I enjoyed it even more as an adult. There are some slow parts, but it packs in so many upgrades that it always felt like I was doing something new and interesting. To me, this game has a unique feel to it - it's hard to articulate. It feels both serious and whimsical at the same time. It feels like you are in huge spaces, but it also feels like the camera is slightly too close to your character, who moves really fast, which makes everything feel claustrophobic. And your character feels over powered, while not having enough of an energy pool to maintain that dominance. By the end of the game you are so completely powerful that nothing else in the world can hope to challenge you, except the final boss - makes the end fight feel truly dangerous. I can't name another game that feels like this one - try it out!

There's a reason retro RPGs usually included multiple pages for taking notes in their instruction manual.

@Hungry Goriya Hey you finally did it! I love how you hit the highlights without spoilers, very good touch! I love Crystalis and it will forever be my all-time favorite NES game, yet now I have been afforded the rare chance of seeing it through the lens of someone else's mind & perspective. Thank You for covering this one with your usual exacting objectivity! Very well done indeed!

HELL YEA! I love Crystalis! I played this WAY back in the 90s. I miss those days.

I was curious about the story of this game despite having played it a thousand times as a kid and stumbled across your game. Hungry, you have a wonderful video and I'm actually excited to get to know you as a content creator. Thank you for being awesome.

My favorite NES game as a kid! Thanks for the look back.

I learned to read so I could play this game. It was the first video game I played on the NES I got when I was three. I replay it all the time. The soundtrack slaps!

This was my favorite game for a long time and my favorite NES game. It brings me the most nostalgia from the time of my life I was the happiest (1989-1991), maybe that's why I still like it so much. Luckily I had Nintendo Power otherwise I would have never solved some of the puzzles. I'm one of the nerds that recommended this game to you on the comments of your other videos and I'm happy you liked it. You're welcome. heh

I’ve been waiting a long time to see your review of this one!! I’ve been enjoying the heck out of this game since I first rented it back in ‘92! I could never find the gas mask to progress very far, but I loved the music, the action, the exploration, it was all there. It can sure be frustrating to blunder around aimlessly (it’s what’s has kept me from completing the game to this day because I don’t want to look up the answers online for this one) but now and then I go back to it, start fresh, and enjoy every minute of it.

I'm SO happy to see you get around to this game! It was hands down one of my favorite NES games period, even with all it's quirks (those townspeople bumping... ARRRGH). "Polished" fighting is a perfect way to describe it and is why I have such fond memories of the game. I still chuckle when I remember just how easy the last boss was since you had the Crystalis sword. I used an NES Advantage controller and just stood right in the middle firing like a madman while having the heal spell going the entire time. Boss went down in seconds LOL. Ah happy memories 😁. Thanks again for your videos. I love watching them when time permits. When i saw you did Crystalis tho, I had to drop everything and just watch it, I've been wanting to know what you'd think of it for a good while now. Glad you found it overall enjoyable!

I got this game for my bday when I was like 8 or 9. One of my fave games still almost 30 years later. The grind is a bit rough, though. Also, without spoiling things too much, "Shyron" hits hard every time.

The flashback to my childhood (simpler times!) puts a smile to my face! Although a bit grindy at times, the amazing music and fast paced combat (compared to Zelda 1) made this game my second favorite NES game. My first love, however, will always be the Guardian Legend -- have you played/reviewed that game yet, it's highly recommended. Thanks for the nostalgia and excellent commentary!

ive been so excited since you announced this! my favorite nes game, and i think its because i learned all the difficult to find stuff back in my pre-memory days. i dunno how people would find things without knowing ahead of time, some of the guidance is lacking, at best. lots of good memories of playing up to portoa a lot of times because i just liked playing from the beginning. nowadays i do yearly playthroughs on the End Day in one sitting, just an all time classic for me.

I got to the bunny boots, I think, something about a swamp and a mask, and snow that was stopping me. Not long after I got throughly stuck in place, I bought a copy of Lufia 2, and the rest is history. I need to come back to this game one more time, and see if I can make it to the end. Decades out say that I at least have the patience, if not the muscle control to do this.

This was my absolute favoritest(!) game as a kid, and it kind of changed my whole perspective, because it had characters who have little arcs, at least compared to how most games were at the time. I could only ever beat it with my Game Genie, so I guess it was like Legend of Zelda for you. I didn't make myself invulnerable, but just used the infinite MP code. It was still pretty hard for my tiny self!

