Crystal Monsters
A budget monster-collection RPG with turn-based battles.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Crystal Monsters is a role-playing video game developed by Gameloft for Nintendo DSiWare. It first appeared in Japan in 2008 under the title Monster Chronicle for mobile phones. The game launched in PAL regions on July 30, 2010, and in North America on July 26, 2010. It is played from a third-person overhead perspective, with the player guiding the main character through a fictional world called Earth.
In the game, players capture and train creatures known as monsters. Each monster can learn up to four skills. Monsters gain experience points and level up after battles, becoming stronger. Combat is turn-based: when encountering a wild monster or challenging a trainer, the screen shifts to a battle scene with an option menu. The player can have up to three monsters in their team and can choose to attack, switch to the next monster, use an item, or flee. Most battles are random encounters with wild monsters, as the game includes few trainers, bosses, and mid-bosses. Wild monsters appear in routes, dungeons, and sidequests, but the encounter rate varies—sometimes monsters appear often, other times rarely.
To capture a wild monster, the player uses Essence Cores corresponding to each monster type. The monster may break free, but the chance of capture increases the lower its HP is. Captured monsters are placed in storage. The player cannot capture a trainer’s monster, boss, or mid-boss. Most monsters can evolve using Evolution Stones, which come in two stages: Plus and Mega. Evolution occurs after a monster reaches a certain level, granting new skills and higher stats. The game includes 166 monsters, but the player can only own 20 at a time, and many are recolored versions of the same creature.
The story follows a young boy protagonist living in Dicot. He dreams of being given a choice among three starter monsters—Kiticon (Fire-type), Tadpolaris (Water-type), or Flowerpower (Plant-type)—by his friend Bishop. After waking up in school and realizing it was a dream, he goes outside and sees a bully named Rudiger steal Bishop’s Essence Core. The protagonist confronts Rudiger at the Ruins, retrieves the core, and receives the same starter monster he chose in the dream. He learns he is a Neo-Seed—someone who can see monsters—unlike Pure-Breeds, who cannot. He then sets out across Earth to investigate why Final Monsters, the bosses of all monsters, have become highly
- Developer
- Gameloft
- Platform
- Nintendo DSiWare
- Original Release (Japan)
- 2008 as Monster Chronicle for mobile phone
- PAL Release
- July 30, 2010
- North America Release
- July 26, 2010
- Genre
- Role-playing video game
- Number of Monsters
- 166
Lore & Background
Crystal Monsters is played in a third-person view overhead perspective and takes place in a fictional world called Earth. The player controls a young boy protagonist who lives in Dicot. After a dream in which his friend Bishop offers him a choice of three starter monsters—Kiticon (Fire-type), Tadpolaris (Water-type), or Flowerpower (Plant-type)—he wakes up in school and later confronts a bully named Rudiger who steals Bishop's Essence Core. The protagonist retrieves the core and receives the same starter monster from his dream, discovering he is a Neo-Seed, a person who can see monsters. He then embarks on a quest to investigate why Final Monsters have become very aggressive.
Reader's Guide
Crystal Monsters is significant primarily as a low-cost imitation of the Pokémon franchise, released for Nintendo DSiWare at 500 DSi Points. Its gameplay involves capturing and training monsters using Essence Cores, with a turn-based battle system allowing up to three monsters on a team. The game features 166 monsters, though the player can only own 20, and most are recolored evolutions. Reception was largely negative: IGN criticized it as unbalanced and boringly repetitive, while Nintendo Life noted its similarity to Pokémon but called it a decent imitation for the price. Official Nintendo Magazine UK dismissed it as a shameless imitation of a superior game. GameRankings gave it a 54.33% rating based on three reviews. A sequel, Monster Chronicle 2, was released for mobile phones in Japan in 2009 but not in North America or Europe.
Did You Know?
- Crystal Monsters was originally released in Japan in 2008 as Monster Chronicle for mobile phone.
- The game features 166 monsters, but the player can only own 20, and most are recolored evolutions.
- There are two kinds of people in the game's world: Neo-Seeds, who can see monsters, and Pure-Breeds, who cannot.
- A sequel, Monster Chronicle 2, was released for mobile phones in Japan in 2009 but not in North America or Europe.
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