Cris Tales is a new indie RPG that is pulling from the greats. This includes RPGs from the SNES generation such as Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, mainly due to Cris Tales' focus on button-timed turn-based combat and time travel. 

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Cris Tales was supposed to release in 2020 on the Nintendo Switch and several other consoles but it was ultimately delayed. The long wait from its 2019 reveal is finally over and early reactions are fairly decent. There is a lot to take in here and the first couple hours can be challenging like the classics; consequently, here are some handy tips.

7 That First Dungeon Is A Doozy

The tutorial battles are not a good gauge for how hard Cris Tales' first dungeon is, which is a forest. Players are given money at the beginning of this area but they can’t use it to buy potions. There is no way to go back to town to get them or to stay at an inn. A couple of healing items are also given out but they are not nearly enough.

The boss of this area is a fight that cannot be won, which is a pretty common mechanic in RPGs. The best strategy at this point is to just run from battles whenever monster numbers look overwhelming. It may seem like a cheap tactic but it’s better than dying and having to start over again. 

6 When Do You Learn Healing Spells?

However, there is a counter tactic to the previous advice. Crisbell and Willhelm both get healing spells at level five. It won’t take that long to make it to that level but it may force players to burn through the few items they do have. Therefore, death is a serious possibility. 

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If players do want to try and grind out these spells, it’s best to walk back and forth from the first dungeon's entrance to the save area. After a battle or two, Cris Tales should then be saved. It may seem tedious but again, this first area is very hard due to limited supplies. Thankfully, it gets a little easier after this point. 

5 Timing Those Attacks Just Right

When it comes to time-based battle systems like Super Mario RPG, it can be tricky to hit the button just right. This goes for offensive and defensive moves. Practice makes perfect, but if players turn up the rumble function all the way on the Switch, it can be easier to feel out the right moment to strike. 

Cris Tales never specifically says it but spells such as Christopher’s initial water attack can be timed as well. This is different than some active combat systems. For defense, pay attention to lighting. The character that is going to be attacked will be highlighted. Knowing that will make it easier to know when to defend. 

4 You Can Pass Turns

Players do not always need to use characters to attack. Sometimes defense is the best measure like when a boss is clearly trying to charge up a special. In that same menu, there is an option to pass, something many players might never notice. If an ally is poised to come right after them then they can switch turns. 

This is good to know for strategic maneuvers. For example, Willhelm can summon a plant to strike enemies and inflict them with poison damage. If Crisbell uses her future strike ability to send the enemy into the future, that poison will almost always instantly kill them. Swapping is a great way to build combos like that. 

3 Scan Every Enemy

Willhelm eventually gets a new plant that can read off enemy data like the Sense command in some of the Final Fantasy games. The nice thing about the ability in Cris Tales is that once read, the data will always be accessible to players.

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If they click on an enemy to attack, the player can then hit Y to read off the target's information. This not only details weaknesses like elemental resistances but also their HP, which is also displayed in the turn order. It might get tedious but always remember to scan an enemy at least once. 

2 There Is No Autosave So Be Diligent About Saving

A modern mechanic that is missing from Cris Tales is autosave checkpoints. If the player falls in battle, that is it. Players can either go back to the main menu or load the game back up from the last save. This is contrary to how most games operate today.

It’s always encouraged to not only manually save but to also make multiple save files for backup. Since that is a given for a lot of games, it can be easy for players to forget to save who aren’t used to living without an autosave safety net. Remain vigilant and save as often as possible.  

1 A Portable RPG On The Go At A Cost

Cris Tales is launching on a plethora of consoles so it might be hard to choose which version to play. An RPG on the Switch seems perfect as one can easily multitask grinding out levels along with catching up on shows, movies, streams, or whatever. It’s like what the Switch was made for.  

Unfortunately, Cris Tales doesn’t run perfectly on the handheld hybrid. There are no major glitches aside from some slowdown in the frame rate at times. Load times are the main issue, and they will test the patience of many players. It’s also worth mentioning that the screenshot ability is locked on the Switch, which is odd. Presumably playing Cris Tales on the newest consoles should help alleviate these loading issues so think twice about getting the Switch version for now. 

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