Crystalis is an underrated and not well known classic and still a must play 20 years after initial release.
Having been released near the end of the life-cycle it took full advantage of the capabilities of the NES featuring vibrant colours and well crafted sprites. Enemies are imaginative and easily recognizable for what they are supposed to represent. From the first area you will notice the relative lack of pixelation as well as the varied textures in the fields. Characters have a unique look to them, taller and thinner than in many NES RPG and adventure games. Enemies are creatively designed and fit well into a post-nuclear theme set up in the opening cut-scene.
The story starts out very simplistic at first but fully unfolds through a now cliched hero destined to save the world story into something that validates the whole warrior of destiny premise in a unique way. Without any cut-scenes save the title screen and the closing credits the story is told through dialogue and gameplay and is never obtrusive. The story is neatly wrapped up by the end in a satisfactory manner and doesn't disappoint by having several twists thrown in along the way.
Controls and gameplay are overall excellent, but contain the only elements that prevent this game from being a 10. Using a control scheme that is fairly common for the era creates some issues due to the amount of actions generally required for an action RPG. In this case B is mapped to attack and item usage and A is mapped to magic and jumping (when the rabbit boots are equipped.) This means that in order to use an item you have to pause the game and select the item. Until the item is used you are unable to attack. It is also quite common to find enemies immune to one or more elements requiring you to frequently pause the game to cycle between the four elemental swords. Once you get used to this minor inconvenience The controls seem intuitive and are responsive.
Action is non stop in this game, with enemies coming from the ground and air at frequent intervals. Death can come suddenly in an inattentive moment, but auto-saves come at a frequent enough pace to keep the difficulty from being burdensome. Combat can be simple with strategic usage of the weapon charging system and decent dodging skills. Leveling happens at the perfect rate and does not require excessive grinding or allow for rushing through the game avoiding contact.
The music in Crystalis is some of the best of the 8 bit generation. Each area has its own unique music and many of the songs are catchy enough that you will find yourself singing them hours later.