The game includes 18 characters from the show that bring a solid variety to the fighting roster. Obviously, there are the main characters of the current Guardians of the Globe to fill in most of the roster. But there are also some of the big antagonists to fill out the rest of the roster. This creates an overall balanced cast despite one concern. Are there too many Viltrumites?

A good portion of the characters look the same and have the same powers. However, they each have their unique feel. With so many of those characters, would it have been better to include some others? Such as the main villain from Season 3, Angstrom Levy, or the other main current member of the Guardians of the Globe, Shapesmith. Which would help bring some variety to the roster of the characters available.

Despite the first look at the roster, there is an official classification for each character. No two characters have the same playstyle. For example, Invincible is classified as balanced and rushdown. Atom Eve is ranged and zoner. There are other classifications, such as striker, technical, and pressure, which help show the variety of playstyles in the base roster.

Pick Up and Play

The fighting is mostly easy to pick up and play, with light, medium, and heavy attacks, plus a special attack. For the most part, everyone shares the same inputs for their abilities. Meaning it is not like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, where each character has different combos to remember. Instead, it has controls like Super Smash Bros where each character has the same number of abilities and the same inputs, but is unique per character. This approach makes it welcoming for the average button-masher player to pick up and enjoy the game. The gameplay also makes it easy to pull off combos, which can be hard to counter.

As in all fighters, there are controls that go deeper beyond the basic button inputs, as well as the game introducing its own spin on some fighting mechanics. There is a boost ability that can empower special moves, thus creating a stronger version of the attack. This is important to keep in mind for people who want to learn combos. There are also the super abilities, which are the main abilities that use the meter. In addition, there are two normal variations, and then the main ultimate ability. There are super abilities for more combo potentials.

The mechanics go even deeper for players who want to delve deeper into the game’s potential, such as having conditional abilities that will help block attacks or stop combos. There are also throw moves that can be used for creating combos. These more advanced abilities require pressing multiple abilities at once, which some can feel awkward to use at first. However, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and with using the abilities, executing them becomes more natural.

The last major component of the combat is the assists, which works similar to the Marvel vs Capcom games. Players pick a team of three characters, and either character can switch at any time or be called in for an assist. Being able to switch characters or use assist attacks is very easy to use. Also, the details of the character’s health bars are lowered; they get more bloodied and battle-damaged. It is a cool detail that also helps keep the vibe of the show.

Story Mode

The game offers a few different modes to play in. The first is a short story mode. It is a quick-paced story with a cool third act but a confusing ending. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near the quality of storytelling as the comic or the show. It is a story made so that the roster of characters can fight each other. Unfortunately, the story mode is a dud and, unfortunately, not a shining flagship part of the game as advertised.

There is more to do beyond playing the story, such as mastering the arcade mode ladders, which are like Mortal Kombat’s towers. The first character chosen is the main character who fights to the end, where there is a new character cutscene unlocked. Nothing new to offer compared to previous fighting game entries, but good to have some sort of single-player grind, which offers replayability. Harder ladders are unlockable, and there are different difficulties the game offers: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Viltrumite. One aspect the game has done well in is making the normal feel like a good challenge for average fighting game fans, which means that more seasoned players hopefully also have a challenge with the greater difficulties.

Online Battles

The main part of the game where most people will likely be fighting is online, where there’s ranked, quick play, and lobbies. Ranked and Quickplay have a nice setup where players can choose 3 fighting teams as well as pick what stage they want to fight on. Then at the end of the fights, there’s an option for a rematch if both players agree.

There are lobbies that have a nice layout but are flawed. The lobby has a layout for multiple battles at once and spectating. Unfortunately, if a battle has already started, players can’t spectate until the next fight. Another big problem is that there’s no stage select in the private lobbies. This is a very odd and disappointing design choice, where when fighting privately among friends, you can’t select what stage you are playing on, but you can against randoms. Another annoyance with the lobbies is having to go to the player’s social menu to switch character sets instead of right before the fight, yet another feature against randoms that is not a feature for private lobbies. Hopefully, lobbies improve with future updates. There were also lots of annoying server errors when joining friends, which hopefully will be fixed by launch day.

One more odd design choice is that to set up a custom single fight against a CPU fighter, you have to go to the versus local menu. The player picks which side they want to play on, and the CPU will fill the other side. Single CPU fights are a great way to test characters outside of the practice range, but unfortunately, the game hides where it is.

