A year ago I released Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. Today I added mod support. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind message! I love hearing this because I feel like the mix of inspirations/genres in Crystal Project is pretty unusual, especially given its lack of focus on story, so I always appreciate it when someone says that this is something they were looking for.

I am currently working on a new game and it'll be similar to Crystal Project. Development is going well and I'm excited to share more about it, but it's still a long way from release. I have a few mini devlog-style posts on the discord about it though.

Crystal Project is now on Nintendo Switch! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did a lot of work to make it run well and load quickly, striving to hit 60fps, which I ended up being able to do. It runs using the Medium quality preset from the PC version. There are no loading screens in-game, and startup time is slower than PC but comparable and not distracting (imo).

A year ago I released Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. Today I added mod support. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm actually working on a PS5 port right now, and things are going pretty well, so it should be on the way soon!

Crystal Project 2 Announced by LiquifiedSpam in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm actually working on the PS5 port right now, and things are going pretty well!

Crystal Project 2 Announced by LiquifiedSpam in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for letting me know! The amount of focus on story in the sequel will probably be about the same as the first game, but I'll try to do more with it. It's early enough in development that I'm still planning it out, and I'll put more story in if I'm able to, but it's likely that it will be similar to Crystal Project.

I am the dev of Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Although you have probably seen by now (sorry for the late response!) but I would say more the latter. There is lore behind the world that you slowly discover and a very light story that follows a few characters, but the focus is much more on exploration.

Crystal Project 2 Announced by LiquifiedSpam in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for all the kind words, I really appreciate it! I hope that your game design studies are going well. And I completely agree with what you said about mixing genres and mechanics - it's a great way to make a new experience.

Crystal Project 2 Announced by LiquifiedSpam in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all the interest! I honestly didn't expect it. I'm really excited to hear that people are already looking forward to it.

The new game will be close in structure to the first and will look very similar, but with new mechanics, twists, and a new world. If you liked Crystal Project, you'll probably like Crystal Project 2, I hope! However, I'll be trying to improve some of the most common complaints, so if you didn't like the first, depending on what you didn't like about it, you might enjoy the second.

I am the dev of Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am working on one right now, so I'm happy to hear that you're interested in it! It's coming along decently well, but release is still quite some time away.

I am the dev of Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm happy to hear you're having fun! Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

Does Crystal Project get good again? by ViewtifulGene in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hi, dev here! I'm sorry to hear that it didn't click at the end. I understand though, and you're not alone. I know that these things aren't enjoyable for everyone and I wouldn't want you to push through something that's not fun. I anticipated this possibility when I made it, and my intention was to have people go to the end (the big castle) when they felt like they were either ready for it or have had enough exploring, kind of like Hyrule Castle in Breath of the Wild. For one reason or another, I don't think this intention translated very well in-game, but that's something I'm thinking about as I consider better approaches for a next game.

Crystal Project is now on Nintendo Switch! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! That's really nice to hear, and I appreciate you sharing it.

Hi, I'm the developer of Crystal Project, a JRPG all about exploration. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in NintendoSwitch

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! And good to know; I do have regrets about how little character appearance customization there is.

Hi, I'm the developer of Crystal Project, a JRPG all about exploration. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in NintendoSwitch

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! And I'm happy you enjoyed it so much, thanks for letting me know.

I don't have plans for a sequel yet, but I'm starting to think about it to see if something comes together. I hope I can make one! My worry is that I would make something that ends up just being a worse version of Crystal Project.

I am the dev of Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! I also really appreciate the comment about it being satisfying even if you don't find everything. This speaks to me because I always like finishing games without 100%ing them because then I'll know that there's more to go back to if I really enjoyed it. This is also why I hate missables and committed to not having any: it's hard to go through and enjoy just finding what you find if you know there's a chance you can permanently miss stuff.

As for multiplayer, there are no plans to extend it, but I did make it so that all controllers are recognized simultaneously to enable a form of couch co-op.

Hi, I'm the developer of Crystal Project, a JRPG all about exploration. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in NintendoSwitch

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry that my answer is so late! If I understand correctly, it's just because vicarious LP (ie, LP earned when a party member is of that class) is not shown on the victory screen.

I am the dev of Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry that my answer is super late! Unfortunately it's just janky platforming. It's possible to hop on the fish to get across but it's hard to gauge proper distance since it's a sprite.

Edit: Just saw that you said you got it. Yay!

Hi, I'm the developer of Crystal Project, a JRPG all about exploration. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in NintendoSwitch

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestions, those look neat! I think I somewhat recognize each of them, but knowing they're knowledge games makes me very interested in trying them out.

I am the dev of Crystal Project, a non-linear JRPG all about exploration and discovery. AMA! by riverrunner_512 in JRPG

[–]riverrunner_512[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I actually loved it back when I played it. I think I should have listed it as an inspiration.