CRYMACHINA Critic Reviews

Ultimately, if you want a hack-and-slash RPG with high-speed and fun gameplay but with a middling storyline, this could be a sleeper hit for some players. While not as deep as I wanted it to be, the game handles its mission format and character-progression system well enough. I just wish the story had a little more depth to match its intriguing post-apocalyptic themes and world setting.

Crymachina is a thrilling science fiction adventure that offers fast-paced action in a post-human dystopia.

The general quality improvement in this game, over past entries, is mind-blowing for how solid everything is. The dark parts of the story mixed with heavy sci-fi elements are a welcome reprieve in a generally dry genre as of late. Some elements such as random combat deaths and some serious tonal dissonance at times, with its soft yuri tea party themes, is going put off some players. That aside, the solid graphics, generally interesting story and overall solid package make this an easy recommendation to JRPG fans.

Crymachina turns out to be a simple and unpretentious experience that stands out mainly for its agile combat system and the story outcome, with a charismatic cast of protagonists, being its strong points.

Although a few issues can mar the overall enjoyment, CRYMACHINA is nevertheless an enjoyable tale of reincarnated humans and their struggle to define what it is to be a “real human”. Slick, responsive combat and a fantastic musical score make this a title you shouldn’t overlook.

Crymachina is a touching tale that touches on the nuances of human details and its hidden and primitive insecurities. Speaking through a common language, already seen in the works of Yoko Taro and in the history of FuRyu productions, but nevertheless manages to find flashes of originality, especially when the three main protagonists are explored in depth. The game design doesn't shine but it doesn't disappoint either, managing in any case to stimulate the player's interest through a good skill-based combat system. It's a shame that the graphics, very dated and often an eyesore, don't offer further emotions.

I believe that FuRyu laid down a solid foundation here with Crymachina. The narrative is there, the characters are there, the gameplay is there, but the nuts and bolts that glue all of them together aren’t. This isn’t to say the overall game isn’t fun, but it could have been so much better. The game’s overall gameplay loop is simply monotonous and dull. It boils down to sitting through mandatory dialogue sections and then running through a dungeon with one to two mandatory battles, and then fighting the boss. The concept of gaining humanity and questioning the whole concept of what it means to be human is a heavy and melancholic theme. I just wish it was delivered in a smoother manner. Even the naming of the game makes sense. Can machines even cry? If you’re into the whole mechanical girls fighting robots and trying to save humanity thing, then there might be something here for you.

I had a solid time with CRYMACHINA overall but it certainly doesn't live up to similar action RPGs that offer much more impactful stories and consistently engaging gameplay. The characters are delightful, though, so you may want to check it out just for the tea parties.

Crymachina has several good ideas that it begins to explore. However, the kind of output needed to make those ideas flourish did not happen. Instead, this is a gorgeous-looking game that leans too heavily in the wrong directions, leaving its more intriguing elements as accessories instead of features. There's a decent game here that plays well, but its middle-of-the-pack execution in a sea of action RPGs doesn't do the game any favors.

After the excellent Monark, it seems that FuRyu is struggling a lot to hit the target. To demonstrate this, Aquria's latest effort has unfortunately proven to be yet another half-successful action RPG: a galvanizing combat system that pays attention to customization is counterbalanced in this case by a narrative structure devoid of character, a defeatist level design and, more generally, from a graphics sector that is a few generations behind. Add to the cocktail a limited longevity and the shortage of secondary content, and you will hardly be able to justify the outlay requested on day one by the publisher NIS America.

CYMACHINA is an RPG with interesting ideas and good combat that ends up suffering from excessive repetitiveness in its enemy and map designs, as well as a story that ends up tripping over itself a little.

Crymachina offers an immersive and well-told sci-fi drama that leaves a lasting emotional impact through its characters and the portrayal of humanity’s end. However, the gameplay fails to match the storytelling’s quality, presenting surface-level upgrade systems, and mission mechanics that can frustrate players. While ambitious, the game primarily excels in its campaign experience.

Crymachina is not the triumphant return that many were hoping for from FuRyu Corporation. The game has a story that, while potentially interesting, feels like it squanders its potential, partly due to an excessively stereotypical cast of characters that could easily fit into a teen drama. Even from a gameplay perspective, things don't improve significantly. The game is certainly playable and functional, offering some initial fun, but its lack of depth makes it repetitive after just a few hours. When you add in some inexplicable choices regarding certain game mechanics, it becomes clear that Crymachina can only be recommended to die-hard fans of the genre, as it truly lacks anything that would make it preferable to other titles.

The game has a fairly short runtime (by RPG standards) of around 25-30 hours, but even then it soon begins to outstay its welcome. It’s a shame as the story really is intriguing to begin with, but after fighting your way through lots of tedious dungeons and doing the same attacks over and over again, you’ll find it hard to care about humanity’s fate.

In reality, Crymachina is a far cry from what it could have been. An overly constrained mission structure of bland corridors, flashy combat that never reaches above button smashing, and a nauseating cliché story that rarely does more than constant exposition, hold back this action RPG from any kind of recommendation.

CRYMACHINA has a promising story and a fresh aesthetic, but the presentation leaves so much to be desired. Convoluted and rushed world-building makes it hard to get invested, and the basic and repetitive combat encounters make it hard not to feel like the loop between gameplay and story is more of a chore than it's worth.

Crymachina is continually plagued by its imbalance. The emotion can be impactful, especially with the relationships forged between the characters, but it is bogged down by a convoluted story. Combat is snappy and fast, but slowed down by an excessive upgrade system and grueling grind. Lighting and effects are gorgeous and colorful, while areas remain repetitive and bland. It takes too much work to get to the good of Crymachina and only those desperately itching for a sci-fi action RPG will enjoy completing it. It’s a shame because the concept it uses to explore humanity is an interesting one, but too many issues dampen its emotional punch.

Humanity is a very complex thing to define. Everyone has their own take on what it means to be human, but my personal take is that it involves living as your own individual being, striving to be your true, best self, not merely wanting to be a parasite or a carbon copy of someone else. Under this definition that I've pulled out of my ass, CRYMACHINA isn't very human, or very good. I wanted to like CRYMACHINA, I really did, but like some busted DIY project, none of it's various parts come together to form a cohesive whole.