YAY! I'm so glad you reviewed this! Crystalis is one of those games I always looked at from a distance with awe, it just seemed so advanced, especially game design-wise, for an NES game! I have played it a little, and it's now on the Switch Online app and the SNK Anniversary Collection, both of which I have, and when my gaming pallette is clean, it's gonna be one of the first 8-bit games I dive into

I loved this game so much as a child. I still remember the twist at the end of the game.

I really enjoyed your review. Most people don't think of RPGs when they hear the name SNK a software company better known for their Neo Geo fighting games like KOF and Fatal Fury and run & gun platformers like Metal Slug (which are all superb in their own right) but Crystalis is just another example of how SNK excel in every genre they dip their toes in. Even one of their best fighting game series Samurai Shodown (known as Samurai Spirits in Japan) has a turn based RPG based off it (sadly that only saw a Japanese release) but there are now talks that Samurai Shodown will also be getting an action RPG counterpart as well that will hopefully be released in the US and Europe. Look out for it!

Really enjoyed this review. Like you, I kept reading and hearing great things about this one. I just kept forgetting about it. Definitely adding this to my list of must plays. Keep up the great work!

This is my all time favourite!!! Thank you for this walk down memory lane!

The one gripe I have about grinding that I didn't hear you mention is that you really do HAVE to grind to beat some of the bosses. Like the bosses (and I think enemies, if my memory is right) don't just have elemental weaknesses, they also have level caps where if you're too weak, you can't hurt them with anything! It's such a bizarre decision too because with skilled play, you probably could win and it would be rather rewarding too! But instead you're just forced to lose if you reach a boss underleveled... It's not the worst thing. This game is pretty fast paced otherwise, especially for an NES RPG. I just wish the game had a little more trust in the player and wouldn't stall them out this way.

I’m glad to see that you finally found time to play this classic. I agree that Crystalis is very well rounded and provided many hours of entertainment. You forgot to mention that if you get stuck, you could always use telepathy and reach out to the wisemen. One last thing to mention, once you receive certain items, I like how the game made you backtrack and new side areas would open up revealing additional content.

Good review. Crystalis was the game that sparked my interest in the entire rpg genre as a kid. My siblings and I replayed it so many times (and we even named one of our pet rabbits Deo after the one in the game). I still think that it may be one of the best games on the NES and definitely the best rpg.

Watched your twitch a good bit. Glad you enjoy this gem.

I had Crystalis when i young! I was around 7 or 8 and thisngame frustrated the hell out of me, i freaking loved it!😂

One thing that struck me watching this video was how much I was struck as a child by the super digital computery introduction to the character and its contrast with the surrounding world. Did anybody else discover you could "downgrade" your sword charge level by equipping a mismatched bracelet? Wonderful video HG!

I traded my copy of Kirby's Adventure for this game and The Krion Conquest when I was a kid. To this this day I still have them both and never regretted it. Classics among the underrated!

The music on Crystalis was such a banger, it feel in par to the best compositions from Konami or Capcom. Also, when i played this game it was lent over from a friend and the battery either died or failed, and i had to finish it all in one go, so my experience was, come from school, start from scratch, get a little further in the game and repeat the next day, for like a month, i still loved every second of it, and created a nice gaming childhood memory.

Iver never clicked on a notification so fast in my life. I've been thinking about getting this game but haven't quite decided yet. Let's see if this seals the deal

This game was such a great experience. The music in the last area is absolutely incredible. Spot on review! Thanks for the content!

Still play this today. If ever a game deserved a remaster , it’s right here.

My two biggest beefs with this game were the sword-swapping, and the minimum level requirements. Each boss had a certain minimum level that you had to be at in order to fight them, or your attacks did NO damage at all. You weren't told what the levels were, and there was no indication that there was a minimum in the first place. It usually wasn't too huge of a deal if you made it a point to grind in each new area for EXP / money, but it's entirely possible that you'll be stuck waiting for the boss to kill you because you were one level below where you needed to be. And with the sword elemental immunities, you might think you're doing no damage because you're using the wrong weapon. After you try them all, you're left wondering why you're STILL doing no damage.

