Crysmalia: Dawn of Darkness
A downloadable game for Windows
STORY
Something sinister is going on behind closed doors in the Kingdom of Lestyr, and it would have remained unbeknownst to its citizens and to the rest of the world... If it weren't for Siena, a nonchalant bandit, who stumbled upon the kingdom's hidden secret and lived to tell the tale.
Along with a runaway princess, a sharp-tongued knight, and a mysterious mage with a questionable past, Siena must now fight for his freedom and for the freedom of others, without knowing that this quest would also lead him to a long-lost legacy he never knew he shouldered.
CHARACTERS
Features:
- 4+ hours of game play
- 9 playable characters
- Original sprites
(This game is a prequel to Crysmalia (novel) and a sequel of Of Frost and Flowers (visual novel) but no knowledge of them is required.)
Status | Released |
Platforms | Windows |
Rating | Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (9 total ratings) |
Author | Elseth |
Genre | Role Playing, Adventure, Interactive Fiction, Visual Novel |
Made with | RPG Maker |
Tags | Comedy, Cute, Fantasy, Funny, JRPG, Story Rich |
Average session | A few hours |
Download
Install instructions
For Mac users, you might need to go to System Preferences--> Security and Privacy--> then allow the app to run.
Development log
- 3rd Anniversary!Jun 13, 2023
- Crysmalia's 2 Year Anniversary + Prequel announcement!Jun 13, 2022
- v 1.2 updateJan 11, 2021
- Crysmalia spinoff webtoon + new game announcement!Oct 04, 2020
- Mac version is out + v1.1 update!Jun 15, 2020
- Sorry for the bugs!Jun 13, 2020
- Crysmalia: Dawn of Darkness is out!Jun 13, 2020
Comments
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Here begins the live reactions, I stopped doing them when I didn't know if you liked them or not, and by the time I asked and you answered I was almost done with the game, just delaying the review-writing as usual.
Definitely not medicines
Ning jum got to the passing point, defeated the guards, and just walked back where he came ;-;
Knew he'd leave us so I used all his mp to heal me bwahahahah
I am a damn thief, why can't I waltz everywhere I want
The fact different people don't have different color in the text box makes me feel bad
I called it, I told ya protag, it wasn't medicine, it turned out to be pandora's box
I didn't connect Ning Jum's strong magic in us statement with this though, nice foreshadowing
I like Ning Jum
He definitely just left off cuz of something bad. Dark magic is my prediction but it could also have to with Ning Jum's real identity.
Piero is so ugly, whereas his daughter is very pretty. Yes, I have a thing for purple waifus. (Yuri)
Purple because they are royalty? Color theory I guess. That's pretty cool. I don't know enought 'bout it to relate it with the other character though. Oh, and isn't purple also the color of corruption?
We are immune to crysmalia, which means we are the chosen one yay
Oh yeah, dark magic, who would have guessed, surely not me. I am also guessing our teleportation just now happened because of Ning Jum, he is the best.
Okay, it was Erika, best waifu anyways, screw Ning.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA COME ON THERE WaS A CHEST therE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I hate cutscenes now, LEMME GO BACK ERIKA AND KAIN
God, I love Ning Jum. I 100% have a thing for ~~rico suiche~~ smart people
By the way, Rico's... Goddamn, this is the wrong game, I will just stop myself.
Actually Erven did that too, so I am gonna say it anyways. Your geniuses are not just talented people, they are people who put in a lot of effort. I wish I felt like I put in effort. Yeah, I put in "effort", but damn, paying attention to class and reviewing the subjects every so often (not just for the tests) should be done by everyone
We are so strong as a squad, I feel powerful.
The tune in the main title reminds me of "Life in Adventure". I thought it was specifically for that game, but hearing it here, I really like it too.
I agree with Kain, smart people can be scary, since they have knowledge you don't. Especially when you don't trust them like with Ning Jum.
