Crystal Crisis
Crystal Crisis is a competitive tile-matching puzzle game on Steam, developed and published by Nicalis and originally released on July 31, 2019. It is built like a one-on-one fighting game, except the fighting happens on a puzzle grid.
A puzzle fighter with a crossover roster
Two players drop pairs of coloured crystals into a tall field and clear them by matching colours: touching a crystal with a spark crystal of the same colour removes the connected group and sends countdown blocks to the opponent's side. Combos fill a Burst gauge that unlocks each character's own attack and defensive moves, and the roster of 20 fighters includes Quote and Curly Brace from Cave Story, Isaac from The Binding of Isaac, Astro Boy, and Black Jack.
Single-player options cover Arcade, Survival, Tag Team, Training, and a Story mode that offers multiple branching paths, while versus play runs both locally and online. Unusual rules let crystal pairs wrap past the grid's edge and split across columns, and crystal colours can be customised, including a colorblind setting.
It suits players who want short, competitive puzzle matches rather than a long campaign. Reception was generally favourable: Metacritic records 79/100 for the Switch version, and Steam user reviews stand at Very Positive across 108 reviews.
Note that this is a free-to-keep promotion rather than a permanent free-to-play release, so an added copy stays in the library once claimed.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the game include local multiplayer?
Yes. Two players can battle on the same machine through shared and split-screen PvP, and the game also supports online matches and full controller support.
Who developed and published it?
Both roles were handled by Nicalis, the company behind much of the cast, including Quote and Curly Brace from Cave Story and Isaac from The Binding of Isaac.
Action • Casual • Single-player
