Info about CRYMACHINA:

Official game description:
CRYMACHINA Purchase Options
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About the Game
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CRYMACHINA is an action RPG where mechanical girls strive to survive in a post-apocalyptic world to become “Real Humans.” But what does it mean to be a “Real Human”?  
Join the three playable main characters as they fight in fast-paced action RPG combat featuring a myriad of tactics to customize your weapons and challenge your foes.  
This heartwarming story of love, told by synthetic beings, will pull at the strings of your biological heart.  
See for yourself whether happy catharsis awaits these mechanical girls as they cry, struggle, and overcome their fate.
IntroducePrologue();
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In modern times, a strange disease runs rampant. A young girl named Lebel Distel who teeters on the brink of death hears a mysterious voice–”You have been chosen.” Though taken by darkness, Leben awakens to find herself in a dark, post-apocalyptic world and is greeted by an android named Enoa.  
Leben finds herself in Eden, a structure where machines continue to operate with the goal of creating “Real Humans” to restore humanity. Guided by Enoa, Leben becomes entangled in the battle to become a “Real Human.”  
IntroduceMainCharacter();
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"Humans get a gold star." Enoa (voiced by Hikaru Tono)  
"Humans are stupid." Leben Distel (voiced by Risa Tsumugi)  
“Humans should live in a cool way.” Mikoto Sengiku (voiced by Ruriko Aoki)  
"Family makes us human." Ami Shido (voiced by Minami Takahashi)
IntroduceGameplay();
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Venture between the battlegrounds of Eden and the safe haven of the Imitation Garden. Within Eden, face exhilarating and cathartic battles against mechanical enemies and discover the unknowns of the dark world.  
Then return to your base, the Imitation Garden, to relax, customize your weapons, and enjoy lighthearted and heartwarming conversations between the girls.  
IAskYou ();
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Be sure to wishlist today and await updates with a warm heart!
Steam Version Features
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**4K Resolution and High Frame Rate**  
Explore Eden in stunning UHD and arbitrarily high frame rates, depending on your hardware.  
**Keyboard and Mouse Control Support**  
The keyboard and mouse can be used to play _CRYMACHINA_ as effectively as with a controller to complement any preferred gameplay set up, from playing at your desk to the flexibility offered by a PC paired with your TV, remote play, or handheld PCs! This release includes precise mouse camera control and the ability to interact with menus using the mouse and keyboard.  
**Additional Graphics Options**  
Advanced graphics settings can be used to optimize your experience for your particular hardware setup!  
**Arbitrary Aspect Ratio: Steam Deck & Ultrawide Support**  
The game scales to various aspect ratios. This has been tested from 21:9 to 4:3, but should also work well on any display in between, including the venerable Steam Deck’s 16:10 display!

Release date: 24 Oct, 2023

Categories: Action RPG, Single-player Story, Character Customization, Visual Novel, Character Progression, Real-time Combat, NPC Relationships & Romance


