Found this one in the Walmart bargain bin, and at $10 was almost worth the price. To begin with, the basic premise is interesting. Much like the Myst saga, you're trapped on a planet where you must solve puzzles to escape. However, you're also trying to discover where the space aliens are, and how to stop them from destroying everything. Unlike the first Myst, you actually see the aliens, can be captured, and killed. The graphics are great, but inside the spaceship are very dark, and at times it is difficult to see objects around you. Planetside, the opposite is occasionally true, in the the scenes are so bright it is difficult to see. The plot is fairly linear, however it is possible to visit places (like the spaceship) before you are fully prepared to be there. As I said in my opening paragraph, this is ALMOST worth the price. the one thing that defeated the game is its bugs. The game has a tendency to hang up when the player is inside the spaceship and, worst of all, there is one bug that seriously damaged gameplay enjoyment. Towards the end of the game, there is a glitch in one of the scenes, and it is impossible to obtain that key. The company came out with what I can only laughingly refer to as a patch. The sarcasm in my writing comes from the fact that the patch does not fix the problem, it merely bypasses it. The patch consists of a saved game, wherein the player already HAS that key. For gamers that want to do it themselves, this is a less than adequate fix, and ruins the entire gaming experience. It's rather like climbing most of the way up Mt. Everest, then benig teleported the final 100 feet. Disappointing to say the least.
This is an old game and I doubt anyone would consider getting it now, but this is by far the worst game experience I've ever had, so I have to write this down for the record. My review is probably a bit slanted because b... Read Full Review
In the wake of the Myst phenomenon there were many wannabe knockoff adventure games trying to cash in on the success of that franchise. The Crystal Key is one such game. Taking every concept that Myst used, and wrapping ... Read Full Review
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