S3E15: Crystalis -or- Periodic Fable of Elements

The Old SwitchAroo: Gaming Retro with Mike and Jaymo |A Nintendo Switch Online retro gaming podcast

Happney is as good as his sword when he talks Crystalis (NES, 1990) as he joins Mike & Jaymo on The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!

In this episode, we talk about the influence of Studio Ghibli films like Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on Crystalis, try to figure out if this was SNK’s answer to The Legend of Zelda, and the ways that the aesthetics of this game seem to overlap with other classic Nintendo games.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com⁠⁠⁠, where you'll find access to our Discord, voicemail, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:16) Welcoming Happney

(2:50) Crystalis

(42:58) Mini-Game Minute: Frozen in Time

(50:05) Crystalis (cont’d)

(59:58) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

Crystalis Manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Crystalis-Game-Manual.pdf

Crystalis - NES commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gZA1aP51nk

Crystalis Speed Run Race in 1:05:51 at #SGDQ 2013 [NES] | SpeedDemosArchiveSDA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlDT89G_Cmo

Crystalis Week: The Miyazaki Connection | Kid Fenris: http://www.kidfenris.com/2018/11/crystalis-week-miyazaki-connection.html

Mikes RPG Center: https://mikesrpgcenter.com/crystalis/index.html

'Homeland is racist': artists sneak subversive graffiti on to TV show by Claire Phipps | The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/oct/15/homeland-is-racist-artists-subversive-graffiti-tv-show