Since this series has a prequel and a sequel I am gonna play they all at once. Finished chapter 1 so now let's go to the visual novel :D
Back to it, I think I am tired from reading VNs haha, this action is kinda welcome now
Prince Revan, huh. That name is familiar
Now the in-game, live reactions have finished, so yeehaw
You can actually defeat Piero normally with Kain and Erika, it's just, really REALLY BORING. Makes you think he has infinite health type of boring. After a certain amount of turns, which I skillfully survived with potions, constant healings and whatnot, bro just stops attacking. Then you can use your tp attack to give him 100 or so damage. I did that for a while and got bored so I changed the game files and discovered he literally has more than 6 thousand health.
I dunno why that bug happens, but yeah. With more time I'd have beaten him legitimately. The worst thing is once he stops attacking you can't die, so you have to, very, VERY slowly, kill him. Now I am gonna rechange the game files back to normal and have Kain give a normal amount of damage, but I am happy I defeated an impossible boss almost legitimately.
New bug just dropped. Chivalry is so overrated it was the starting point for me to start liking Kain, before that I hated him. Basically you can use chivalry in the main menu and then get infinite defense. No damage taken, actual wall. Which, had I realized earlier, would have made defeating Piero legitimately much, MUCH more easier. (I had to use 2 elixirs of life to revive them during the fight and get to the point he doesn't attack anymore) (The girl in pink can do that too but meh)
There's a lot of foreshadowing, which makes me think of good writing, good job. It was indeed very fun. I feel like I could stretch this review further, so lemme write about each character.
Siena: I love Siena, my bro is very reasonable, relatable- Wait, uh, I am not a robber, I swear- and practical. I love sneak in games btw. His sharp tongue makes me like him very much.
Kain: I hated Kain, but after the chivalry bug he started to grow on me. "Mah bro is built like a wall, there ain't no way in heaven or hell ya scratching him". And of course, I like his commentary on killing Siena.
Erika: meh
Ning Jum: I LOVE THIS MAN, although I think I stressed this out enough in my live reactions. Intelligent as heck, looks charming like a snowflake, has morals and ethics, is a good human being.
Alea: Oh, that's her name
Onyx: AYO MY BROTHER IN NAME YEEEEHAAAAAAAAW. His dialogue with Siena at the roof, as well as his informing Ishana of Siena's initial plans make him a very cool character.
Ishana: She pretty damn cool
Reagan: Dunno him a lot, but he seemed interesting.
???: Cool, rad, fire, lit. Making a keeper lose his job lmao. (THANK YOU ??? FOR THE AWESOME IDEA, I LOVE NING JUM)
At last, typos:
"Huh... They couldn't Lestyr knights."
The first screenshot in this page
Alrightie-o, bye bye. Thank ya for making this
Hi again, Ony_br, thanks for playing C:DoD and leaving a comment! Definitely enjoyed reading your live reactions. Agreed that most people don't see the effort behind people's talents, and I hope your hard work pays off in the end :)
Haha, yeah, actually the name 'Revan' comes from one of my other visual novels, The Clock Chronicle, a prince in the kingdom of Lestyr. Revan's cameo in TPPM is just because I was too lazy to make another sprite :'D
I really should correct that Boss fight- make it obvious that you can't defeat him or make him actually defeat-able (I think the reason why he doesn't attack after some time is because the MP I assigned to him ran out T_T). And thanks for reporting the Chivalry bug- I didn't even realise you can use it outside battles.
Thanks for playing ^^
Ohh~~ The Clock Chronicle is on my list, so I will be playing it somewhat soon! I feel like the Boss Fight doesn't need to be corrected in that sense. At least to me, I very much knew it was an impossible fight, what with any normal attack giving 0 damage. I just realized that the TP attacks actually gave damage and decided "Ayy, I am gonna defeat an impossible boss lmao". I did not actually believe I'd do it, his instant death attacks were very scary.