Rewards

The game also provides rewards where players can earn just by playing. There are both overall player levels and individual character levels. Regardless of fighting offline or online, the characters will gain their own levels. Having the option to play where the player wants to play and still gain levels is a welcome feature. The character levels occasionally unlock new skins. But the main unlockables are background and titles for player cards, which are customizable for online play. Also, player levels unlock some stages and collectibles, such as comic art, for the collection menu. The leveling system provides a solid incentive to earn the rewards, as it allows you to “play your way” to earn.

Final Reaction

Overall, Invincible VS is a bloody, fun, and solid fighting game, but not without its annoyances. The single-player content available might get repetitive easily. However, the game could thrive with its community as the popularity of Invincible is only growing. It makes it a welcoming fighter for new players to check out.

Invincible VS is developed by Quarter Up, which is a subsidiary of Skybound Games. It’s a new studio that includes ex-Killer Instinct developers and is available to purchase now on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. You can go to your local comic store and ask for the exclusive physical edition that has a different cover.

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For players who want something tangible, the game’s physical edition is now available for the Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion features Marvel heroes as they try to save the world from an alien threat. Characters include Spider-Man, Storm, Wolverine, Phoenix, Captain America, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Black Panther, Rocket Raccoon, Nova, Beta Ray Bill, Venom, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Phyla-Vell, and Silver Surfer.

The game is developed by Tribute Games, which is known for fun gameplay and gaming nostalgia, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Scott Pilgrim EX.

Dotemu is the publisher, which also has a track record of games from classic franchises such as Streets of Rage 4, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Metal Slug Tactics, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.

Players are able to do tag-team battles, allowing them to switch off characters to stay in the fight. Multiplayer includes 4-player local and online co-op.

Will you be able to stop the threat from Annihilus, with other villains joining including Thanos, M.O.D.O.K, Taskmaster, and more?

The post Marvel Cosmic Invasion Gets Physical Release on Consoles After Strong Reviews appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The Story

The story of Pragmata features the protagonist Hugh Williams, a space soldier, who goes to the moon to figure out what exactly happened there. Hugh finds an android in the form of a little girl, named Diana. She is a Pragmata, which is officially defined as “A high-functioning autonomous prosthetic body with a simulated organic structure.”

Together, these characters team up and create a special relationship. One of the best parts of the game is seeing their special relationship grow. Hugh is someone who never really thought about being a father and has to take care of Diana, an innocent child who only wants to help. So many great father-daughter-like moments are scattered throughout the game in both the main story and side dialogue.

The story outside of the relationship is solid, but could have been better. It is a story where it is best to know as little as possible going into it. But it can be easily described as an unraveling mystery. The game does give answers by the end. For any lore junkies, there are lots of notes to be found, which also help expand and explain exactly what’s going on outside of the cutscenes and dialogue.

Enemies

While unraveling the mystery, Hugh and Diana face off against a good variety of enemies featured throughout the game as well. All the enemies are different kinds of robots that range from basic humanoid models to bigger robotic warriors to flying enemies.  Between fighting basic enemies and stronger enemies, there’s a solid progression of difficulty. Enemies get stronger as the game goes on.

The gameplay features the player controlling Hugh while also using Diana’s abilities. Hugh focuses on shooting and movement. The combat involves using four different types of weapons or gadgets, each with its own role. First, there’s the basic weapon that has unlimited ammo and a cool-down on use. Then there’s a stronger weapon, which is used to pack a bigger punch, also with a cool down, but it has limited uses. The gunplay is simple compared to other games, but it pairs nicely with the hacking mechanic. The other 2 kinds of weapon slots are gadgets used to help distract enemies and aid in combat. These all have limited uses as well.

Hacking and Shooting

The variety of weapons and gadgets is only half of what’s involved in the combat. What really sets this game apart from other games is the hacking feature. This feature is essential in letting the player deal damage, and to do so, it involves hacking puzzles while fighting. The puzzles are simple, where it’s on different grid shapes depending on the enemy, and you have to make a line to go to the end. These hacking puzzles feel really satisfying on a controller, as it makes use of the action buttons on a controller to control the puzzle movement. This leaves movement, dodging, and shooting skills available to use at the same time. However, the controls don’t feel nearly as intuitive on keyboard and mouse.

