Crisol: Theatre of Idols (PS5) Review

Crisol: Theatre of Idols is the kind of game that doesn’t present its best self the second you get into the world for the first time. Not because it reinvents survival horror, and not because it’s telling some deeply layered narrative that’s going to stick with you for years, but because it understands that tension works best when it costs you something. In Crisol: Theatre of Idols, every bullet costs you blood. And blood is your health. It’s such a simple idea on paper, but in practice, it changes the entire rhythm of how you approach combat.

You play as Gabriel, a soldier sent to the cursed island of Tormentosa in a twisted version of Spain that leans heavily into religious visuals and grotesque folklore. The world is filled with these horrible towering statues, warped building architecture, and enemies that look like they were carved from marble and then made come to life. It has such a strong visual idea, and honestly, it’s one of the game’s biggest strengths. Even when the... Read more