I’m glad you grabbed this one to dissect since it’s sincerely a complete game. One of my first NES memories is seeing the commercial for Crystalis and desperately wanting it! The commercial is a bit cheesy in retrospect, but what wasn’t back then..? From beginning to end my brother and I had a blast playing. He spent a ton of time discussing it with the classroom NES whiz kid in order to get through the toughest areas. Overall I think I agree with your evaluation, especially the frustration of switching between the proper elemental swords to get rid of enemies in the same area or screen. It was tiresome, but avoiding enemies never seemed like the best option because one could get stuck taking damage from three or four and die very quickly. It would be a nice touch if there were shoulder buttons for cycling through the swords. The speedy, 360 degree traveling hero was a refreshing change from most other games in my gaming experience. The downside of his speed was that I found myself plowing into badguys when my clear intention was to swing the sword as I approached them. You really have to pace yourself and figure out a certain rhythm to battle! The music is top-notch in my opinion, and I can still hum the tunes from most locations. We recorded several of the tracks on a cassette tape and used them as our action figure soundtrack ;) I actually replayed the game about five years ago and remembered most of the puzzles, but I still had to consult a guide for some scenarios. I don’t remember how old I was when I played Crystalis the first time (probably ten or eleven); the story is pretty compelling as an adult! Seems like as a child I didn’t appreciate the gravity of the tale. Sometime in the mid-2000’s I found out the Game Boy Color had a port of the game, so it helped me pass a lot of slow nights as I worked nights during that time. I didn’t hear you mention that particular port (so sorry if I missed it!), so I wonder if you’ve played that one. For some reason the music was changed in the GBC port, and I’m not entirely sure why. There might have been more differences although the specifics evade me now :) I’m long-winded and do apologize. Crystalis is such a great NES game, and I would hate for anyone to miss it!

There was a part of me that worried me a little, wondering if there was going to be some part of this game that you really bounced off of or really dragged the experience down for you, so I'm very glad that overall you had a fantastic experience. Your criticisms are completely on point, it's certainly not a _perfect_ game by any means, but I also agree that's it's among the best the NES has to offer. I've heard the GBA release had some improvements, but I've never gotten to try that version myself.

Absolutely a great game. Though we always pronounced it differently. Haha. Especially for a game on the NES, it was pretty indepth and immersive.

I have been binging your videos for the last couple of days. I really like your review style and your tastes are similar to mine. Subbed, keep up the great content!

LOVE this game! The mobility of your character is amazing. Great story. Just amazing

This is another one I play every 5 or so years. I haven't gotten around to playing it yet, but there is a re-translation of the Japanese game out there that is supposed to be a much more faithful translation than what we got in the States that also adds back in all the things that were censored, such as the religious overtones of the Japanese game. It's called "God Slayer" if you ever feel the desire to play this one again. Maybe that version is a little less cryptic than Crystalis is, because you aren't the only one... there are times where you can get lost for an hour or two before accidentally figuring out what you missed.

I really love this one as it was a childhood favorite! I remember even tying a black string around my head to simulate the main character's headband while running around with a plastic toy sword, haha. Yeah, I got stuck every now and then from not talking to the right person at the right time or missing a key item, but that was all part of the exploration and fun of these kind of games of this era. The Goa Fortress still stands out to me as a very memorable dungeon due to it's length and overall difficulty. Mapping that one out took me a few weeks alone inbetween after school sports and homework. Like you, I also never really used the level 3 sword charge abilities and saved precious MP fpr spells to heal and do other important functions. Our RPG playing style is so similar! Great review, I'm very happy you enjoyed this as well!

a manual. Thats what we had in our arsenal back in the NES days. It could have carelessly lost, but then you were cursed to never understand a stat or a magical icon, which herbs could restore health, etc. Every modern survey i fill out for a game publisher i insist the go back to hatcheting down the forest and give us back manuals. I love them. The tangible guide that usually has quaint illustrations, small maps, lists of spells, characters, whatever. This was the norm. Now, i comb thru modern menus and spit fiery curses. Ah, Hungry Goriya, it does my heart good to see you establish your connection to manuals. And what did Octopath Traveller 2 case and cart come with? Absolutely nothing. They (game publishers) have made the internet the only way to learn what precious little there is to know. And yet, on my shelf sits a Genesis Heroes of Might and Magic 2 with a small encyclopedia inside its case. One tree for the good of gamers. Thank you. I love putter feet.

Watching this reminded me that I used a guide to play this when I was a kid in the early 2000s. I couldn’t come up with one bad thing to say about it but that’s probably because I never once go lost lol.

Finally! Thank you! This is my favorite game of all time. So glad you covered it.