The balance of handling both not getting hit and doing puzzles is tough. What adds another layer to this is the use of nodes during hacking. Special, limited-use abilities that are used during the hacking part of combat. This adds more depth as, due to their limited uses. The player would want to make sure not to use them on weaker enemies, but on the stronger enemies. This constant balance of figuring out puzzles while dealing with enemies makes for very fun and unique gameplay. However, it is also a different flavor of gameplay, which will most likely be an acquired taste and not for everyone.

The game takes a more tactical approach with resource management, such as when to use certain guns, gadgets, hacking nodes, and movement. The movement is similar to other third-person action shooters, but features a dash ability that takes stamina. This means stamina has to be managed as well when fighting enemies. This makes it feel sluggish compared to other third-person action shooters. Although in this case, describing the overall movement as sluggish is not bad, as it lends itself to the tactical action gameplay approach.

Exploration

One of the best parts of the game is the exploration of the areas. The whole game is set on a massive space station that rewards exploration, with upgrades and unlockables to be found. The game also helps track how many collectibles are left in each area, which is satisfying when exploring all the areas fully. Also, a really cool detail is that when going to previously completed areas, there’s new dialogue between Hugh and Diana. This adds even more depth to their relationship and allows for the impact of certain story moments to simmer. 

Side Content

Outside of the story and exploration, the game offers other side content, such as special challenges and similar content, after the story ends. This is a surprising welcome addition, as some of these challenges differ from the game’s normal challenges. These include having to use certain weapons in a certain way or to complete parkour courses. Completing everything can easily double the playtime put into the game. From personal experience, the final playtime after playing everything is over 21 hours. Playing just the story would probably take about half as long, or more if spending time on exploration.

Final Reaction

Pragmata offers a different flavor of gameplay that may not click for everyone. But it offers a unique experience to help stand out in a market that is oversaturated. This game has a cool gimmick combining puzzles and third-person shooting that would be awesome to see expanded upon, regardless of whether it’s being made by Capcom or the next great indie game. Pragmata is another Capcom game that’s definitely worth playing and has the potential to become a cult classic.

Pragmata will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game releases on April 17th.

The post Pragmata Review: The Next Evolution For Third-Person Shooters? appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Adapting a video game into a movie is challenging, whether it’s making a horror game or an adventure game. The filmmakers need to walk a fine line in making sure that fans are happy as well as newcomers to the franchise.

“When you’re taking something that already has an existing fan base, one of the things you want to do is try to put as many things in there that please that fan base,” Clarke tells Nerd Reactor. “You can’t please everybody, and you can’t make all the references that you want to make. Also, you’re trying to make something for an audience that maybe hasn’t even heard of the game before. You need to walk in both of those worlds.”

The tide is turning for films and series based on video games. For example, the first season of Fallout and the Sonic the Hedgehog films have been praised by fans and critics.

“Well, I think that The Last of Us was hugely inspiring, because when you played the game, you felt like you were watching an HBO series,” Kipp said. “You were like, ‘Oh, these are characters with character arcs and narrative arcs, and in many ways, it felt like watching a cinematic experience. And indeed, by having characters and a story, you could easily translate that into a visual medium like a series. And I think The Mortuary Assistant tapped into that as well because you’ve got Rebecca Owens and Raymond Delver, who are really strong archetypes that the audience can hook on to.”

An important ingredient in adapting a property is being able to bring the creator on board.

“Coming from a development background, I was really timid at the start to be involved in the process, and I had this idea of I’m going to let people who are experienced in making films make films, right?” Clarke said. “I didn’t want to come in and be like, ‘I’m the Mortuary Assistant guy, I know what to do.’ But over time, getting more involved and really connecting on the project helped us figure out what makes a good video game adaptation, what needed to come from the game, and what could just be little nods in the background.”

“I always considered Brian to be an essential element,” Kipp explained. “I think where a lot of game-to-film adaptations have gone wrong is not including the developer in the process. I wanted to hardwire Brian in from the beginning, and I also understood from the beginning that Brian built this entire game from the ground up. The game is essentially all Brian’s subconscious, and I wanted Brian’s subconscious to be with us the entire time. It led to many conversations between Brian and me where we talked about the dark depths underneath, so that we both are working the same underpinnings and the same subtext.”