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Well-Developed, Memorable Characters (weight 0.74): Characters are consistently lauded for their unique personalities, significant development arcs, and appealing designs. Many reviewers highlighted Enoa as a particularly beloved and well-realized character.
- Exceptional & Fitting Soundtrack (weight 0.72): The soundtrack is widely considered a major highlight, praised for its high quality, emotional resonance, and perfect fit with story moments and environments. Composer Sakuzyo's contributions are frequently singled out as exceptional.
- Engaging Story & Lore (weight 0.7): The game's narrative is highly praised for its intriguing plot, unexpected twists, and deep lore. Reviewers found the story emotionally impactful, well-written, and engaging from start to finish.
- Stunning Visuals & Art (weight 0.7): The game features breathtaking visuals, including a distinct sci-fi art style, detailed environments, and impressive character models. Its animations, 2D art, and overall graphic quality contribute to a superb aesthetic experience.
- High-Quality Voice Acting (weight 0.64): The voice acting is consistently described as top-notch and impressive, with many cutscenes and dialogues being fully voiced. This high-quality performance significantly enhances character interactions and overall immersion.
- Overall Positive Experience (weight 0.58): Reviewers express overwhelming satisfaction with the game, often describing it as a memorable and enjoyable experience. It is praised for its overall polish and technical stability on PC, contributing to a highly positive reception.
- Strong Yuri Theme (weight 0.19): The game is highly praised for its strong and genuine yuri (lesbian romance) themes, which are consistently present and satisfying. Reviewers recommend it specifically for fans of the genre, noting its unique sci-fi yuri setting.
- Satisfying Combat System (weight 0.16): The combat system is enjoyed for its speed, fluidity, and accessibility, offering a fun and exhilarating experience. It is noted for being easy to learn while also providing depth through features like weapon attachments.
- Improved from Predecessor (weight 0.08): Many reviewers highlight significant improvements over the previous title, Crystar, particularly in combat mechanics, controls, and overall gameplay fluidity. The game is seen as a more polished and mature experience.
- Accessible Difficulty Options (weight 0.05): The inclusion of a "casual mode" is appreciated for making the game more accessible and less challenging for some players. This option allows for a more relaxed progression through the story and easier combat encounters.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive, Shallow Gameplay (weight 1): The core gameplay loop, including combat, level design, and enemy encounters, is widely criticized for being repetitive, linear, and lacking depth. Players reported constant grinding, few enemy types (often reskins), and clunky combat mechanics that felt uninspired and tedious.
- Rushed Story, Tedious Dialogue (weight 0.77): The game's narrative is described as rushed, generic, and difficult to follow, with an abrupt ending. Pacing issues are highlighted by an excessive amount of dialogue and cutscenes that interrupt gameplay and feel tedious, hindering character development.
- High Price, Low Value (weight 0.73): Many reviewers found the game's price point, often compared to AAA titles, to be excessively high given its perceived short length, limited content, and overall quality. This led to feelings of regret for full-price purchases.
- Unfair Level Scaling (weight 0.21): The game suffers from significant level scaling issues where being slightly under-leveled results in enemies dealing one-shot kills or the player dealing zero damage. This creates an unbalanced and frustrating difficulty curve, forcing mandatory grinding.
- Clunky Controls, Poor UI (weight 0.1): Reviewers reported that the game's controls feel stiff, clunky, and unresponsive, particularly affecting movement, jumping, and combat actions. The user interface is also criticized for being poorly designed and awkward to navigate, especially with keyboard and mouse.
- Visual Clutter Hinders Combat (weight 0.1): Excessive and flashy visual effects during combat make it difficult for players to discern enemy attack tells, react, or effectively dodge and parry. This visual noise contributes to a frustrating and confusing combat experience.
- Stiff Animations, Reused Assets (weight 0.06): Despite potentially good character models, the game's animations are frequently described as stiff, unpolished, and lacking fluidity, impacting overall presentation. Budget limitations are evident through static models in cutscenes and extensive reuse of environmental assets.
- Niche Yuri Focus (weight 0.05): Some reviewers felt the game overly relied on its "yuri" (girls' love) theme to attract players, potentially at the expense of broader gameplay and world-building substance. This focus was perceived as a marketing "bait" for a niche audience.
- Ami Gameplay Issues (weight 0.04): The character Ami suffers from specific gameplay issues, including slow movement, passive enemy design when playing as her, and critical bugs like her finisher freezing the game. These issues significantly hinder the experience when playing this particular character.
- Frustrating Whale Boss (weight 0.04): The "Whale" boss fight is singled out for being particularly frustrating due to its rapid, wide-reaching attacks that often hit behind the player, confusing sound cues, and large area-of-effect attacks that cover most of the arena.

