- The single greatest class change system I have encountered
- A PvP system that I can’t wait to properly try out
- You might need an extra limb for all the buttons
At the time of printing, Crystal of Atlan is undergoing its very fancily titled Precursor Test. Basically, it’s a beta test that makes you remember Jak and Daxter was a thing. It is running until March 5th, and having tried it out a bit, I have one piece of advice. Try it now.
Some superbly speedy combat
I want to dive right into what makes Crystal of Atlan so much fun: the combat. This really puts the action into action RPG, as thanks to the jumping and dodging you will bound around the arenas like a bunny that stepped on a Lego. Enemy attacks come thick and fast too, adding even more to the momentum.
Depending on the class you pick, you will either be at range using magic and guns or in the thick of things. I chose the Swordsman, the most melee-centric, and I have been having a blast. There are a lot of fairly flashy skills to weave together as you stylishly scythe through foes like they are nothing. I am particularly fond of Blade Dance, a floating orb that sucks enemies in and dices them to pieces – perfect for crowd clearing.
There is an overload of skills that can be tricky to use right
There is a downside to having so many skills, though. Atlan gets a little difficult to control. In battle, there are about ten buttons you can press to take an action, and it is as chaotic as it sounds, especially with the speed at which fights take place. Even using a controller I was often messing up the inputs. I tried with a touchscreen for fun – I lasted one battle before crawling back to my Razer Kishi Ultra and just spamming whatever skill I could get working.
However, there is one feature that needs to be touted as absolutely amazing: the Class Change mechanic. Each of the four base classes can evolve into one of two choices when you hit level 15. You might worry that this is a roll of the dice you might regret, but nope, Atlan ensures you have all the knowledge you need.
When you start the quest, you are thrown into a fight as one of the choices with its complete suite of skills to try out at your whim. You can also switch between both to get a real taste and redo this fight as much as you wish. And then, after you have chosen, you can still bounce between the two until you get up to level 45. It is a small thing, but as someone who has dealt with MMO class regret, I adore the freedom.
You will make an adorable and dangerous new best friend
The final thing I will touch on in terms of combat is the pet system, and I do this for one key reason. Yes, bringing one into battle gives you another skill to clutter up your screen and help you dispatch your sea of foes. That is all well and good. More importantly, though, the pets are friggin’ adorable. Atlan has a pretty art style, but your first pet, the Assistant Jackalope, is as cute as anything and I would die for him.
In terms of customisation, it depends on where you are looking. After chapter one you can tweak your character’s face, hair, and outfit colour a bit, but you still won’t stand out. It is more like Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds in that way. There are premium skins to buy, but really the character’s designs are quite cool already.
Stamina systems should have no place in the main story
Something that really does not sit well with me is the Stamina system. To advance through the main story, you have to spend stamina to undertake missions, and I don’t see any need to limit that. There’s never been a stamina system in a game that has existed for any viable reason – it is always to make money from recharges and I am not a fan.
These missions are pretty short and fairly similar to each other too, so you will blaze through that cap incredibly fast. To make matters worse, the story feels very formulaic. A new adventurer enters town and conquers a few dungeons full of Decayed until the obvious not-so-shocking shock twist, then you enter the big city and everything opens up. Not in size, the world feels pretty small, but boy there are a lot of options in this cramped space.
Luckily at this point, you will have enough side content to engage with that this basic plot will fade into the background. Being an MMO, there is a plethora of challenges you can complete with other players, including a sort of swarm-come-time trail mode called the Tempered Trails, and what I think could be Atlan’s shining gem: PvP.
A PvP mode I wanted to play more than the actual story
This takes the already fantastic combat and kicks it up a notch. You and your opponent, or opponents if you play the 3v3 mode, have an energy bar. This depletes when you use a move or get hit, which adds a huge tactical spin on things. You and your foe will go toe to toe, leaping and dodging out of the way of attacks, biding your time until you have enough energy to beat them down.
At least, I imagine that’s what will happen. Unfortunately, I played six matches on the bounce and only came up against bots. The AI is fun, but the best part of fighting other players is, of course, being able to dance on their beaten bodies. I couldn’t even enter the Team mode after who knows how long I waited. You can’t mark a beta down for that at the end of the day, and I am very excited to get involved when there are more Ps to P.
I was pleasantly surprised by Crystal of Atlan. The slow start almost put me off, and you’d think after playing so many MMOs I’d have expected that. However, first beat Chapter One and you will be well looked after. There is definitely something special here, and given that this is still being worked on, I am really looking forward to the finished product.