Hehe okay, and have fun~
warning that TCC is my first VN so art and writing are super flakysorry it took me forever to review this! honestly, at the time that i played it i was in a really bad headspace and crysmalia really helped me so i was afraid to review it because of how emotional i was ^^; this game is so charming, i'm glad i took a chance after playing ofaf to play this (i usually only play visual novels because i'm a bad gamer lol) and i was so blown away!! the characters are so much fun and really add to the experience, i was interested in the world after ofaf and this did not disappoint! color-coding characters is my favorite thing ever >< and the dialogue and banter was so natural and i enjoyed exploring with my team (grinding was also relatively straightforward and not tedious), i liked learning about each character's backstory and although i wished when i first finished the game that some of the later characters got story arcs, in hindsight i now think that its fine that they didn't and the game isn't hurting for it as not every character needs a bunch of screentime and it was more about making each game location feel story and character driven (i hope i'm interpreting it right hehe). i was so attached to these characters that i missed them sorely in the novel TT the only real criticism i have is regarding one boss in the middle of the game where there wasn't any indication that it was a battle that we had to lose... but really, other than that, the experience of playing crysmalia was seamless and heartwarming! thank you for making this game <3
Hiya, byebyetears, thank you so much for playing C:DoD! It makes me happy to know that it helped you through tough days. Yeah, I too wish I had made more story arcs for each character, the story seemed a bit rushed- maybe I'll make an expansion somewhere in the future, hehe. Thanks for your input, I also think that I should've indicated that it was an "invincible boss", I think that confused a lot of players, though some players actually manage to defeat him haha. Anyway, thank you for playing the game and hope your days treat you better ^^
How nostalgia
Hi, just asking where can we download the one for Mac? Thank you!
Hi, unfortunately the Mac version is not available. Mac versions exported from RPG Maker games always seem to be buggy, so sorry about that!
This is an absolute joy of an RPG. A smart-alec loveable rogue protagonist, a straight-laced knight, a determined and independent princess and a mysterious mage. Yes, this did give me FFIX vibes but this truly does stand alone as a very intriguing and super fun game.
The story is very well put-together, there's tonnes of great plot-twists, intrigue and amazing humour and the ending leaves you gasping for more (which, luckily, exists thanks to the Crysmalia novel)!
El.Seth's games are always a blast, and if this is the first one you've stumbled upon make sure you stumble on the rest of them too!
Aaa thank you so much for playing and commenting, Mikey! I also enjoyed your reactions to C:DoD a lot! :D
hey! this is my first time playing this and i'm in love so far! i'm stuck on the piero fight, though. theres a point mid fight where he stops attacking you and you just keep on attacking with no resistence? i'm not sure if this is a bug or not, as i keep attacking him for a really long time and he still doesn't die. just wondering if i should keep going with the attacks and if this is normal or not!
Hi there! Thank you for playing! Um, it's the fight in the Sieger Tribe, is it? *SPOILER ALERT* Did you come across the scene where Ning Jun nullified Piero's crystal? If you did, then yes, it should you should keep on attacking him until he is defeated. (In my play through there's nothing wrong but if the fight keeps dragging on, do report again)
SPOILERS
i don't recall ning jun destroying his crystal? before the fight siena and ning jun were in the cave trying to find the labratory and they found it and the wizards set the sieger children free. then it cuts back to kain and erika after they talk with the elder and have the fight with the wizards. piero talks to erika and erika still doesn't agree so kain and erika fight him. perhaps i should do more exploring in the cave to find the scene with ning jun nullifying the crystal?
Ah no, sorry. I get what you mean now. The scene where that happens should be in the middle of the battle where only Siena and Ning Jun fights against Piero. If you haven't reached this scene yet, then that means you have to continue battling until Erika and Kain are defeated (yes, you cannot win this battle!) Once you lose, Siena and Ning Jun will come to play. So sorry for the confusion and (unnecessary) spoilers!
no problem! also, i've got another question about a possible bug (or perhaps just me not getting it lol).
SPOILERS
i'm currently stuck on onyx's party in the basement of piero's castle attempting to locate the node. i've been trying for a while and have gone on what i think is every route thats walkable. could i have a hint on where the node is? if only i could swim lol. thanks!
Hi again! *SPOILER ALERT*
I'm assuming that you're having a problem finding where to go right after Siena and co. split up in the sewers? If that's so, just head right to where Onyx is currently (image below). It's not very apparent, but it actually leads you to another map with waterfalls, and if you keep heading forward, you should find a lever...
I hope that gives you a hint? Do tell me if I misunderstood the question, and thank you for playing!
Apologies for the somewhat scattershot post: The following are my thoughts on the game post-completion, kind of stream-of-consciousness as opposed to a more structured review.
