Throwback RPG Cris Tales showed up during Gamescom 2020 with something new to share with fans. A new trailer was released during the Gamescom Future Games Show presentation, offering a quick glimpse at Cris Tales‘ visuals and gameplay. The trailer also reminds interested gamers that Cris Tales has a recently-updated demo to play, for those who are curious but want to try the game out before dedicating themselves to a big RPG.
The trailer starts with Cris Tales footage that’s always been shared in previous footage. Regardless, the animated cinematics are absolutely gorgeous and are one of Cris Tale‘s main selling features. All of Cris Tale‘s art is described as entirely hand-drawn and animated frame by frame. It’s an impressive achievement for the indie developer pairing of Dreams Uncorporated and SYCK.
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The early portion of the trailer also does an excellent job of introducing Cris Tales‘ story and setting. Cris Tales is set in a fantasy world not unlike many popular JRPGs, mixing Medieval-esque kingdoms with some surprising technological or magical advancements like airships. Cris Tales is fittingly set in the land of Crystallis, with protagonist Crisbell adventuring to stop the evil aims of the Time Empress.
From there, the trailer delves into some of the key features of Cris Tales. For example, Cris Tales features a party of memorable characters just like classic JRPGs. There’s even a frog night named Matias the Frog, a clear throwback to Chrono Trigger‘s Frog. The other character prominently featured is Wilhelm the Child Mage. Like in Final Fantasy and so many JRPGs, these characters will play a significant role in the game that heavily involves their backgrounds and personalities.
Perhaps Cris Tales‘ most exciting feature is its time-traveling, though. It too is a clear throwback to Chrono Trigger, though definitely explores time travel in a unique way. The trailer shows how players will explore the same areas across three different time periods, the past, present, and future. It’s only fitting since the game’s apparent villain is named the Time Empress.
Some brief amount of combat is also shown, but not much. Luckily, the Cris Tales demo is there for players who want a more thorough introduction to combat in the game. The demo was also recently updated to include what’s described as a “mini Colosseum experience” which features eight progressively more challenging battles. It isn’t just a tease at Cris Tales‘ action, but a properly difficult one, too.
Cris Tales launches November 7 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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