Crystal Crisis Is A New Puzzle Game From Nicalis Coming To The Switch
Nicalis is shaking things up a little and developing a puzzle game. Crystal Crisis is a color-matching combat game and will arrive on the Switch later this fall. The game features a wide range of characters from various franchises. Check out the debut trailer and official PR below.
Nicalis, Inc. today announced that Crystal Crisis, a cute and colorful new color-matching combat game, is coming to Nintendo SwitchTM in the fall of 2018. Developed and published by Nicalis, Crystal Crisis is presented like a one-on-one fighting game, but instead of pressing buttons to kick and punch, players arrange falling gems into matching colors to clear them from the screen and inflict damage on their opponents. It’s the ultimate puzzle battle throwdown!
Crystal Crisis players can choose from 19 different playable characters, including fan favorites from Cave Story and The Binding of Isaac and many other surprise entrants. Each character has his or her own “home” stage, musical theme, unique special attacks and extensive voice-acted exclamations. The current roster includes:
- Quote, Curly Brace and Ballos (from Cave Story)
- Isaac (from The Binding of Isaac)
- Atom and Black Jack (from Tezuka Productions)
- Princess Solange (from Code of Princess EX and Blade Strangers)
- Aban, Tina and Jim Hawkins (from 1001 Spikes)
- President Thompson and a Zombie (from The Tempura of the Dead)
- Akuji (from Akuji the Demon)
- Knight (from Hydra Castle Labyrinth)
- Johnny Turbo (notorious TurboDuo spokesman)
The line-up also features four newly-created characters from other Nicalis games in development, three of whom are appearing for the first time anywhere in Crystal Crisis:
- Helen – a noble warrior inspired by Greek mythology (also appearing in Blade Strangers)
- Hunter – a whip-wielding vampire killer
- Elise – a bat-winged gothic vampire girl
- Ninja – a mysterious and acrobatic shinobi
By matching gems and unleashing combos in Crystal Crisis, players can build up their “burst gauge” which can trigger powerful, board-breaking hits that will leave opponents in pieces. The innovative new “wrap-around” feature lets players move a falling piece beyond the edge of the playfield to reappear on the other side; you can even divide it into two separate gems by allowing it to drop while the two halves are straddling the border.
A variety of different modes (including Arcade, Survival, Tag-Team and Training) accentuate the battle options, while local and online multiplayer functionality give challengers the opportunity to play against friends, family members and Crystal Crisis warriors worldwide!
Crystal Crisis for Nintendo Switch will be available digitally and physically in Fall 2018 for $39.99 MSRP. Like all of the retail games that Nicalis has previously published for Nintendo Switch, the launch edition of the physical version will include a full-color instruction booklet and a yet-to-be-announced bonus collectible.
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