Gameplay feedback:
- Short VN-Heavy Game (weight 0.29): The game is relatively short, with main story completion times ranging from 8 to 18 hours and 100% completion around 13-25 hours. A significant portion of the playtime, estimated at 60-75%, is dedicated to visual novel elements, including extensive dialogue and cutscenes.
- Basic Combat Depth (weight 0.24): The combat system is described as basic and lacking depth, with few combos and a focus on numerical grinding. Some reviewers compared it to Nier: Automata, but noted its simplicity and expressed a desire for more complex difficulty settings.
- Repetitive Mission Design (weight 0.14): Missions are short, linear, and highly repetitive, often requiring players to clear the same stages multiple times (e.g., three times per boss) to progress the story or gather necessary experience and data. This design leads to a monotonous gameplay loop.
- Level-Gated Difficulty Spikes (weight 0.14): Player level is the dominant factor in combat difficulty, with significant level disparities leading to one-shot deaths from enemies and bosses, even in casual mode. This level-gated design makes under-leveling unforgiving and over-leveling trivializes content due to excessively high enemy damage values.
- Casual Mode Utility (weight 0.07): The casual mode significantly reduces enemy health, making combat faster and more accessible for players seeking a less challenging experience. However, it does not entirely prevent one-shot deaths from high-level enemies or bosses, indicating its limitations in mitigating all difficulty spikes.
- Post-Apocalyptic "Real Human" Story (weight 0.07): The core narrative is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has perished, and robot girls, like the protagonist Leben, strive to become 'real humans.' This goal is achieved by collecting experience and gaining authority over the digital world of Eden, exploring themes of artificial intelligence and humanity.
- Similar to Crystar (weight 0.05): The game shares many similarities with Crystar, particularly in its progression system, user interface, and overall structure. While some aspects like combat controls are noted as improved, the resemblance is a recurring observation.
- Late-Game EXP Deficiency (weight 0.05): The experience system becomes problematic in the later stages of the game. It provides insufficient experience for the high requirements of upgrading multiple characters simultaneously, leading to a severe experience deficiency and forced grinding.
- Easy Achievements (weight 0.05): Most achievements in the game are relatively easy to obtain, often unlocking naturally through standard gameplay progression. Many can be completed by simply playing through the main story and post-clear content, requiring minimal dedicated grinding.
- Underexplained RPG Systems (weight 0.04): The game's RPG elements, including stats and augments, are poorly explained within the game itself. Players often need to consult external guides or resources to fully understand these mechanics and effectively optimize their character builds.
- Tea Party System (weight 0.04): The game includes a 'tea party' system, which offers optional character interaction scenes. These events contribute to character building and story progression, often rewarding players with EGO points.

Performance notes:
- Excellent PC Performance (weight 0.04): Players consistently report excellent PC optimization, with the game running smoothly at high resolutions and frame rates, even on demanding settings. There are no significant frame drops or stuttering, indicating strong performance across various hardware configurations.
- Fast Loading Speeds (weight 0.01): The game features very fast loading times, particularly for levels, often completing in approximately one second. This contributes to a seamless and uninterrupted gameplay experience.
- Controller Decomposition Feature (weight 0.01): A specific gameplay mechanic, referred to as 'decomposition,' is noted to be fully functional and controllable when using a game controller. This suggests good controller integration for certain in-game features.
- Extensive Customization Settings (weight 0.01): The game offers a good variety of customizable settings, allowing players to tailor their experience. This provides flexibility for different preferences and hardware configurations.

Recommendations:
- Buy on Sale (weight 0.37): Many reviewers strongly recommend purchasing the game only when it's heavily discounted, often suggesting a 50% or greater reduction. They generally feel the game's content and quality do not justify its full price.
- Story Over Gameplay (weight 0.17): Reviewers consistently praise the game's compelling story, engaging characters, and rich world-building as its primary strengths. Conversely, the action RPG gameplay is frequently described as weak, repetitive, or simplistic, leading many to suggest treating the game more like a visual novel.
- Strong Yuri Appeal (weight 0.1): The game is highly recommended for players who appreciate yuri (girls' love) themes, character interactions, and relationships. This specific aspect is highlighted as a significant draw for its target audience.
- Crystar Fan Appeal (weight 0.1): The game is particularly recommended for fans of the developer's previous title, Crystar, due to shared thematic and stylistic elements. Some reviewers suggest playing Crystar first to fully immerse in the world and understand hidden truths.
- Utilize Casual Mode (weight 0.03): Reviewers advise players to make use of the game's Casual Mode, especially if their primary interest lies in the story. This mode allows players to bypass challenging or repetitive combat sections and focus on the narrative.
- Leveling for Bosses (weight 0.02): Players are advised to level up their characters sufficiently before attempting boss encounters. This prevents the need to brute force underleveled bosses, especially for those not seeking an extreme challenge.
- Seek True Ending (weight 0.02): Players are encouraged to continue playing until they achieve the somewhat hidden true ending. This specific conclusion is considered a significant and rewarding part of the overall game experience.

