The Way Forward Through the Intricate Crystallo Caves
Explore the twisting turns of a gem-filled cavern where trapped spirits must be freed from a dragon in Crystallo.
The premise of Crystallo intrigued me from the start, although I should have been a little wary of the mechanics! I often struggle to “see” patterns in a large play area… So naturally, my first session ages ago went poorly. Yet the unique bag has been sitting there, just waiting for me to try it out again. Who was I to ignore the call of a solo game?! Ha ha!
Game Overview
Game Name: Crystallo
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Liberty Kifer
Artist: Liberty Kifer
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
The spirits of magical creatures are trapped within a cave, guarded by a menacing dragon. Just an ordinary day! The artwork is beautiful, and I’ve never seen gigantic gems like these. Gorgeous! But gameplay involves laying down a lot of cards in an area that quickly expands. With a major challenge ahead, I tried to plan out some kind of strategy.
First Play
February 4, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 8, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
25 Minutes
High Score
1,050
Game Area
36" x 32"
Low Score
50
The Winding Passages
In order to capture a gem and release part of a creature’s spirit, 3 crystals must form a square. It’s a nightmare to explain, mostly because I didn’t understand it at first.
Crystals come in 3 different colors, and in 3 different shapes. The correct combinations involve everything either being the same or completely different.
So you’ll notice the red gem near the middle bottom came from 3 purple crystals of all different shapes.
Go up and to the left a little bit to find the dark blue gem surrounded by 3 different shapes and colors. Tricky!
Navigating an Expanding Play Area
In the beginning, it’s very simple to see all of the crystals, orbs, and bonus cards. As more and more cards are added, however, the play area begins to expand in every direction. Keeping track of partially completed sections gets harder and harder. For me, I start to have trouble remembering exactly what I was working on during previous turns.
There isn’t anything complex here. For those familiar with Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game, some of the concepts have similarities. The tricky part comes from the size of the deck, though. Rather than using 9 cards for the play area with a lot of overlap, there are 40+ cards to manage with little to no overlap. It’s quite the challenge to place every card!
Creating Collections
Unfortunately, my initial attempt resulted in failure. There are 2 separate phases, and the first involves collecting all of the gems. I was just shy of my goal!
So I reset and went back into the caves. The play area looked somewhat similar, yet it was very different.
The only aspect of the card placement rules I’m unclear about involves covering previous symbols. Maybe that’s not allowed? I’ll have to dig around for clarification.
At the very last minute, with literally the last available card, I freed the final trapped spirit! Onto phase 2…
Admiring the Gems
Among my collection, there are some that are visually striking for various reasons. This one wins in many ways!
The gems are a far cry from the standard variety. These rival a lot of dice in terms of overall size! It really adds something to the table presence. I love these so much.
The creatures themselves are also beautiful with bright colors that pop against the dark background of the other cards. I think my favorite is the Ice Wolf. So pretty!
I originally thought the gem size was going to be overkill, yet I’m glad about the decision. They truly make the game.
Outwitting a Dragon
The final step was to go up against a dragon in order to free the trapped creatures for good! This phase is mostly a copy of the first phase, only with limited cards.
Extra bonuses collected during phase 1 could have given me more options. Alas, I failed in that regard!
Completing the first phase earlier on also provides more cards for this phase, thereby raising the chances of success. It isn’t easy to collect all the gems with 7 cards.
So I laid out my hand and started to think about how to best place each card. I needed those final gems!
Session Overview
Play Number: 5 and 6
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Required Play Space: 28″ x 26″
Setup Time: Almost None
Play Time: 20 Minutes per Play
Outcome: 50 and 150 (2 Losses)
No matter how I reorganized the cards, the best I could come up with was 4 out of 6 gems. Close, but no victory! I still struggled to see all of the crystal patterns, although my choices seemed to be better this time. The hunt for an elusive victory in these dark caves continues for now!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
3
Quality
Components & Rules
3
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
5
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the giant gems add a special element to the appearance, yet their size makes it much easier to track them.
- The artwork is beautiful and striking with a glowing aspect against the dark background of most cards.
- Play time is quite reasonable and doesn’t feel like it drags on, unless phase 2 induces analysis paralysis.
- Multiple treasures provide special benefits if an entire set can be collected, thereby adding on a strategic layer.
- There is a helpful summary card that shows the different crystal colors and shapes to help with identification.
- Although the theme might not be groundbreaking, it feels unique and makes collecting the gems feel important.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The choice of a bag as the game container makes it unique, but also isn’t very useful as a storage solution.
- All of the unsleeved cards barely fit in the tuckbox and it takes some effort to ensure they don’t get damaged.
- Many areas of the rules aren’t as clear as they could be, especially in regards to the possible card placements.
- The required amount of table space can get very large since the layout of the cave changes with every play.
Victory Conditions
Score 1,000+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 80%
Goals and Milestones
Collect all 3 Battle treasures.
Collect all 3 Magic treasures.
Score at least 100 points.
Score at least 1,000 points.
Collect all 3 Riches treasures.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Crystallo? Have you managed to reach the top scoring tier? This is a game that seems to reward a lot of experience. It’s not as much a question of luck as I once thought. The order of the cards matters, yet keeping everything condensed matters. The patterns are still a little hard for me to discern, yet I definitely plan to play again!
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