In Crisol: Theater of Idols, you shoot bullets of your own blood at crazed wooden puppets as you explore an island steeped in nasty Spanish folklore. When it comes to elevator pitches, I love the immediacy of these trade-offs. Blood? But I need this substance inside my body to deliver oxygen and vital nutrients to my triggers. There are probably other liquids I can fill the bullets with. I understand that this will be less sexually disgusting, but Norman Reedus did leave throwing canisters of urine and dripping there Death.
Crisol has a demo on Steam as part of the Steam Nexus Festering this week. Being a fan of disgusting puppets and foul-smelling folk licorice, I was going to download it. But then my powerful journalist brain kicked in and I realized I'd already tried Crisol at this year's Summer Game Fest. My belated verdict at the time: The dark circus setting and scarlet-gold aesthetic are appetizing, but the controls are overly complex, which is sometimes more annoying than exciting. It's also a little creaky and forced in terms of script design.
Here's one such scenario, also shown in the trailer below: At one point I had to walk through a destroyed main street that was patrolled by a huge and indestructible Jagger puppet. This goal involved me alternating between walking through the mud while crouching and ducking into stores along the way to scoop up some supplies. I then walked to the gate, which I had to lift, turning the handle with difficulty for a moment or two. It locked me in place, unable to keep an eye on the street behind me. You get the idea.
It took me three tries and the jagger puppet chased me back into the house each time. Hiding in the shops, I had the pleasure of staring absentmindedly at the creature's crotch as it shouted hoarse threats through windows that were surely large enough to accommodate its body. After 20 seconds, the arriving Guignol will return to patrol. I think cumbersome scenarios like this make sense when there are actually strings holding you together.
Kristol's overall tone oscillates somewhat unsteadily between Guillermo del Torrida's art house and House of the Dead. However, I really enjoy the nervous restraint imposed by a literal plasma pistol gimmick, and the associated pressure to rummage through crevices for sources of blood other than yourself. I love the webbed and coppery sheen of the vampiric weapons, especially the shotgun with its double-barreled syringes. And I really like dolls, although they are functional Resident Evil 4The villagers in their hardworking tirelessness and susceptibility to being shot in the limbs. Find demo here.
