Crisol: Theater of Idols

Crisol: Theater of Idols is one of the Spanish games that we had had our eye on for some time, and we had already tried it out. In fact, you can read our interview with the creators from Vermilla Studios and our impressions here. However, Tormentosa (the location where the game takes place) still had a few surprises in store for us in its final version.

This is Tormentosa

The story begins when Gabriel Escudero, a captain of the Order of the Sun, arrives in Tormentosa with a mission to end a threat, as the Sun God himself has entrusted him with a mission on his behalf. It doesn't take us long to discover that something strange is happening on this island, that the statues are actually enemies, and that our mission is not as simple as it seems. After a first encounter with Dolores, a huge enemy based on one of the virgins of Spanish Holy Week, who later becomes a stalker and whom our weapons seem unable to harm, the divine power of the Sun gives us strength and transforms our pistol into a weapon of blood. This is one of the main features of the game, as all the firearms in the game are "blood weapons" and their ammunition, as you might expect, is our own blood.

The story has its surprises waiting for players to discover, so I won't give any spoilers or go into too much detail about the plot. What I can mention is that I really liked the story and that the narrative has several key elements. On the one hand, there is what the protagonist sees in first-person and his conversations with other characters, notably Mediodía, a friendly, outspoken girl who enlivens many of our adventures in Tormentosa via radio. Then, on the other hand, there is what we find in various documents hidden throughout the game, a lot of visual information in the form of posters and advertisements around the settings, and "blood visions" that allow us to hear dialogue between the inhabitants of Tormentosa before the catastrophe. In addition, as a general rule, between chapters we will see animated sequences with an artistic style similar to sketches in a painting that give us more details about the story.

A first-person game with obvious inspirations

Despite being a game that reminds us of BioShock with touches of Resident Evil, the fact that combat revolves around our health adds tension and an original element to the gameplay (although it's also similar to the bullets in Bloodborne), it also allows us to be more aware of our situation and think more carefully about whether or not to waste bullets. Here we also find the first negative point of the game, as resources are sometimes poorly distributed. I have been in situations where I was practically given options to recover health (absorb animal carcasses or Plasmarina syringes, the "first aid kit" of this game), despite not needing more or having a full inventory, and then there are sections where you are forced to spend a lot of life in combat and are not given any chance to heal for a long time.

However, the game has several options to make our journey much more bearable. This is where the character of La Plañidera (the equivalent of the Merchant in Resident Evil 4) comes in, allowing us to improve our character thanks to the essence of defeated enemies and by exchanging raven skulls (a collectable item hidden throughout the map). Furthermore, if we find caged crows and free them, we will get a discount at the weapon upgrade shop, where, for a modest price, we can upgrade everything from our knife (essential for blocking and parrying) to our maximum syringe capacity, and of course, the damage, ammunition limit, and other parameters of our firearms.

Tormentosa hides a lot of secrets (and collectables!)

Crisol: Theater of Idols is full of collectables, from the aforementioned Raven Skulls, the crows to be freed, the chests with the game's currency (Silver Bulls), blueprints and vinyls (which we won't be able to consult until we complete the game). Exploration becomes a very important and almost crucial factor in the game, as without upgrades, the game can become quite complicated. However, the large number of collectables and their importance in the game are reflected in a very careful level design, where it's clear that the player's curiosity is being exploited. If we consult the map of each area, we will always see a "suspicious" room or place where there is always some kind of reward, such as the crucible medallions, which open chests hidden throughout Tormentosa Fair.

This fair serves as the game's "central hub" where we repeatedly go between chapters to advance to the next area or distract ourselves with the fun mini-games in the form of fairground attractions. In addition, if you complete them successfully, you will receive tickets that you can exchange for various prizes such as a permanent health upgrade or petrol to activate the knife sharpener.

In general, the game is based on this transition of "New area - Fair - New area...", as throughout the story we are given very specific objectives to advance. Each new area has different enemies, from the most common (statues/puppets with bladed weapons) to archers, small flying enemies, a specific type of enemy that spawns infinitely, or heavy enemies, as well as various sections where Dolores appears and where you have to hide and run away without making a sound. All this action and tension is very well balanced with a good dose of puzzles where we will have to solve everything from the typical scale problem that seems to be taken from "Professor Layton" to other more intricate puzzles that require clues and information obtained through notes.

I really liked Crisol; it has a pretty good pace, with a good balance between action, tension, and puzzles. The story is quite worthwhile and, although technically it shows its indie roots, it doesn't make the mistake of being too ambitious or stretching itself unnecessarily. It tells the story it wants to tell and does it very well. It took me about 14 hours to complete the campaign, and it didn't feel too short or too long; I really enjoyed the journey and the outcome of the story.

During my playthrough, I encountered a few glitches that prevented me from solving a puzzle even though my answer was correct, and at another point, the controller wouldn't stop rumbling until I restarted the game, but overall, the game's performance is quite good. It's also worth mentioning that although the game has several weapons to choose from, such as a shotgun, a submachine gun, or a sniper rifle, when it comes down to it, with our trusty pistol we can take care of all the enemies without much trouble. Boss battles are somewhat scarce, but they add a little more depth to the game's action, and if you're like me and have to play it "in a hurry" to review it, there are some sections that can become predictable and repetitive.

However, with such an affordable price (€17.49), replayability options with different difficulty levels, collectables and challenging achievements (such as completing the game in less than three hours), I can't help but recommend Crisol. It's a game that reimagines Spanish history and folklore, constantly reminding you of this with the names of the characters and visual information, as well as its aesthetic and sound design, but in terms of gameplay, it doesn't matter where you're from, because you'll find a first-person action title that's well worth considering, with some inspirations that will make you feel like you're playing something you like, but new.

Crisol: Theater of Idols launches today on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, maybe in the future there'll be a Nintendo Switch 2 version...