Cris Tales

Cris Tales is a clever time-traveling JRPG that's held back by monotonous combat.

Though it doesn't quite stick the landing, Cris Tales is an enjoyable turn-based RPG adventure with a lovable story about a found family bending time to save the world.

Cris Tales never manages to build its curious premise into an entertaining tool.

Cris Tales is a solid RPG dragged down by a creative gimmick that never realizes its true potential

Foes can be cast into the past or future in a whimsical time-bending throwback that celebrates Colombia

While brimming with gorgeous visuals and charm, for a game about time, “Cris Tales” doesn’t seem to value yours.

While Cris Tales offers a stirring adventure — packed full of wit and character — numerous mechanical shortcomings frequently put the brakes on its excitable spirit. A victim of unfulfilled ambition, Cris Tales doesn’t quite deliver on its clever premise or its chrono-combat. There’s no denying the passion and talent of the developers, however, manifested in stunning visuals and a wonderful cast. Cris Tales will definitely ostracize some players, but those with a little patience may see past its flaws to embrace its heartfelt homage to gaming’s bygone era.

You’ll steadily gain access to new characters throughout your adventure. Not only are they wonderfully entertaining during the story, but they also have unique abilities in battle that can really mix up how you fight. It keeps the game feeling fresh and interesting throughout the 30 or so hours that it takes to reach its conclusion.

Cris Tales offers up a satisfying take on classic JRPG tropes while sprinkling in some interesting new gameplay ideas and an incredible art style. Though some aspects of combat can be frustrating and the pacing can occasionally feel like it's wasting your time, we'd still give this one a recommendation to anyone looking for a cool new RPG for their Switch. Cris Tales does just enough to stick out from the pack and assert itself as a title worth adding to your library; JRPG aficionados should definitely give this one a shot.

This love letter to classic JRPGs has a lot of heart & charm, but is a bit rough around the edges.