I love this game. I picked it up for $5 in the bargain bin at Kaybee Toys in the 90s. A very memorable purchase. I still occasionally watch the intro and opening or listen to the ocean music. Interesting bits I remember from playing. If you don’t grind enough, it’s not hard to walk into and get locked into a boss battle where you literally don’t have a high enough level to hurt them. You will be dying and reloading if that happens. Also, if you save in the poison swamp before you get the gas mask, it is possible to get in a situation where you cannot make it out before dying after loading forcing you to start the game over. So, probably best to avoid saving there at all before you get the mask. I kind of want to go back and play it again now. :P

Great review Goriya. Love your focus on old school games. I hope you hit some more SNES classics as well

I love this channel because it tends to cover hidden gems and forgotten greats, so I have to admit that at first I was a little disappointed to see comparatively-"mainstream" Crystalis--but then I realized that you had not played this before and were experiencing it fresh for the first time. Then I was just happy to see your pure enjoyment and appreciation of a true classic, as well as my own enjoyment of fresh and honest observations.

If I recall correctly, one of the reasons Crystalis has one of the more polished adventures on the NES is that it was released very late in the lifecycle of the console. It's essentially a demonstration of every adventure game trend on the system up until the point of its release, iterated upon to the apex of what the NES could pull off. Excellent review as always Goriya!

Another great review, HG. I should get back to this one sometime

That was a good video! I didn't realize until today that this was available on the Switch in the SNK collection, I'm going to have to try it. By the way, I never commented before, but just wanted to add that your reviews are always very good with the right touch of humor !

IMO, this was also one of the first good "horror" games - let me explain! I played this one as a child on NES hardware. The bug boss in the jungle was absolutely terrifying. His fade-in reveal was so dramatic, and combined with the poison of the jungle and the eerie music, it made me actually scared to attempt to fight him. Ditto on some of the later bosses. Like the one that disguised as your ally (Karmine?) and you had to stab him to start the fight. Who would ever hit their ally?? The constant themes of death and genocide were also very scary, and the fact that the game wasn't afraid to kill off characters was insane. Not to mention "1997, October 1.... The END DAY" had 8 year old me having an anxiety attack as the date approached - I thought for sure it was going to happen! I agree that this is hands down the most polished action RPG on the NES, and it takes my vote for best game on NES depending on the day, closely aligned with SMB3 and Zelda and FF1. This game taught me everything and exposed me to everything that I'd come to enjoy in gaming. Grinding, puzzle solving, elemental differences and weaknesses. This was the first game that had me go on the fledgling internet and find out about GameFAQs to get through some parts. Mimics, note taking, the fact that status effects are sometimes better than damage, this game was truly peak NES. Glad you liked it!

Amazing as per usual, friend. I remember seeing the commercial for this one as a kid a handful of times and boy oh boy, it definitely sold me on the game. But I don't think I've played it since I was a kid. Perhaps, like so many of your triumphs, I should give this one a go for myself again. Thanks for sharing!

Crystalis was hands down my favorite action RPG on the NES. SNK really should have turned it into a franchise, but sadly that never came to pass. I am happy to see it covered here. It brings back many good memories. Odd little memory that may or may not be correct, but I swear I remember the Main Character's sprite changing over the course of the adventure as you acquired better gear. That probably isn't correct but it is how I remember it. Thanks for another great review HG!

Loved hearing your perspective on Crystalis and glad to see you enjoyed it overall. I have such fond memories of playing this on a little color TV with the spinny tuner dials on front. One of my first action RPG experiences along with Battle of Olympus and I was hooked on both of them immediately when playing. Holding select then pressing a button to swap weapons would have been a great inclusion for the weapon-swappy parts, but like you said it's overall a pretty minor annoyance for the most part. Cheers.

i ♥your content, never heard about you but you're making great stuff, keep it up!

The music from the pyramid in this game still haunts my dreams.

This game recieved a retranslation that makes the story more readable as well as uncensors it. It was called God Slayer in Japan

I love this game. I replay this every year. Music is so good.

I really truly love this more than the original Zelda game and it's truly the first game that made me cry from it story telling. Truly one of the best NES games I ever played.

Great video! I recently played through this game. It was fantastic.

I think it would be cool to see a remake of this game, or some sort of spiritual successor. I didn't play it as a kid, but it was one of the first emulated games I played. This and Earthbound Zero. It's one of my 12 cartridge games I own. I need to get a working NES again and play through it.

Dumb story: I did play this game, and I loved it. I didn't play it until 1997 a few weeks before the day the game says the world ended, which I always thought was a funny coincidence.