The Mortuary Assistant will be available to stream on Shudder on Friday, March 27, 2026.

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Trainers who attended were treated to photo opportunities, a Mega Night with DJ GlitchxCity, and early access to catching Mega Dragonite in exclusive Mega Raids.

Additional highlights include:

• 330,000 total Trainers participated in City-wide gameplay
• More than 2,300,000 Mega Raid battles won by Trainers in the region
• Over 27,000 Pokémon Mega evolved for the first time
• Over 69,000,000 Mega Energy consumed by Trainers over the weekend
• Over 1.3 million kilometers walked by all ticketed Trainers

“This is a team effort,” Angela Ferguson-Martens, Live Events Marketing Manager and lead organizer of the event, tells Nerd Reactor. “I’m so lucky to be connecting lots of teams – our game designers, our producers, legal – everybody comes together, and we really put on the best show we can for our trainers. We know how much our trainers are passionate about the game, and we just want to give that love right back to you.”

The rest of the world will be able to participate when Pokémon GO Tour Kalos – Global starts on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, from 10 am to 6 pm local time.

“As we are here kicking off the 10th anniversary of Pokémon GO, that’s probably a story for a lot of people,” Angela explained. “They played during that initial craze in 2016, and maybe they stopped, and now they’re kind of coming back to celebrate this really big milestone with us.”

The global event will give trainers the chance to catch Mega Dragonite, Mega Victreebel, and Mega Malamar in Super Mega Raid battles. The Super Mega Raid battles will be harder than regular Mega Raids, and that means you’ll need help from many local trainers.

Additionally, Shiny Pokémon debuts include Shiny Hodedge, Shiny Hawlucha, and Shiny Klefki.

The post Pokémon GO Tour: Kalos Brings 43,000 Trainers, 11 Million Pokémon Caught appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

A Fun Little Story

As one would expect with a game whose main character is Professor Hamster Jones, the story is simple and sweet. When Hamster Jones gets a package containing the creature Charaon (who is quite polite to the ladies), the creature challenges him. And what better place to have this challenge than a pyramid? So, Jones and his posse (one named Chris Ceratops; guess what kind of dinosaur he is) head to Egypt.

The cutscene in the beginning is all in French, but I appreciate the English subtitles. It does not affect the story or the gameplay in any way, and many indie developers cannot afford localization. You start your journey in the treasure room. This is the top of the pyramid and acts as your hub where you can talk to your friends. Often, after certain room objectives, they will have some important dialogue that advances the story. Charaon will often taunt you as the story progresses, all in an attempt to waver the player’s confidence.

Lots of Puzzles!

Hamstermind has multiple types of puzzles. Getting through the game only requires you to solve the big center puzzle in each room and collect the glowing orbs. As you go deeper into the Pyramid, the puzzles become more complicated. Not only do you go vertically through the Pyramid, but there are also side routes. Each route, labeled with a letter from A to E, has a different number of rooms. Routes B through D circled back to route A. The “E” rooms were what really took me by surprise. To really beat the game, you have to get over 200% completion.

The main puzzles are made up of tiles. These can be rotated and sometimes moved depending on the formation of the rooms. Later in the game, you have to flip some of the rooms as well. It is a lot of furious trigger pressing, and the game does recommend a controller when you boot it up. At the time of writing this review, I have still not reached the end of Route “E,” though I plan to.

Every room also has a scarab puzzle, and these start off very easily and get very difficult as you get closer to completionist status. They involve rotating a box and trying to get a labeled tile into the right spot. The labels are images of snakes, insects, and other critters. Scarabs unlock skins and hints for the translation puzzle. There are 5 different skins to unlock, from a spaceman to a cool Easter egg and a nod to One Piece with their version of a pirate.

Yes, More Puzzles!

The translation puzzles look like vending machines. When you use them, you will see a grid with symbols, blank spots, and weights. Don’t worry, the game will eventually teach you what everything means as long as you do the scarab puzzles. The translation puzzles involve putting symbols in the correct blank spots.

Some rooms also have a puzzle involving unlocking the entrance to other routes. In these puzzles, you must direct a bug to hit all the buttons on a web. Players must use the change of direction buttons to ensure the bug touches them all. Once you complete that, the passageway will stay open permanently.

