Crescent Pale Mist is a new PlayStation downloadable game from Sony Online Entertainment and Rockin’ Android. It is a six-level, side-scrolling fighter/adventure game that has you face off against assassins, sorcerers and supernatural monsters while navigating the maze-like terrain. So, after playing all six levels, what did I think of the game?
To be honest, I really didn’t enjoy it at all. That may seem harsh though, and I know lots of people who do enjoy this game, so let me be a mature writer and explain why I didn’t enjoy Crescent Pale Mist.
First off, I had a bad experience to begin with as I had to download the game three times before it would respond to the jump controls. Now, I’m not sure if it was a problem with my console, the installation or the actual game itself. I will, however, give credit to the amazing team of developers (& to Lindsey) who helped me try to fix this error. Finally, after 3 hours and 3 installations, it finally worked.
Once the game was loaded, and I was able to get past the first wall (1:30 into the game!) I began to become irritated. I realised it was the music – it never seemed to change tempo or tune. Throughout all – if not, the majority – of the game, was the same tune repeated over and over again. There was no recognisable change between when you were walking, running, or fighting.
The graphics on this game were okay. Sporting hand-drawn anime style graphics, this game had a typical Japanese feel to it. I’m not really a huge fan of J-style artwork and games (Final Fantasy, for example) however, I can recognise the descent artwork present. As I mentioned in my Incognito review, though, I don’t feel graphics are important in a game as long as the storyline and overall gameplay balance out the poor graphics.
Unfortunately, in Crescent Pale Mist, I didn’t really grasp the storyline. It wasn’t until I read the press release for the game that I truly understood the point of it. According to SOE and Rockin’ Android, in Crescent Pale Mist, “players take on the role of Yunou, the only magician powerful enough to take on the magic known as Pale Mist, to save the world from imminent destruction.” Honestly, the story is not well written and as far as I knew, my only goal was to make it through the level alive. What was at the end was rather unclear to me until I had actually completed the game!
Gameplay. Oh, how I’m excited to discuss gameplay. We’re also going to discuss level layout here. Pardon my frustration. This is a unique side scrolling game, as you can also bounce back and forth between foreground and background. Which, I must admit, is kind of cool. What isn’t cool is running all the way to the end of the level, only to realise that somewhere between the beginning and the end, you, instead, should have moved to the foreground. Then, running back to the beginning, looking for a place to jump to the foreground, only to realise it’s another dead end and what you should have done was run and jump off the edge to land on a level below you!!! My apologies if you can sense my frustration. Obviously, I am not a fan of how the levels in this game are laid out.
I’m also not a fan of the tutorial, which essentially – no, quite literally – tells you to mash the buttons and figure out what each button does on your own. How this is classified as a tutorial boggles my mind. Although, at first, I thought it was rather clever, once playing the game, it became clear a tutorial is actually quite necessary if you don’t want to throw your controller at your brand new 46″ flat screen!!!
I truly have only two positive things to say about this game. The first: there is TONS of replay value. The levels are laid out like mazes, and you’re constantly going left to right and moving between the foreground and background. Sometimes, to the point where you get lost. For this reason, I think this game could be played for hours and hours. Then, you can go back and get lost all over again. I know this sounds negative, but really, it’s a good thing if you can remain patient (unlike myself!)
The next positive thing I’m going to say is that this game is only $5.99. Personally, I think it should be less. I have seen way better games for less. However, I can appreciate that some people do enjoy this game. It just simply wasn’t for me.
Of course, I’m not just going to be a Debbie Downer and tell you not to try this game. Check out some screenshots of the game and form your own opinion:
If you disagree, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think. Now, of course, this is just my personal opinion, so why not head on over to the PSN and try Crescent Pale Mist for yourself!