Other player notes:
- Limited Budget & Content (weight 0.11): The game is perceived as having budget constraints, evident in the lack of elaborate cutscenes and a relatively short main story (around 10-20 hours). While post-game content and grinding can extend playtime to 20-40 hours for completionists, the core playable content is seen as limited for its price, relying heavily on visual novel scenes.
- Strong Yuri/Sapphic Focus (weight 0.07): A significant aspect of the game is its prominent yuri (lesbian romance) elements, which are described as heart-warming and a primary reason for playing. The story explores sapphic relationships, transhumanism, and emerging sapiency through the lens of robot heroines.
- Chinese Language Support (weight 0.03): The game supports Traditional Chinese, though reviewers note that the language setting must be changed via Steam properties rather than an in-game option. This is a specific technical detail.
- Compelling Sci-Fi Setting (weight 0.03): The game features an intriguing sci-fi setting in a far future where humanity is extinct, focusing on the crisis of EDEN, a Dyson sphere. This post-apocalyptic premise with machines instead of traditional antagonists is noted as a key aspect of the world.
- Enoa & Leben Appeal (weight 0.03): The characters Enoa and Leben are singled out for their adorableness and emotional impact. Enoa, in particular, is noted for her attractiveness and ability to evoke strong feelings from players.
- Flat Ending Revival (weight 0.02): A specific criticism of the ending is the "nearly instantaneous and virtually unexplained revival" of Enoa after a heroic sacrifice. This plot point is seen as undermining the dramatic impact and feeling unsatisfying to some reviewers.
- Optional Worldbuilding Lore (weight 0.02): A significant portion of the game's worldbuilding and lore is conveyed through optional reading materials. While there is ample character building and storytelling, players need to seek out additional text to fully grasp the world's depth.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.31): Players felt satisfied primarily due to the game's compelling story, well-developed characters (particularly Enoa), and exceptional music and art style. The improved combat system and overall polish compared to previous entries also contributed significantly to a positive and enjoyable experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.25): Disappointment stemmed mainly from the game's combat, which was frequently described as shallow, repetitive, or unengaging. Players also felt the game was too short and overpriced for the content offered, compounded by linear level design and various technical issues.
- Frustration (weight 0.17): Frustration was primarily caused by the game's combat system, which many found clunky, unbalanced, or poorly designed, leading to unfair one-shot kills or tedious grinding. Other sources included confusing level scaling, poor controls, and excessive, unskippable dialogue.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciated the game for its unique artistic quality, strong character development, and the emotional impact of its story, visuals, and music. The game's ability to exceed expectations and its suitability as a yuri JRPG/visual novel were also highly valued.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement stemmed from the game's compelling story, fantastic soundtrack, and strong yuri elements, leading to a desire for sequels or future works from the developers. The overall high quality and thematic integrity also contributed to this positive anticipation.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy was primarily evoked by the game's appealing art style, charming character designs (especially Enoa), and the positive experience of its yuri-themed narrative. Players also found joy in rediscovering immersion in a single-player game and appreciating improved graphics.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players enjoyed the game due to its engaging story, well-developed characters, and appealing art style. The overall positive game experience, including initial combat impressions and tea party interactions, also contributed to their enjoyment.
- Love (weight 0.02): A strong sense of love for the game was driven by its captivating story, deeply engaging characters, and the overall charm and passion evident in its world and soundtrack. The character design and overarching themes also fostered this strong emotional connection.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger arose from significant game design flaws, particularly the perceived high price for low content and a forced, poorly implemented combat system. Players also expressed anger over numerous game-breaking bugs, unfair difficulty spikes, and a general sense of lazy development.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration was directed towards the game's exceptional quality, particularly its incredible story, well-designed characters (especially Enoa), wonderful illustrations, and outstanding soundtrack.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom was caused by repetitive grinding for progression, slow early game pacing, and unengaging dialogue, which made the overall story feel tedious for some players.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from the unclear nature of the true ending, weird gameplay mechanics like level-gated damage, and ambiguous definitions of key concepts within the story. The mixed tone of dialogue also contributed to this lack of clarity.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret was specifically tied to the financial aspect, with players regretting their purchase, particularly if they bought the game at full price, indicating a perceived poor value for money.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust was expressed towards specific map gimmicks and certain character personalities or dialogue, indicating a strong negative reaction to these design choices.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness was a direct result of the emotional impact of specific moments within the game's story, indicating a successful narrative that resonated deeply with players.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stemmed from repetitive tea party conversations and the short length of stages, which contributed to a feeling of tedium in the gameplay loop.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise was caused by unexpected plot twists and the significantly stronger presence of yuri elements compared to the game's prequel, exceeding player expectations in these areas.
- Emotional (weight 0.01): Players felt emotional due to the game's tear-jerking story, its themes of unconditional love, and the compelling development of the character Enoa, further enhanced by strong voice acting performances.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief was experienced when players found solutions to combat difficulties or when the combat became easier, indicating a reduction in previous frustration with the game's challenge.
- Affection (weight 0): Affection was specifically directed towards the character Enoa, highlighting her strong appeal and the positive emotional connection players formed with her.}