There aren’t many games on Nintendo consoles that take their fanservice to extreme levels, but some aren’t afraid of the plunge. Moero Crystal H is one such game, and even though it doesn’t cross some lines, it certainly isn’t afraid to cross the others.
Story Set-Up
In a world where two feminine garments maintain order, one lucky pervert must restore the balance when the Bra of Darkness is stolen. A mysterious thief who closely resembles an otter in disguise has managed to bypass the bra’s protective barriers and escape with the piece of underwear. While the unfortunate events occurred, the main protagonist Zenox has just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and will now embark on a journey to retrieve the bra. To do this, he must relinquish the corrupted monster girls from their malicious infections along the way.
Interactions With the Girls
The variety of girls and the questionable actions you do to them in Moero Crystal H aren’t the only things keeping the game above water. Although its story is simplistic, the game still shines with its first-person dungeon crawling and turn-based combat. Even if you’re not a fan of the sexual nature of the game, you can still be entertained with the many combat mechanics Moero Crystal H has to offer. The story and dialogue, on the other hand, shift to a whacky approach that’s just weird in many ways.
Anyone with a soft spot for a good harem anime will thoroughly enjoy this game. There are the famous accident scenes that defy the laws of physics where you’ll always end up in an inappropriate position with one of the monster girls. Some of the monster girls will display resentment toward you, while others can’t help but feel embarrassed. Then there are the public baths, although it’s not a common trait with Moero Crystal H. On top of it all, you can get close and personal with each monster girl in the game. They’ll allow you to enter their chambers for a chat, and they’ll have more to say as you play and give them unique gifts.
Gameplay
Moero Crystal H will have you exploring grid-based dungeons in first-person and fighting monsters you meet along the way. When you’re not crawling these dungeons, you may find yourself interacting with the monster girls you’ve recruited in their rooms and utilizing one of the base’s hubs. It’s the type of game where you’ll have a ball choosing your favorites and raising your intimacy levels with them.
Dungeon Crawling
Similar to the story, Moero Crystal H’s dungeon crawling doesn’t get too far from being basic. It’s the simple first-person dungeon crawling you’ll find in any other first-person dungeon crawling RPG you can recall. A mini-map is drawn as you traverse the area, and you’ll randomly encounter enemies. Monster girls and collectibles appear on the map, sometimes in motion too, but that’s as far as it gets. Moving from floor to floor can sometimes be troubling if you dislike running into enemies. The random enemy encounter rate can get a bit on the ridiculous side; however, there are equipable items to reduce this rate and help mend this.
You’ll often find yourself using items to make a quick getaway from dungeons. This item is one of the cheapest in the game, so there’s never a problem with hoarding them. Not unknown to the game’s genre is a mini-map drawn as you progress through the dungeon. Some might find using the D-pad to be more acceptable when moving through the grid-based dungeons. The left analog stick is perfectly fine as well, but it may take some players time to get accustomed to it; otherwise, they may risk moving back and forth when it’s not their intention.
Dungeon crawling in Moero Crystal H doesn’t remain consistent throughout the game. Only until you’ve made it far enough would you find hazards that obstruct your movement. From a map interference to ice floors, there aren’t many of these disruptions in the game, but it’s always pleasant to have as many as possible to shift from the basic dungeon crawling gameplay. Save points are also scarce enough to offer a sign of relief whenever encountering one. It’s not difficult to lose hours of progress this way if you avoid searching for save points in dungeons.
Combat
Unlike the dungeon crawling in Moero Crystal H, the combat system is more refined. It sticks to the standard turn-based combat but with additional mechanics and unique names that set the game apart from others. The protagonist takes the role of a supporting character rather than a fighter; it’s reminiscent of how a playboy would say he’s a lover and not a fighter, yet it seems ironic having the monster girls do all the work. It may take time to get accustomed to this change of setting, and sometimes you may even feel it’s a waste of a turn. Higher difficulty settings and powerful foes will show its relevance the most.
The entire combat system is based on a suggestive theme. Besides the elemental skills the monster girls possess, they can charm the protagonist to increase his charm level. Raising this charm level is a double-edged blade; if you’re not careful and go above the RNG’s limit, your one support turn will go to waste with an added cool-off period. You can remedy this by sacrificing a monster girl’s turn, but occasionally you’ll find that every attack counts, especially when facing tougher groups of enemies in the game. When successful, you’ll be able to utilize the protagonist’s power to increase a monster girl’s stats or steal an extra turn.
Fanservice does show during fights against monster girls who have gone astray. Successfully striking them activates giggle physics, which fans will undoubtedly appreciate. If that wasn’t enough, you might be content knowing that you need to strip the girl of her clothes to become victorious. You do this by attacking sections of her body to destroy her clothing, and it’s accompanied by her sweet Japanese voice acting. Recruiting a monster girl doesn’t mean you can no longer fight against them; you’ll be able to fight them as many times as you wish at your base.
Formations and Equipment
Team formation can be vital in some aspects. Preparing your attackers on the frontline and your healers or weaker party members in the back would see them through more fights. Equipping them with good gear helps too. The game also tells you that the characters in the center will be targeted more. This pumps some strategic formations you can use into the game to perform better during fights.
As you’re able to add a monster girl straight to your team after defeating her darkness, it helps that you have the option to remove all of the items from the leaving party member. Having to equip each item repeatedly can be a pain if you don’t sell items regularly. Transferring items from the leaving party member to the new monster girl would have been much more convenient.
Auto Battles
Fighting monsters repeatedly can get tiring, especially on higher difficulties that warrant level farming. Moero Crystal H thankfully has an Auto-Battle feature that you can enable during a match. The mixture of auto battles and fast-forwarding helps you seamlessly level up your monster girls. It isn’t perfect, and it can be the source of your demise, but it can be an easy method to farm EXP or acquire item drops.