- I liked the humor throughout the game, which made me chuckle; even the endgame had some laughs, like Onyx touching things while looking for the node and everyone responding when he's about to drink some random liquid. It's a little weird/funny to think about the final battle against Piero happening with Terevska still wearing vomit-covered clothes from that drunken soldier, since it's not like he had time to change.
- A few places had map errors where I accidentally walked through tables, bookshelves, etc, most noticeably in the castle i.e. the mage labs and the knight's barracks. It didn't really affect my game, though.
- There seems to be a mislabeled text box after the Piero fight where Terevska is telling the others to "finish him" ["him" being Piero] but the box is labeled Siena?
- The main and side characters were a lot of fun and their dialogue was enjoyable to read; I particularly liked Ishana, Kain and Siena and the bickering dynamic between Siena and Kain. Ishana's definitely my favorite, and I wish we got to see more of her and Reagan since they join up relatively late. I would have liked to spend more time with all of the characters and seen more of the world; it sometimes felt like events happened too fast, but that does mean that the plot never felt like it was dragging or bogged down.
- The story itself felt a lot like a classic JRPG in a good way, but your world-specific details also made it a creation of its own. The history in the background was intriguing and went a long way towards establishing the setting, though the finale felt a little rushed given all the build-up that came before.
- I'm not sure if it was intentional, but there were some places where scripted scenes take over and it felt like your HP/MP should have been restored but wasn't, like the sequence that puts Siena into the Desert Falcon HQ and leads to the fights with the mercenaries, resulting in my entering the fight with low HP/MP.
- It was a little strange that you can board the ship and sail around after the endgame begins but you can't disembark anywhere but Weycot; I thought I'd be able to go back to previous towns to shop and/or explore, given that the ship was accessible. I would have appreciated it if the game had been a little more obvious/clear about the fact that you wouldn't really be able to use the ship after that point, maybe having something happen to it after Siena's group arrives in Weycot.
-- Related: Is it ever possible to get to Palmyra? I tried to dock there when Erika's group is initially going to Weycot, after Siena's group joins them but before the endgame starts and after the endgame starts, but I kept getting Onyx's 'Princess, this isn't how to get to Weycot' line.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with this game; thanks for putting it out there for players to explore!
Hi, Emberfell! Thank you for playing C:DoD and for the meaningful feedback! I'll try to answer/comment on each point you made!
- Glad you liked my crappy sense of humour haha, and yes Terevska fought in the final battle still wearing the vomit-stained shirt (lmao).
- Yes, I'm really sorry about the 'walk through' errors in the map. I only noticed when I was done uploading the game. I have to take note of that when re-uploading a better version of the game.
- Oh! I didn't notice this mistake! Thank you for pointing it out. I will check it and correct it.
- Yeah, I have a tendency to go all speedy when making games since most of my games are story-driven, thus not giving players enough time to explore the world and characters. I'll have to slow down the pace next time. Happy to hear you like Siena and Kain's banters, as well as Ishana! Ishana is also one of my favourite characters. I think she's so cool and it was a joy to draw her! Man, should have added more screen time for her.
- Thank you! Yes, I tried to go for the JRPG genre. Just a trivia- the gameplay of this game was inspired by Suikoden Tierkreis, hence why it's so story-driven. And yes, I also spent a lot of time world-building, and the reason why the finale was so anti-climatic was because this is a prequel to the Crysmalia novel which still has Piero in it. I know the ending was somewhat of a disappointment, but well... Sorry about that.
- The HP/MP being unrestored during some story events was intentional because I thought it would add an element of difficulty. Though I do admit it's a bit unfair because story events sometimes catch players unexpectedly.
- Yes, I'm sorry, the ship was made in such a way that only allows you to explore the sea and go to Weycot. Perhaps next time I'll allow players to visit other places as well.
- No... Haha. You can't go to Palmyr beach. Originally I wanted to add a new map but it wasn't related to the game, but perhaps in the next update I'll add it. I just added it there because it's a brief cameo of the location of my other games, The Clock Chronicle and Kairos.
