Crysis Franchise Overview
Developed by Crytek, Saber Interactive & Free Radical Design
First release: Crysis (13th November 2007)
Latest release: Crysis 3 (19th February 2013)
Crysis is a franchise that is well-beloved by many. From its great reception and release in 2007 to its disappointing downfall in its later years. This is a franchise that has a lot to live up to if it plans on making a 4th instalment. Considering this, I'm going to look at the main titles of the series.
Crysis (2007)
The year is 2007 and as the console wars rage on, Xbox 360 is pummeling PlayStation 3 with Halo 3, Mass Effect, Gears of War and more. But on the unappreciated side are the PC gamers gaining access to The Witcher and The Orange Box. Then suddenly a game that is considered a masterpiece arises under the name of 'Crysis'. The game has been considered a technical beauty and one of the best shooters despite its high system requirements. 14 years later and I have to agree. Back in my review of Crysis, I criticised the characters and story for being bland and stereotypical. While I still agree with my thoughts about the characters, the story is much better than I gave credit to. It's a sci-fi masterpiece that deserves better. Also, please keep in mind that this was one of the first reviews I've written specifically for the website so my reasons and thoughts aren't as well explained and written as they are now.
If the boss fights in the game were up to quality with the rest of the gameplay and atmosphere, I could've ranked this higher than Crysis 2 but instead, the game decides to boil down to bullet-sponge basics. As much as I enjoyed the overpowered feeling of the nanosuit, it felt like it was lacking, something that gets fixed in later instalments. This game isn't perfect, something people at the time failed to see. However, it is still an enjoyable experience that I recommend despite the “MEDIOCRE” rating that I regret giving.
Crysis Warhead was then released as a follow-up of this game back in 2008, which followed Psycho's story while the main game events were occurring, however, I haven't had the option to enjoy this game yet but luckily it isn't the main title so I can continue with this franchise overview.
Crysis 2 (2011)
After 4 years of the original's release and 3 years without any Crysis content, hope was lightened up again with the release of this gem. If you have read my review of Crysis 2, then you know how much I love this game, however, if you haven't, then let me run you through the basics. The year is 2023, New York has been infected with an unidentifiable virus that instantly kills those who are unlucky to succumb to it. The cause of the virus: Ceph, the aliens you fought in the original Crysis. Talking about it right now makes me want to play it again. The game manages to increase the fun with dynamic environments that scale with verticality and also upgrades for the nanosuit using modules. With the improved stealth, new enemies, no crappy boss fights and more, I enjoyed every fraction of it (except for the revamped HUD), making it a near-perfect FPS and my favourite FPS of all time.
When this game came out it didn't get as good of reception as its predecessor, however, it still received 9/10s all around, being seen as a spectacular beauty with an empowered feeling of the nanosuit, traded in for a less-interesting roster of characters and a non-existent open-world that Crytek's other games have had.
Crysis 3(2013)
Announced nearly a year after Crysis 2, and released in less than 6 months of its announcements, Crysis 3 rapidly joined the series as a failure and disappointment. The game sold 205,000 copies in its debut month while Crysis 2 boasted up to 1 million within the same time span. While the critics praised it for its beauty and approach to stealth, the game felt too easy even on harder difficulties and lacked an intriguing narrative. I agree so much with this and as I said in my review of Crysis 3, "While the concept is strong and could've been a brilliant journey to experience, the execution fell off."
I criticised the game for its poor depth of story and characters, and one of the worst boss fights I have ever faced against. I mentioned how the fluency of upgrading, assessing and learning was removed for its easiness, however, the visually striking environment was great. Do I still agree with all of this? Yes. Does this game put me off from pre-ordering Crysis 4 when it's announced? No. I see Crysis 3 as a small dip in the series, similar to The New Frontier for The Walking Dead games. While it's mediocre at best, it doesn't deliver the same impact the other titles did and I hope that Crysis 3 was a learning experience for Crytek than a failed cash-grab.
Crysis 4(?)
