Some of you may recognize Cris Tales as one of the more eye-catching indie titles of 2021. For those unfamiliar, the game blends a striking, hand-drawn art direction with time-bending JRPG gameplay. It looks extremely promising, and those planning to pick it up should perhaps consider upping the ante with the game’s newly announced collector’s edition.
This physical bundle comes courtesy of Maximum Games Store and comes chock full of goodies. It runs for $99.99, and you’ll have to pre-order it fast as only “very limited” quantities are available. Cris Tales doesn’t have a firm release date yet, but the bundle is scheduled to release sometime this spring. Per the product page, the package includes the following:
- Collector’s box
- An adorable Matias plush
- Lithographic art prints
- 3 character stickers
- Set of 4 enamel character pins
- A 60-page artbook
- 4 desktop wallpaper downloads
- 8 phone wallpaper downloads
- 10 character avatars
Cris Tales tells the story of Crisbell, who has the unique ability to peer into the past and future and manipulate events to her liking. The game is an unabashed love letter to classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Super Mario RPG. The classic turn-based gameplay is freshened up, though, thanks to the ability to battle across multiple time periods simultaneously and how players must strategically use different eras to their advantage. For example, Crisbell can send enemies into the past, which makes them younger and physically weaker, but also faster. This can also backfire, such as transporting a baby dragon into the future where it turns into an older, more powerful adult. Cris Tales looks great, which is why we consider it one of the year’s hidden gems worth watching.
Look out for Cris Tales when it comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC sometime this year. Watch us take the game for a spin in this episode of New Gameplay Today.
