Crystal Warriors

[blademastr]

Hey there guys this is blademastr and today I’m reviewing Crystal Warriors for the Game Gear game.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwr8I10UYWY"]Crystal warriors review - YouTube[/ame]
Vid for those that don't want to read

Crystal Warriors is a turn based strategy game made and published by Sega for the Game Gear. It was released in Japan in 1991 and North America in 1992.

Story:
The story of the game is very minimal. A kingdom uses four powerful crystals to keep peace in its land. But one day an evil empire steals 3 of the crystals in an attempt to rule the world. As Iris the kingdoms surviving princess and holder of the last crystal it’s your job to recover the other crystals and defeat the evil empire. That’s it, the only other story scene is at the ending credits. While the story may be bare minimum it’s the game play that will keep you coming back.

Gameplay:

Crystal Warriors plays like a traditional Japanese turned based strategy game with a few twists. You take control of your character and can attack an enemy with physical or magic attacks and plays very similar to that of Nintendo’s Fire Emblem. One difference is you can chose to fight or run away for that turn.
Like Fire Emblem there is also permadeath, so you need to think before moving your troops. Every troop has their own elemental alignment. Fire beats wind, wind beats water, water beats fire and earth is immune to everything. I guess you could say earth rocks ……….sorry.

In between matches you wonder around a town where you can talk to townspeople, buy new equipment/magic, talk to a fortune teller for hints or hire some new party members at the local tavern. You’re given a limited amount of funds so you have to be careful what you spend it on or you’ll miss out on better stuff later on.
What sets this game apart is that it allows you to tame defeated monsters and use them in battle much like Pokémon. These monsters can be summoned to attack or take damage in your place for one turn. This adds an extra level of strategy as you try to figure out if you want to attack using your monsters and risk them dying or fight yourself and save your monsters for a lifesaving shield.

Conclusion:
Crystal Warriors is another excellent Game Gear exclusive. The music is good and the only real downside is the lack of a real compelling story line. It’s a fairly lengthy game with 16 different stages and lasts around 5-7 hours to complete. Replayability comes with replaying through the game using different strategies. Like using characters you didn’t hire through your first run or leveling up your healers and muscle your way through the later stages. Doing research for this review I found that it can be downloaded off the 3ds eshop or bought off eBay for a decent price (or you know, played on this site). There is a sequel called Royal Stones but was a Japan only release. There is however a fan translation so English speakers can enjoy it as well. If you are a fan of the Game Gear or turn based strategy games give Crystal Warriors a shot.