After teases by the Crysis Twitter account led to speculation about the 4th game, some think it's a remake of the original Crysis while some believe it's a new sequel. So I thought, why not design my own Crysis 4 while waiting for the actual one to be announced? (WARNING: Spoilers Ahead)
Story
The story could be done in one of two ways. 1) It could pick up with Prophet at the end of Crysis 3 on his little vacation home, or 2) start with a brand new cast of characters rather than trying to piece up the mess that Crysis 3 left behind. If it decides to continue with Prophet, it could illustrate the original Prophet as almost a sidekick hallucination like Joker in Arkham Knight, while the Alcatraz Prophet has to bear with him. An almost dual personality could present itself, with the actual Prophet being himself, and the very clearly disturbed and paranoid fake Prophet conflicting with his inner dialogue. The reason this duality would be interesting to explore is because Crytek tried the same with Crysis 3, a conflict of man and machine, however, ultimately failed in that regard, and a second chance would be fitting here.
The second option would revolve around a new cast, preferably people who are not used to this warfare and are entering it for the first time. These people could make their own nanosuit which not only would allow for high amounts of customisation but also have the original nanosuit become an enemy later in the game. While this idea has a better outlook on gameplay, the story really leaves some blank spaces for imagination. It could explore ideas of PTSD among soldiers or the darker parts of the war that don't appear in journalism like the mass homicides of civilians.
Gameplay
The gameplay has to be fun. After Crysis handled the open world, Crysis 2 the verticality, and Crysis 3 the environment design, the play area is a big deal within this game. While the area has to feel organic and possible, it must contain the verticality and open area feel. This could contribute to side missions, similar to the side objectives the games offer, but each with its own little story like in the original Crysis. The shooting should make a return with the wall-leaning and tactical assessment while offering new ways to play. Everyone loves the powering feel of the nanosuit, so making it even more powerful doesn't seem like a problem as long as the difficulty doesn't drop. With the makeshift nanosuit, there could be options for adding modifications. For example at the end of each mission, you'll have the option to pick between 3 upgrades; one for stealth, such as retracting blades that are attached to the suit that could lead to faster stealth kills, another for combat, maybe a kinetic pulse, similar to the release of kinetic energy in Black Panther, which could lead to crowd control and a weapon mod, something like an option to release a blade of plasma in your shotgun as an example.
These small upgrade choices would allow a sense of replayability for the player, especially if each mission has a piece of memorable action/level design/encounter. While these ideas do also seem ridiculous, so does an epidemical alien attack, so the developers can sci-fi it up and make adjustments if need be. If they also decided to add on the module behaviour of Crysis 2 with the mastery mechanic from Crysis 3 and its signature predator bow, then they have cooked up quite a customisable and action-packed adventure for the fans. This level of customisation could also work with the Prophet storyline, assuming he's still more machine than man, like at the end of Crysis 3.
Bossfights
The boss fights are something I don't have any developed ideas for. No boss fights would be preferable since Crysis as a franchise doesn't have the best luck with them. If one was to be added, it should avoid the problems of being a bullet sponge and make sure they're engaging with the player and arena - maybe something like an opposing nanosuit soldier.
Characters
The characters of Crysis 4 need to be human. What I mean is, they have to have some form of human complexity without needing those over-the-top dramatic moments. They need to resemble human feelings and emotions and actions, similar to The Last of Us and its character writing. The game should also steer clear of stereotypical army grunts that it keeps looping back into.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is entirely up to Crytek. I do have my preferences, for example, an environment made up of two, contrasting environments like the rainforest and concrete jungle of Crysis 3. They could even bring the game back to Lingshan Islands and have the conflict of the still frozen land to the beaches and the forests (this could also explore fighting the Ceph remains as an enemy). I would also prefer a weather system of snow, rain, night, day, etc, as this would look beautiful like it did in Crysis when slaughtering enemies but also add a certain depth to the world of Crysis 4 and make it feel organic.
After looking over the whole franchise, the Crysis rankings are:
Crysis 2 (2011) - Standing at the top, the game is a “NEAR PERFECT”
Crysis (2007) - with the revised story score, the game is a “GOOD”
Crysis 3 (2013) - With the lowest score, the game is a “SUBPAR”
Giving the whole franchise a rating of…