Cute and Challenging

Hamstermind was a lot more fun than I expected. With it being their first PC game, Righteous Tree did not disappoint. Going around and trying to beat all the puzzles has been quite frustrating and fun at the same time. Your brain really has to work on some of the puzzles.

Can you help Professor Hamster Jones achieve archaeological glory?

Pick up Hamstermind on Steam. The game is currently 25% off with its introductory sale.

The post Hamstermind Is a Deceptively Deep Puzzle Game (Review) appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Fast-forward two decades, and The Rumble Fish 2 is finally here for the Nintendo Switch 2. It was released on January 22, 2026.

The Nintendo Switch 2 version has a new game mode: Team Battle. The mode, which you can play offline or online, allows you to pick three characters to go up against the opponent’s team.

The game features graphical updates along with crossplay with Nintendo Switch.

There are a total of 16 characters to choose from, with 10 from the first game and 6 new ones for the sequel. The sequel characters include Sheryl, Mito, Bazoo, Lud, Hazama, Beatrice.

The post The Rumble Fish 2 Finds New Life on Nintendo Switch 2 With Team Battle Mode appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The event will run from 5 pm to 9 pm PT and will be hosted by caster and commentator Cozy.

New reveals include new trailers, content reveals, and more. There will be a live Q&A with key members of the Marvel Rivals team, including Guangguang (Creative Director from NetEase Games), Yachen Bian (Publishing and Marketing Lead from NetEase Games), and Danny Koo (Executive Producer at Marvel Games).

The Marvel Rivals voice cast will participate in a panel with some surprises, and composer Shota Nakama and singer Adriana Figueroa will perform live music.

Cosplayers will have the chance to win prizes.

Fans can get free tickets by registering here. Limited space is available.

Check out the full schedule for Marvel Rivals Assemble on March 3 is below:

Marvel Rivals Roadmap

GuangGuang (Creative Director at NetEase Games), Yachen Bian (Publishing and Marketing Lead at NetEase Games), and Danny Koo (Executive Producer at Marvel Games) will share exciting Marvel Rivals announcements.

Marvel Rivals Musical Performance

Shota Nakama (Composer) and Adriana Figueroa (Singer) perform music from Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals Voice Cast Panel

• Abby Trott
• Alejandro Saab
• Aleks Le
• Alpha Takahashi
• Andrew Kishino
• Bill Millsap
• Brian Bloom
• Brittany Cox
• Cassandra Lee Morris
• Colleen O’Shaughnessy
• Daisy Lightfoot
• Daniel Marin
• Eliah Mountjoy
• Fred Tatasciore
• Ian James Corlett
• James Mathis III
• Jim Meskimen
• Joe Zieja
• Jon Bailey
• Jordan Reynolds
• Laura Bailey
• Laura Post
• Lenore Zann
• Liam O’Brien
• Mara Junot
• Stephen Fu
• Travis Willingham
• Xanthe Hyunh

Marvel Rivals Cosplay Contest

Show up in your favorite Marvel Rivals costume and participate in a cosplay contest with prizes!

Judges: GuangGuang, Yachen Bian, Danny Koo

The post Marvel Rivals LA Event to Feature 2026 Roadmap, Reveals, Voice Cast Panel, Music Performance appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

First, High on Life 2’s story is set roughly a few years after the first. It also leans heavily into expecting the player to know the story and characters from the first game. For anyone who hasn’t played the first, they will likely be lost with not knowing the importance of key characters that show up from the first game, both major and cameos. The opening of the game also focuses on showing the character you play as going from a hero to an outlaw. Why that is, is best left as a surprise. The game is full of fun twists throughout the entire story.

The premise of the story is that humans are being used as drugs by a pharmaceutical company, so the hero has to stop the company from using humans as drugs throughout the galaxy. While that sounds similar to the story of the first game, it also shows that the humor from the first has not gone away. Never once does the story get dull. It begins with a very memorable opening and all the way to a very fun final boss.

The next element that stands out is the world. There are a good variety of areas in the sequel, including both open areas and linear levels. Just like the first game, there is a city hub. However this time it is much bigger. This means there is more to explore, leaving more collectibles to find, such as cosmetics or weapon upgrades. However with the areas being notably bigger, it would normally be a drag to keep on running around a city hub of this size.

