Crimson Spires Review for Nintendo Switch

Crimson Spires, by developer Woodsy Studios and publisher eastasiasoft, is a mysterious story-telling science-fiction and romance game, packed with intricately designed characters and a captivating plot. The story begins with our main character, FBI agent Erika. As she chases after escaped serial killer, August Flynn (AKA “Heartbreaker”) on a rainy night, she finds herself entering the small town of Bataille. After witnessing the car crash of Flynn’s prison transport, Erika tracks him down to the corner of a secluded highway, but soon encounters much more than expected. While in a face-off against the killer, dark towers suddenly rise from the sky, secluding Bataille and cutting it off from the outside world. People who attempt to exit the circle of towers  are immediately killed and shot, effectively capturing everyone inside. Apart from a train that delivers food and water, Erika, August, and the rest of the citizens are mysteriously trapped, with no contact from the outside world.

The game is set up and mainly runs through as a visual novel. Despite what the first few scenes may suggest, Crimson Spires does not contain much horror or mystery, but instead focuses on storytelling. The player will have to read through a lot of character conversations, while occasionally getting the opportunity to make choices along the way that determine and alter how the plot unfolds for them. 

However, these interactions between the player and the game are rather minimal compared to the dialogue and text that dominates the game. There’s a lot of reading involved when it comes to Crimson Spires, so for those who are looking for fast-paced action and investigation, this game doesn’t quite deliver the same thrill.

Certain parts of the game contain music and voice-overs, but the majority of this story is in silence, allowing the player to focus on the text. Crimson Spires is a great fit for those who like to get lost in a good novel, as this game definitely resembles a book. The interactive moments that are thrown in are refreshing and intriguing, but somewhat scarce. Players get to explore their surroundings, develop theories about the mystery in Bataille, and engage with characters based on their perspectives and intuition. The artwork of the characters are done well in most parts, and in scenes where characters are highlighted and placed in the center, the detail of their design can be clearly admired. Most characters have voice actors, with a few lines being spoken out, particularly when they are first introduced. However, this tapers off as dialogue continues, and the voice acting switches to mainly just grunts and short phrases. While this allows the reader to create their own internal interpretation of the dialogue, it can also come off as odd and jarring at times.

The slow-burn of this plot adds to the depth and complexity of the mystery, but I find that it tends to drag on, and the dialogue seems trivial and irrelevant at certain parts, focusing on characters bickering back and forth about seemingly unimportant topics. This game requires a lot of time and patience to fully understand and play through, and the tone and energy throughout stays rather mellow. For players who are easily bored by games that aren’t faced-past or packed with action, this may not be the best play for you. Overall, I rate Crimson Spires a 7.5/10 – while it isn’t exactly my cup of tea, I still greatly admire the thought and effort that went into the artwork and plot, and it’s a captivating story that all mystery and science-fiction buffs should give a try.

Check Out the Crimson Spires Trailer here – https://youtu.be/4hXVcvg_Kyg

For more information, visit: https://www.eastasiasoft.com/games/Crimson-Spires

Emily Chou

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College student who grew up loving writing, and got drawn into the world of gaming during the pandemic. When I'm not exploring new games, I like to code, watch anime, or make pixel art.

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