I play a lot of horror demos during each and every Steam Next Fest, and more often than not, games that I am unaware of make their way into my Wishlist. Crisol: Theater of Idols was a strange case that went the other way as Blumhouse’s latest game looked superb, but the demo emphasised an unkillable stalker enemy that felt at odds with the gunplay and atmosphere of the game. I kind of took my eyes off Crisol after that, but I am very happy to declare that I was wrong to do so. Having now spent the past few days absolutely immersed in the world of Crisol, I consider it to be one of my favourite action horror games in years, and one that feels an absolute steal at its bargain retail price.
The story and world-building of Crisol is absolutely superb, and genuinely feels up there with the best of Resident Evil and FromSoft. You begin as Gabriel, a stranded captain on a mysterious shore, entrusted with a mission by the God of the Sun to seal the evil power of the God of the Sea. Gabriel is a devout soldier but one who seems tormented by the conflicting voices of doubt and conviction – conveyed through some fabulous audio design that rewards wearing headphones. Soon after beginning his adventure, Gabriel is confronted by automaton mannequins that seem invulnerable to his pistol and he is swiftly dealt with.
What should be the end, however, proves to just be the beginning as the God of Sun offers his power to Gabriel in the form of a grotesque link between his blood and his weapons. Normal firearms become magical guns when they are absorbed by his magical blood and can hurt the uncanny foes that stalk the streets and buildings of Hispania. It is not just the nature of the weapons that is transformed, though, as the ammunition they fire is manifested from your blood as well. What follows is a unique twist on the conventional risk and reward of survival horror as you must manage your health and ammo from one pool.
Hispania is a darkly beautiful setting, with ruined streets and interiors that defy periodisation as the game could be taking place any time from the late 19th century to the current day (the only clear nod to a more modern date being a radio that you use to communicate with friends and sometimes antagonists). The architecture evokes the timeless splendour of Spanish cities, whilst reminding me a lot of the world of Resident Evil 4 – a game that is a clear influence here. Voice acting is mostly very strong – although I will be playing again in Spanish to really set the mood. There have been some complaints about your companion Mediodia being too upbeat for the tone but I quite liked the contrast this enables. Music is excellent and songs can be unlocked by collecting hidden vinyl records in the game.
Your starting pistol is relatively underpowered even when bloodily enhanced but you can level it up as you progress. In the middle of the game it was my primary weapon with a great balance between power and blood cost for ammunition. A shotgun and a rifle are found later in the game and are hugely effective but come at a much higher blood cost. You also have a knife which can be used to parry attacks but has a limited durability to manage. I struggled to time the parry in my playthrough but will practice in future ones – hopefully the window is patched to be a bit more forgiving.
Combat is brutal and visceral as the mannequin enemies are unrelenting in their attacks. Their rigid, inhuman movements are terrifying in the gloom of many areas, and their horrifying appearance is exacerbated by the fact that they keep on coming even when decapitated or dismembered. Managing your ammo and targets when multiple foes are lurching, crawling or even firing ranged weapons at you is truly thrilling in a way that few games manage aside from Leon Kennedy’s best adventures. There is some welcome variety in enemy as the game progresses, with a later crystal/glass foe being particularly difficult to counter.
The aforementioned invincible stalker is far more cohesive in the full game than I found in the early demo. Delores is a twisted mix of robot and statue with a tendency to taunt you as she stomps unerringly towards you. The stealth sections featuring her are not my favourite parts of the game but they were not frequent enough to disrupt my enjoyment and actually offered a great change of pace from the more action-orientated moments.
The final aspect of the game is a focus on puzzles that goes even beyond the influence of Capcom’s legendary series. Aside from finding key items and environmental puzzles involving gears and timed gates, there are regular logic puzzles that range from enjoyable to truly infuriating without ever being too frustrating. Some of these are takes on the familiar but all benefit from fitting the unique aesthetic to perfection. I will admit that one particular late game example involving making up an image from two concentric circles made me pause the game and take a break for a while.
