REVIEW / Crystal Comet (PC)

Reviewing games can be a tricky business. It’s not simply a case of having a checklist and ticking things off as you play so you can decide whether a game is good or bad. I’m noting this because if the game that I was playing today had come from a massive studio with a major publisher behind it I’d be scoring it entirely differently. The point is I’m not and it isn’t so I need to be looking at this title through another lens. Today’s game is retro in the finest sense of the word. I’m not talking about “retro” either. This isn’t that silly catch-all term for games made to look old to be cool and edgy. I mean really retro. Today’s game feels like something straight out of the early 90s and it’s glorious. The fact that I was playing games in the early 90s means a lot in this instance but I’m not sure some younger players would be as thrilled as I am. The title in question is Crystal Comet, it’s on Steam, and I’m having a literal blast.

Crystal Comet feels like it was made on a shoestring budget in someone’s basement. This is not a criticism. Some of the best classic games came out of situations such as this. The graphics are basic but colorful, the voice acting is better than something I could do, (seriously 10 out of 10 for effort,) the music is remarkably well done, and the gameplay is fun. I absolutely don’t care that it looks like a throwback. I’m putting my retro hat on for this review because I really enjoyed myself with this title, but I still had to put it in a bit of a box in my head. If I hadn’t done I’d have started making silly, unfair comparisons and that wouldn’t have done Crystal Comet justice.

Crystal Comet is a vertical shooter in which you get everything including the kitchen sink thrown at you and you have to power through blasting everything in your way. I don’t need to explain the basic mechanics, you’ve all been there and I’m pretty sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are a few little quirks though that I found really enjoyable and refreshing.

You’ll pick one of four characters to take into the fray, each with their own ship. Each of these ships has differing stats with respect to speed and the amount of punishment they can take. They also have a different special that you can kick off when you’ve picked up enough energy. This still isn’t anything new but what I like is that you’re playing this game as part of a squad. The other three ships will be flying along with you with the AI manning the helm. This is brilliant because you’re getting 4 player co-op even when you’re on your own and there’s enough going on during each level to make this feel impactful. Having help doesn’t make the game feel easier it’s just nice to have the extra firepower.

The story Crystal Comet centers around four mercenaries who must bring balance back to the universe in the wake of the titular celestial artifact. All races were living harmoniously until it appeared, rekindling old enmities and stoking the flames of war and greed. Whether you’ll be able to destroy the comet will come down to your skill as a pilot and your ability to work as a team. There will be a lot of hostile territory that you’ll have to fly through before you’ll get that chance, though.

Something I really like about Crystal Comet is that losing all your life doesn’t just see you exploding into a little fireball. If you drop to zero health, one of the other ships can, (and actually will,) come along and heal you. You’ll find yourself doing the same with your fallen comrades and this adds to the feeling of playing as part of a team. What’s nice is the AI doesn’t have the intelligence of a sack of bricks and will actually do its part. I’ve played many games with big budgets and very dumb computer-controlled players so this is lovely to see.

Crystal Comet is replayable in that you can take more than one route through the game. As you complete levels you’ll be given more than one path you can take. This doesn’t alter the difficulty, it just gives you a slightly different challenge and, of course, a new boss to meet. Each level also gives you an unlockable weapon on completion so it’s worth going back and playing again if you want to collect them all. Each character also has their own ending so this adds to the reason why you’ll be wanting to play through it more than once.

This is the sort of game that with a bit of skill you could easily complete in one sitting, and one that I actually did. This isn’t a complaint in this case. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is as I’ve just mentioned you can go back and play again but meet different levels. The other point is that a lot of shooters are score attacks so if you’re the sort of player that wants to rack up the points you can repeat levels over and over and not lose too much time doing it. Lastly, by completing Crystal Comet you’ll unlock a new mode that I’m not telling you about. You can put the work in and find out just like I did.

I really enjoyed playing through Crystal Comet. This wasn’t because the graphics were stellar or because it was a 70-hour saga but for the simplest reason. It was fun. I’ve said this before but we spend so much time looking for games that reinvent the wheel that we forget the point of everything we do. We want to enjoy ourselves and if that’s for an hour or a month that should be all that counts. If you like a good arcade shooter and you just want to enjoy blasting aliens to bits I think you’ll enjoy flying through Crystal Comet. If on the other hand, you’ve been raised on Triple A shenanigans and you’re looking for cutting-edge everything you’ll likely feel like you’ve been given something out of a time warp to play through. Personally, I think it’s a tenner of your hard-earned money well spent for a bout of simple, (if a little short storywise,) enjoyment.