Skateboarding

Luckily, the biggest new mechanic of the game, riding on a skateboard, makes traveling around all the areas a lot more enjoyable. Say goodbye to sprinting. It feels fluid and allows for both grinding on rails and riding on the side of walls. It also makes for some fun platforming segments, especially in some of the linear missions, where it is focused on an epic experience for what is happening in the story. Such as one part where you go from one convention to another. First, you begin at parking con, where you do a lot of platforming, and then later end up at murder con, where it’s a convention all about using those talking guns.

Gatlians

The talking guns, known as Gatlians, are the main characters to join the player in their journey. Knifey the knife is back as the murderous melee companion, along with both an even mix of Gatlians that return from the first game and new faces. There’s a total of six main guns that provide a diverse weapon pool. The first two are the returning characters Sweezy, an SMG-like pistol, and Gus, the shotgun with big eyes. There are also new Gatlians, such as the new pistol buddy Travis or a burst rifle voiced by Ralph Ineson.

All weapons bring a good variety of play styles and make swapping between guns a lot of fun. You can skate into a battle, shoot the enemy with a shotgun, then go grind on a rail and switch to the bow and kill another from across the other side of the room. Each gun also has a special ability, which helps with both exploration, such as being able to slow down time to get past a fast-moving fan, or an ability to help in combat, such as electrocuting a group of enemies.

What also makes the guns fun is that they can talk, just like in the first game. The voice options in certain conversations or snippy remarks during combat leave a grin on any player’s face when playing. The returning voices from the first game, such as Betsy Sodaro (Sweezy) and J.B. Smoove (Gus), do a great job at voicing these fun characters as well as new additions for a well-rounded cast.

There are other characters in the cast that are not guns but also join the adventure. Most notably, Gene, the once-famous bounty hunter, and Lizzie, the main character’s sister. This helps the journey by giving direction on what to do and having characters you, as a player, work with and want to protect, thus giving the story even more stakes than random humans turning into drugs.

Final Reaction

Overall, any fans of the first game will enjoy this new addition as it takes all of what made the first one great and adds new additions to make it all even more fun. Shooting enemies while riding on a skateboard makes for a fun, unique experience. However, for anyone who hasn’t played the first game, go play it, then come back to fully enjoy this game’s skateboarding action.

High on Life 2 is available for Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

The post High on Life 2 Review – A Great Follow-up to Squanch’s Smash Hit appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

This review will cover Crisol’s unique mechanics and how managing your ammunition could mean the difference between life and death, more than in most other games. As Gabriel, you dive deeper into the dark island of Tormentosa. Nestled off the coast of this world’s Spain, named Hispania, help uncover a conspiracy of godly proportions.

Sun vs Sea

In Crisol: Theater of Idols, you play as a servant of the Sun, a god who is at war with the Sea. Players are thrown onto the island, which is rainy and dark. Through this, it seems the Sun is not welcome. Your mission is to reseal the Sea into a prison by finding four daggers. Along the way, you have to fight walking statues, rock monsters, flying babies, and other creepy enemies. You also meet a group of rebels called Solari, led by a spunky youth named Mediodia. Luckily, they are also servants of the Sun, but you don’t meet them until after the prologue. You then end up at their base, and it will become your hub.

Throughout the game, memories will appear to you, uncovering more of the hidden stories that haunt this island. If you are a completionist (I am not), this is an incentive to find them all. The story as a whole has a lot of elements to it. At 15-20 hours, you get a lot to dive into. Luckily, there is a journal that records every note, memory, and more. This helps and creates a nice codex for the player. Oftentimes, you will find books and notes that have clues for future puzzles. The puzzles are a lot of fun and tie into the story, so you are never pulled out of it. In the end, it is a solid story with some good twists. As you are hunting for the daggers, you uncover why this war is happening and how to stop it.

Blood Bullets

The reason Crisol: Theater of Idols has the survival tag is due to the unique ammunition system. For your guns, the player has to use their own blood. Every time you reload your gun, you drain some of your blood. Fear not, because your health bar is upgradeable. Depending on the gun depends on how much blood you use. Shotgun is different than SMG, which is different than pistol. One nice aspect of this mechanic is that you can reload your gun partially. Gabe starts with a pistol, with a total of 5 guns to find. Each gun also has its own animation for reloading, which adds to the fun of this mechanic.

