Everyone’s got a story to tell. In Crimen – Mercenary Tales, people freely tell you their tales in exchange for your time.
Many people have stories of adventure. Few, however, gather in a single place to share their tales. In Crimen – Mercenary Tales from Carbon Studio comes a diverse set of stories. No two stories are the same. Experience the stories of eight adventurers through their eyes and feel as though you were there. Prepare for an arcade adventure where one must act and react swiftly to survive.
A nameless individual finds themselves in a small tavern, seeking any legends individuals have to offer. Each story finds its teller fighting their share of enemies, exploring gothic castles and temples, and finding treasures once thought to be lost. The stories are typically told one way, but the wrong step or the wrong swing of a sword might change how it ends.
Crimen – Mercenary Tales was quite fascinating to play when it came to the controls. Movement can be done in one of two ways. Using the thumbstick on the left controller, the player character could walk in the direction they were facing. ‘Tapping’ the thumbstick on the right controller would pivot one’s perspective. Pressing and holding it up would create an arc with a circle at the end. Letting go would teleport the character to wherever the end of that arc was.
The bottom two triggers on either control were how one ‘grips’ their saber. It was important to keep the corresponding trigger held down. Keep too loose a grip and the sword will end up back in its sheath. While one can parry and swing a sword, there is no ability to run. So, most of the combat in Crimen – Mercenary Tales was done standing and turning in place.
Each set of Crimen–Mercenary Tales enemies in the stories was unique enough in their design. Countess Bathory’s ghouls looked like soldiers from the 1800s. They were a little predictable when it came to fighting, but it didn’t make them easy to fight. With enough of them swinging at me, it was hard not to take consistent hits and be severely damaged. If three of them swung in the same direction, a single action was able to block all three enemy blades.
The werewolves in Crimen – Mercenary Tales were another creature with slightly predictable movements. Though the only thing one could predict is that their sword would swing downward first. Unlike the werewolves, the Atztec cultists gave themselves occasional boosts. After this enemy activated a boost, it was best to block and refrain from striking until the boost timed out. Attempting to strike at them while boosted was not met with great amount of success.
Striking back with the blade of a sword deserved quite a few chuckles. If the enemy were slow enough to react, swinging the sword wildly from left to right would make short work of swarms. Certain enemies in Crimen – Mercenary Tales would lose a firearm occasionally. With the 1800s soldiers or skeleton pirates, they’d drop a flintlock pistol. Every gun was good for only two rounds, but the bullets meeting their targets meant a single ‘strike’ to take out an enemy.
The Aztec warriors themselves wielded bows at times. It was interesting to face off against warriors who used these to attack. Hitting an arrow at the right moment would prevent it from piercing the player character. Striking it a second time would send it back to the person who fired it. Getting a bow of one’s own would allow them to shoot five arrows at the surrounding enemy forces. Once the arrows were used up, the bow was completely useless.
If rounds for either a bow or gun were limited, there were a few times when well-placed shots could remove groups of enemies. Sometimes, large sacks of supplies would be sitting on pulleys above the ground. Hitting these objects with a single round would drop them, crushing any enemies underneath.
Other weapons in the environment were also available. The funniest one was the stick stabbed into a pile of dung. Using this weapon in Crimen – Mercenary Tales, any creature with a nose would turn away from the ‘weapon’, allowing for opportune moments to wail on the target, leaning away. In addition, one might also come across what appears to be a fairy wand. It might be used to temporarily defend, but its primary use was to remove enemies from existence. When any enemy was touched with the star at the end of the wand, they are destroyed in a single hit.
A wand was only the second most destructive weapon in Crimen – Mercenary Tales. With no other equal, the small grenade was. Like the gun, this weapon only appeared on occasion. Tossing it into the right crowd will eliminate almost every enemy headed one’s way. Drop it too close, and the enemies wouldn’t be the only ones affected by the explosive. During boss battles, the character telling the story was rooted in place. It was always explained within the context of the story why one was not able to move.
Crimen – Mercenary Tales had a few interesting puzzles in addition to the immersive combat. My favorite puzzle out of all the ones I encountered was the piano in Bathory’s castle. The opportunity to play real notes in a virtually constructed world was interesting. Other puzzles were far more difficult because of the way in which they were laid out. One section required protruding bricks to be pressed in a specific order. A handful of these bricks may be in a spot that requires one to climb. It was crazy difficult keeping a hold on a ledge while trying to press in a brick.
The artwork in Crimen – Mercenary Tales might, in the eyes of some, require polish. But I felt it complemented the arcade style of the game very well. It was reminiscent of PS2-era FPS games. Fighting through each story, one could say it was like living a childhood dream. It invoked a sense of nostalgia regarding the art style.
Voice acting was extremely cheesy, but it fits perfectly with how the story was written. The female characters had unique enough voices, but the male characters were hard to distinguish if one was not standing before them. It’s understandable what they were doing using the accents, but it doesn’t feel like it worked. The lack of distinction often made it hard to tell which male character was speaking when they were both part of a conversation.
Crimen – Mercenary Tales was an interesting form of VR combat. It wasn’t hard to understand what was necessary at the moment. Blocking and striking weren’t always responsive, and that might be a result of the light in the room. With that being the biggest issue, it was an otherwise fantastic adventure experience. At $14.99, it certainly delivers on the things it promises. If you’re interested in titles with pirate or medieval themes, this game is certainly worth checking out on Meta Quest 2.
