CRYMACHINA Review

What does it mean to be human? This is a question posed a lot throughout CRYMACHINA, an RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has long been extinct. FURYU Corporation has released a number of RPGs over the past few years — including the massively underrated Lost Dimension — so the developer has some experience when it comes to the genre. But is CRYMACHINA worth your time, or is it best left crying in the corner?

In the distant future, humanity is nothing more than a memory, thanks to war and a worldwide disease with a 100% mortality rate. Or is it? The machine-controlled spaceship — Eden — was sent into space in hopes of preserving the species, tasked with kickstarting the beginning of human life anew. This being left to AI, things don’t go as planned as one of these eight “Dei Ex Machina” (artificial life forms preparing Eden for humanity’s resurrection) suddenly disappears. We’re then introduced to our first playable character, Leben. After just watching a rather harrowing scene in which her human body succumbs to disease in hospital, she awakens thousands of years later aboard Eden, now in control of an overly-stylised exoskeleton. Unsurprisingly, she has no idea what is going on or why she now finds herself in the body of a weaponised robot, but thankfully, she is greeted by an android named Enoa to guide her through what Leben initially passes off as a fever dream.

The opening sections of tutorial gameplay are spliced with dialogue, and though I found myself having little to no idea what was going on, I had to admit I was eager to know more about the grim-looking Eden and its mechanical inhabitants. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the story (this being an RPG, there’s a lot of it!) but throughout the journey, more of the mysteries introduced in the opening hours are resolved to satisfying effect, with each of the main characters evolving as they strive to be real humans. If you find yourself asking questions such as “Who the hell is Mikoto?” and “Is that a flying space whale?” then don’t worry; things start to make sense before too long. As one main character puts it so eloquently, “It’s like taking the average between “The Matrix” and “The 6th Day”.

Have a look at the screenshots throughout this review, and you may well agree with me when I say that CRYMACHINA is a stunning looking title. In motion, its slick, anime-inspired combat is visually very impressive and not once did I notice any sort of slowdown or stuttering; not bad considering how hectic fights with multiple enemies can get!

There are a few issues, however, most noticeably, character models having various parts of their clothing or anatomy clipping through one another. Whilst far from being game-breaking, it can be distracting during intense or emotionally charged scenes. One other gripe is that the user interface could be scaled back slightly, as I found it took up too much of the screen, blocking some of the lightning-fast action with information that could have otherwise been much smaller or only appearing when contextually appropriate.

Even the 2D character portraits shown during text-based cutscenes are exceptionally well-drawn, although they unfortunately don’t express much emotion or convincingly convey what is being talked about.

Whilst the character art doesn’t do a great job of projecting emotion, the voice acting absolutely does! Every character’s voice actor puts some real effort in, and whilst some players may be a little put-off by the lack of English localisation, it’s still crystal clear to detect how characters are feeling thanks to the stellar cast.

I’m a huge fan of music in RPGs, with the likes of Final Fantasy and The Elder Scrolls being some of my favourites, and I can say with ease that CRYMACHINA blew my expectations out of the water. From the soft woodwind instruments used during characters having a leisurely chat in the Imitation Garden to the eerie vocal harmonies of exploring Eden’s depths, it’s a beautiful soundtrack spanning lots of different themes.

So, the story is interesting, the audio top-notch, but what about the gameplay? Well, dear reader, this is where CRYMACHINA goes from being must-play to must I play? Okay, no, it’s not that bad (I just needed to shoehorn in some bad wordplay), but it certainly isn’t as appealing as what makes up the rest of the game.

Let’s start with the positives: combat is thrilling, responsive, and damn fast. NieR: Automata was a game that popped into my head not long after getting to grips with the fighting mechanics, and considering that game was praised for its combat, that’s not a bad game to be compared to! You’ll chain together combos with a melee weapon using one button, with another used to launch enemies into the air to continue your deadly assault, or, if you prefer to attack from afar, a low-damage dealing ranged weapon can also be used. You’ve also got the basic jump, dodge, and parry mechanics, which work well in tandem with the offensive capabilities. Each playable character is also equipped with two “Auxiliary” weapons that float behind them, ready to unleash a barrage of lasers, explosions, or other ranged attacks at the push of a button. These are finite, though, and you’ll have to wait for a gauge to recharge if used too often. In addition to this, Enoa is on hand to provide assistance with things such as healing, firing an orbital laser, and even triggering the “Awaken” buff, which will skyrocket your chosen hero’s stats for a limited time. Suffice it to say, these robo-teens are kitted out with more than enough weaponry to succeed in their missions!

It is a straightforward combat system, but one that always felt exhilarating to play. With colourful neon effects spouting from every swing of a weapon or mechanical sparks jumping off of an enemy slammed to the ground, it may not be the most in-depth, but it certainly is one of the prettiest.

What lets CRYMACHINA down, then, is the gameplay moments between the fights. Remember how people took a torch to FINAL FANTASY XIII for its linear corridor sections for the majority of the game? Well, it’s the same issue here, I’m afraid, although there are more options to stray from the main path to uncover hidden loot and optional boss encounters. There isn’t ever too much downtime between going up against the hostile machines that plague Eden, and no level feels like it’s gone on for too long before you make it to the next story beat or area boss, but the drab environments certainly don’t make it more enjoyable to get through.

As CRYMACHINA is level-based, between journeying through Eden, you’ll take respite in the Imitation Garden, where you can swap up your equipment, trawl through lore-heavy notes, and chat to the rest of the team about just what exactly is going on. It definitely fleshes out the characters a lot more when viewing these mostly optional scenes, so it was always nice to spend a few minutes with Ami, Enoa, and the rest of the crew in between uncovering the mysteries of Eden and the Dei Ex Machina.

Despite the fleeting tedium of roaming the dull corridors and the simple (yet undeniably fun) combat, CRYMACHINA surprised me with how much I ended up enjoying it. Sure, I’m absolutely its intended audience, with overpowered battle fembots and science-fiction/post-apocalyptic narrative being particularly appealing, but don’t overlook this one even if it doesn’t sound all that impressive on paper. CRYMACHINA has an interesting premise and engaging — if at times confusing — story that will likely win you over if you give it a try.