Every gun is upgradeable. Damage, reload speed, fire rate, and ammo capacity are what you can put points into. Each point costs coins that you find throughout the island. As you go through the game, you can earn discounts by freeing crows. These crows belong to the fortune teller, where you can purchase these upgrades. The more crows you free, the higher the discount goes.

This unique mechanic made for a really intense game. Oftentimes, you will be going into a new area with a lot of ammo and a little health or vice versa. It is a matter of finding a perfect balance, collecting blood as often as possible from dead NPCs, animal carcasses, and blood fountains. Some NPCs you drain will also give you items for quests or solari tokens that can unlock chests at the hub.

Your syringes are an important part of your toolbelt. Upgrading that pouch at the fortune teller is crucial as you get deeper into the game. Certain skills also add to how you are able to heal, reload, and manage this whole mechanic.

Skills and Tools

The skill system is rather straightforward, and players may not unlock all of them before completing the game. To unlock each one, the player uses essence collected from killed enemies. There are also crow skull relics that players must find. Each skill has a different skull value ranging from 2 to 4. Once again, crows are involved because skills are unlocked through the fortune teller.

Another tool in the player’s arsenal is the knife. The knife, as a weapon, is very useful in mid-battle should you run out of ammo and are low on blood. Oftentimes, an enemy will be down to a torso and legs, or even just legs, and a couple of swipes with the knife finishes them off. The knife does lose durability as you use it, and can be restored via a sharpening station. Players must use gas cans, found strewn across the island, to operate these stations. The knife’s durability is upgradeable via the fortune teller.

Players will use many tools on their travels across Tormentosa. Bolt cutters will get you through many parts of one chapter, while a mini ship’s steering wheel will aid you another time. Another part finds you using a brake lever. Each part of the island has its own mechanisms, traps, and puzzles.

Aesthetics, Environments, and Music, Ole!

The very nice thing about Crisol is that the game is very linear and story-driven, yet it feels very open. As a player in this sort of game, you want to not feel too boxed in. Crisol manages this wonderfully. The designers developed a beautiful yet forlorn world that has a lot of different places to explore. As players go through each chapter, they will visit each different district.

Every district is a different theme, and the styles of buildings and decorations really exemplify what that theme is for each one. I was not once disappointed at what I was looking at. The colors used were just the right palette to reflect the tone of the game. And it ran beautifully on the highest graphic settings at 2K resolution (I am running a 12th gen i7, 64 GB DDR5 RAM, and a 4070 TI).

The music in Crisol: Theater of Idols created perfect moments and added to the intensity when it was necessary. Whether running from Dolores, a 10-ft tall monstrosity, or enjoying the carnival games in the hub, I was able to appreciate what was playing in the background. Players will be able to enjoy the music in the main menu as well through vinyl record collectables found throughout the world.

Extras! Extras!

Games like Crisol often have multiple treasures to discover in their world. Whether you find a vinyl record or a page that can reveal a new part of the story, Crisol is a treasure trove of content. You can also win tickets at the fair to unlock different useful and collectible items. Achievements are important for extras, too, with each one having a value. Once a player is done with the story, they will be able to unlock virtual models of many of the items, enemies, and weapons in the game. Additionally, this feature really allows you to appreciate the hard work Vermila Studios has put into the game. Players can also feel good about their hard work through their achievements. Listening to the few vinyls I have unlocked also tempted me to go back and find the rest. Yes, the soundtrack is quite good.

Final Reaction

Blumhouse has a winner with Crisol: Theater of Idols. Despite some minor bugs that I am sure the developers will patch up, it did not affect the gameplay. If I were to have any complaint, it would be that the running mechanic felt a little sluggish, and there were a few boat rides that felt the same. I think the sluggish running is on purpose, as it added to the sense of urgency. I still would not mind a springier Gabe, though. But really, the only real complaint is the slow boat rides.

Crisol: Theater of Idols is one I highly recommend checking out. With a great story, unique mechanics, and engrossing environments, first-person shooter and horror fans alike will want to check this one out. It is not a perfect game by any means, but Crisol: Theater of Idols makes me excited for what the folks at Vermila Studios have up their sleeves.

Pick up Crisol: Theater of idols now on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

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