Thank you so much for taking your time to play and comment! I appreciate the constructive feedback you've given me, and I'll make sure to refer to your feedback when I make my next games. Cheers!
Hello! I forgot to let you know that I've tried this game a few weeks back and so far, I'm enjoying it so much! I haven't gotten around into finishing it yet(curse my worktrips), but I typed a bit of my thoughts and excitement as I played through in real-time in Notepad! I thought I should share it and reply the rest under this once I'm free enough to resume my adventure!
This was as far as I've written in Notepad! I'll come back to this game once I find enough time! Don't worry! I hope you stay safe!
Hi Sy! Good to see you again! Thanks for giving C:DoD a chance and I'm glad to know you enjoyed it so far! Don't worry about finishing it quickly, and good luck to your work trips!
It brings a smile to my face when reading your notes! (Reading reactions are the best!) Also I'm glad you liked Ning Jun's design and hopefully you also like the other characters'!
Thanks for playing and hope you stay safe too!
will you be making an android version?
Hi, for now I don't know how to deploy RPG Maker games into Android, so I don't think so. But if I do find a way to do it, I'll let you know.
I just finished playing this game! And I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters were really lovable with their own unique personalities. I also got excited when we meet a new character along the journey. The choice in music was also very fitting for many of the scenes. I do think, though, it would've been wise to have changed the default battle music to a different track--simply as it took away from the intensity and seriousness of certain battles. There were also a few errors, nothing totally game breaking--like near the end in the mages' study, there were a lot of walkthrough errors. The one by the crystal ball could soft lock the game, so it is important to approach it from the front. The climax was interesting though I feel short lived and kind of rushed, considering all the build up, however the after credits scene REALLY peaked my interest and I think was the perfect way to end the game.
Anyway, small gripes and errors aside, the game as a whole was really enjoyable. I loved exploring this world of Gaia you created. The mapping also seemed to get better the further the game went on. It was nice to take in how well laid out some areas were. My favorite places were definitely Al'Sharan and Weycote. I also liked the Knight's Barracks. The antagonist was incredibly selfish, evil, and irredeemable, making him both a dangerous and perfect foe you want to hate. The battles were fun and engaging, it felt fairly balanced. It's not too incredibly hard where people would give up easily, but it provided enough challenge for battles to be interesting. Everyone had interesting and effective abilities. The twists sprinkled throughout the game caught me off guard and really helped to build the intensity. All the dialogue was really interesting to read. I loved the character banter and personalities, I even loved reading NPC dialogue, and props to making the in-game tips for newbie RPG players so interesting by coming from that Bob the Stalker guy lol, he may be a minor side character but he was amongst one of my favorites! Also to see Zephyra from The Clock Chronicle was a nice touch! Makes me wonder what timeline that game and Kairos are in this world you created.
Anyway I shall stop my waaaay too long review, and just say whilst the game has its flaws, it has a lot of heart, I liked the character designs, and the world you created has a lot of interesting lore. Journeying with these characters was truly a neat experience. I would love to continue exploring Gaia in all other related works you make! I am also excited to read the Crysmalia novel to see what happens next!
Aaa thank you so much for your kind review and for your help in testing the game! I'll fix the bugs you pointed out as soon as possible! I also agree that the climax was kind of lacking, but it's a prequel, so the outcome of the fight is necessary for the novel's plot. (I feel slightly guilty for the cliffhanger though haha)
I'm so glad you liked the world, and yes, it's the same world as The Clock Chronicle and Kairos. If you play Kairos, you'll meet Chronos, Bob the Stalker and Zephyra! To be honest I'm not sure about the timeline, but perhaps the events of Kairos is before Crysmalia: DoD because... you know what happened to Zethania (haha).
Thank you so much for giving Crysmalia: DoD a chance and for your valuable feedback! (P.S.: I'm also planning to make a VN based on the novel, though it's still undecided)
You are very welcome, and I am happy to be of help! Using RPG Maker myself, it can be easy to miss those errors at first glance. Yo I loved the cliffhanger though, it really reels you in (I am guilty of those kinds of cliffhangers myself wahahaha). Oooh yeah I was thinking Kairos looks to be before Crysmalia.... considering lol.
Looking forward to more of what you do with this world ^^