Reviewed: April 19, 2004
Reviewed by: David Caviness
Publisher
DreamCatcher Interactive
Developer
Kheops Studios
Earthlight Productions
Released: March 17, 2004
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
7
5
4
6
6.0
System Requirements
Recommended System
In this era of sequels, trilogies, and remakes, it is not often that a developer is able to strike a balance between the pillars of originality and redundancy. The path of least resistance is to simply ride on the coattails of previous successes, to drain every last cent out of something that is at least temporarily popular.
With Crystal Key II: The Far Realm, Earthlight chose instead to create a new story, connected to the past but not bound to its memory. With this in mind you find yourself in the shoes of Call, male heir and progeny to the main character of the original Crystal Key. Call remains on Evany, and finds himself alone in a society that is afflicted with a strange condition. They stare into empty space, zombified, and do not act as is befitting of a healthy people. The mystery deepens when a portal opens and forthwith a woman steps forward, addressing Call by name, before being dragged back into the portal by eerie soldiers. Thus begins Call's journey...
One area where Earthlight did not deviate from its predecessor is the interface. Depending on your perspective you could call it gloriously unobtrusive or over-simplified. Half full or half-empty, regardless you will see that it serves its purpose well. The game is played through a first person perspective, and using the mouse you can view a scene from any angle, all 360 degrees. This process is very smooth and very necessary, as keen attention to your surroundings will make the game much easier.
The cursor resembles a blue diamond, and it changes color and sometimes shape when you come across a hotspot. The cursor tells you when you can move to another area, or if an object can be manipulated. With a right click the cursor is unbound and free to move to your inventory, which is located at the bottom of the screen. While it's great to be able to so easily take in your surroundings, sadly there is little to interact with.
When traveling great distances you simply choose your destination from a map, with a nice Raiders of the Lost Ark style transitional scene or short movie to signify your trip. There are various methods of transportation - spaceships, jetpacks, boats, portals - and the cinematics that accompany some of them are supremely well done.
When not jet setting you'll find yourself gathering random things, drinking juice from automated dispensers, and speaking to whomever you should encounter. The characters, ranging across a wide spectrum of species and voice-acting quality, are definitely peculiar but useful only for information. They also tend to seem as if they don't fit in with the environment around them, like they're standing in front of a blue screen. Though detailed they still feel artificial.
You'll find yourself adding to and subtracting from your inventory through most of the game, as you try to find a function for objects that at first seem useless. There are a few puzzles and in the wrong frame of mind, they can be quite challenging. Again, it is important to remember the details that surround you. The strange sequence of characters you saw on a transport vehicle might be of some use later on, for example.
As you advance you'll learn more about the events of the past, of the arch-enemy Ozgar and the bizarre curse that afflicts Evany and other worlds. The story is interesting and you'll want to see how it ends, but through many portions of the game you may find yourself moving forward only because there is no other option. Though many of the activities you need to accomplish are logical, there are inconsistencies, and some arbitrary backtracking.
Sometimes you'll notice an item that you will not be able to retrieve, only to find yourself coming back later when it turns out it's needed. Overall, the core gameplay of Crystal Key II is not dissimilar to that of its adventure brethren, reminiscent of titles like The Journeyman Project, and of course Myst. But this is a game that stands on the strength of its story, and of the fantasy/science-fictionesque locations to be explored.
Speaking of exploration, during the course of your quest you'll notice that the worlds of Crystal Key II are like exquisite sculptures; beautiful but lifeless. Nary does a body of water stir with the wind nor does a bird hop from one roof to the next. There is only the occasionally silent stillness. And while some areas of a scene are remarkably vivid, others seem blurry.
A lot of fine work and a few moments of breathtaking brilliance are evident in these weird environs, but mostly everything just seems dead. This tends to shatter the illusion, to drive home the fact that these worlds are nothing more than pixels depicted on a screen. Just the little things would've added an entirely new level of detail to the game, yet they have been neglected. Adventure gamers are likely to dismiss flaws in this category, but if there is to be another Crystal Key certainly this lack of vibrancy should be addressed.
Unremarkable would be an apt description pf the sound, or perhaps simply too narrow. The music never really rises above the background, though it is fitting and well composed. On the rare occasion that it does build atmosphere, it quickly comes crashing down as you engage in conversation.
Far too many voices are annoying, almost jarring, and don't be surprised if you feel the urge to skip through a conversation to silence an NPC. Such actions would deprive you of possibly relevant information though, so it becomes a burden to endure these aurally displeasing exchanges.
Another detractor is that you'll hear some ambient sounds, like vehicles in transit or perhaps a murmur from some unseen crowd, but you'll never find the source. So it becomes clear that a lot of what you're hearing is just filler sound, padding for the ears as it were. I've heard worse and listened to better.
Ah, the category where the adventure genre is woefully uncontested. Twenty bucks is the price of admission for Earthlight's little ride, and considering what you're getting, you can't accuse them of fleecing the gaming public. That being said this is obviously not a game that will appeal to everyone, and in fact, if you're not already addicted to games of this ilk, Crystal Key II might try your patience.
This is a single player, offline experience, but then that's the way most adventure veterans like it. If you're looking for some first person exploration with a few crafty puzzles and a light sci-fi theme, this game would indeed meet those standards. If you liked the first, well then it's probably a given that you'll like this one. Naturally, the converse is also true.
Crystal Key II: The Far Realm, like the vast majority of its fellow brethern, is not likely to appeal to gamers who aren't fans of the genre. And even within such a crowd, there are some who will find nothing but dissatisfaction with inanimate locales and often-unbearable voices. Fans of the original should definitely give it a spin in the old hard drive (as a bonus you can play the game sans CD), and fans of the genre should definitely give it some consideration.
Otherwise, it's doubtful you're even reading this review or even know of the game outside of perhaps spotting it on the shelf at your local game store. If you don't normally play adventure games and feel like going out on a limb there are probably better games to cut your teeth on, but however you spend your money Crystal Key II does offer a unique and pleasant experience. The game begins on a grim note but ends on a happy one, and depending on where your gaming needs lie, so might your experience with this game end with pleasure.