Crystal Project feels like a proof of concept in a lot of areas. The OST is almost entirely royalty free music, the game's graphics and pixel art have been bought from asset packs, and the story is barebones to practically non-existent.

However, the gameplay is where Crystal Project shines, I think. The job system from Final Fantasy is used to its fullest potential here, with a surprising amount of classes available to level and mess around with, each one feeling unique in some way. The subclass and passive skill systems highly encourage experimentation and the leveling of multiple classes. In addition, the threat/hate/aggro system translates really well to a turn-based combat setup. I had so much fun finding a new boss, figuring out their attack patterns or whatever gimmicky attack they had, and constructing a setup to deal with it.

The overworld exploration (another big selling point for the game) is not as unique or polished as the game's combat systems are, I think, but there's still a surprising amount of care put into it regardless. There are a lot of mounts to unlock that give you overworld abilities, such as jumping higher or gliding through the air. There's secret bosses and treasure chests and even some small side quests hidden in pretty much every corner of the map (which is quite large too!)

I had a lot of fun with Crystal Project. Great game and an easy recommend.