Touching The Monster Girls
One of the critical components of Moero Crystal H is the ability it gives you to touch the various monster girls in the game. You’ll be able to play, poke, and rub to your heart’s content. The girls do make noises while you’re doing the deed, but the lack of jiggle physics might disappoint some. The different poses these monster girls make in their striped uniforms will certainly please those looking for such content. The Nintendo Switch’s touchscreen allows you to effectively perform the task without any problems. Sometimes you may have to use the left analog stick to scroll down on the screen, but it rarely feels like a nuisance.
After each intense battle with a monster girl, you’ll have to exploit her weak spots and then rub her down to recruit her. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though. You’ll have 30 seconds to find her three weak spots, and if you fail, she’ll escape your grasp. In situations like these, you’ll have to continue exploring the dungeon until she respawns. Recruitment also isn’t the end of the rubbing. If your hunger hasn’t been quenched, you’re given the freedom to perform the indecent activity as many times as you so desire. All you have to do is pay the recruit a visit to her room, and you’ll be able to give her your attention behind closed doors.
Mini-Games
Each monster girl you recruit will have their own mini-game you can play. While the mini-game’s concept is the same, the difficulty and the enemy types may vary. After completion, you’ll access an additional dungeon that is unique to the character, adding a generous number of extra dungeon content when considering the volume of monster girls in the game. Dying in one of these dungeons will prompt a ‘Game Over’ screen, so caution is advised when playing them. Some hours of progress have been lost because of this while writing this review.
The dungeon designs are different too, which shows the effort the developers have put into their creation. The maps are randomly generated, which opens some form of replay value, but it’ll only be a matter of time before one gets bored with a one-floor dungeon. Conquering these dungeons make the respective character stronger and sometimes even lets you play the peek mini-game. As its name suggests, you may already have guessed what type of mini-game this is, but it fits well with the nature of the game.
Monster Girl Characters
There’s no shortage of recruitable characters in Moero Crystal H. You’ll be able to encounter a set number of monster girls in the wild during each dungeon expedition. The variety is large enough that you’ll have trouble deciding who to keep in your party. There’s always someone new who might spark your fancy, and it can be heartbreaking having to let your old teammates go. The game allows you to compare recruited characters right off the bat when your party is full; however, newcomers may not be able to fully utilize exploring the information without experimenting with the controls.
Experience
The potential to use your benched monster girls doesn’t extinguish either. When not in use, the monster girls still gain EXP; however, they grow at a much slower pace. There are ways to boost the rate at which they gain EXP, but it may take a while to acquire such perks. This makes the unused monster girls remain a viable option to return to when looking to adjust your party members.
DLC Characters
Moero Crystal H includes all DLC characters from the original game at no additional cost. From the title screen, you’re able to open the DLC menu and opt-in to each DLC character’s inclusion. Once added, you cannot remove them, even if you haven’t recruited them yet. There isn’t any reason to remove them, and they aren’t forced onto you in your playthroughs, so there’s no issue with keeping them available in the base game. The number of additional DLC monster girls adds to the large variety already available in the game. This opens up a fresh set of faces to use at your discretion. You can use them for your current playthrough or the ones that follow.
Difficulty Modes
There are four difficulty modes in the game: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Expert. Naturally, some would assume the Normal difficulty wouldn’t be too challenging, but it’s different in Moero Crystal H. You’ll end up losing hours of gameplay if you underestimate the challenges it can pose. As you’re only allowed to save outside of dungeons and at healing points during dungeon crawls, it isn’t an action you’ll regularly take advantage of as much as you’d like to. Surprise enemy encounters and unexpected powerful foes can be the death of you.
The start of the game brings its own struggles. Not recruiting monster girls will eventually show how the enemies of this game can easily overpower you. Building up your characters and recruiting monster girls is the only way you’ll have a chance at overcoming the challenges the game throws at you. You can always change the difficulty mode you began with. So if the game gets too tough or too easy, you can always swap between them. For a game where you’ll have a tough time determining how powerful an opponent is on the first encounter, the ability to alter the difficulty mode can come in handy.
Costumes
If you weren’t impressed with the large variety of monster girls in the game, the options of costumes given to each character might trigger a change of heart. If you thought the poses were spicy, wait till you see the available clothing options. Some will go overboard with their designs, but they might be just the type of content some people would expect. You’ll be able to dress down to the character’s panty and bra with various designs unique to each character. These changes also reflect on the cutscenes throughout the game.
Although not difficult to unlock, accessibility to these additional costumes will take some work. Each monster girl has their own associated content to clear and earthly treasures to obtain. It will be tough when first starting, but gets easier as you build up your team and grow stronger. Gaining access to the full potential of costumes gives you a lot of flexibility. It allows you to modify your character’s appearance without altering their skills or stats. It’s something a lot of people may feel the game lacks, but discovering its possibility will leave you with a sigh of relief.
Censorship Level
Despite the name given to Nude Flash, Moero Crystal H still contains censorship. Regardless of how rough you rub away at the screen, you won’t be seeing any ‘private parts’ in this game. The fanservice offered still goes above and beyond with the different poses, clothing options, and mistakes the protagonist will make during the game. Fans will be able to appreciate the range of bath suits and other revealing costumes offered.
PostGame Content
There’s still more content to dive into when you’re done with the primary story campaign. The postgame content is significantly more difficult than the story gameplay you’ll experience. You’ll have to build a formidable team to stand a chance and see how they fare during the journey. The number of hours you’ll spend trying to finish it is on par with the 30-40 hours to complete the story content. Complensitist who seek to unlock all monster girls can raise this number to a whopping 100 hours of gameplay.
In addition, you unlock a special feature and the unknown option from the main menu upon finishing the story. You’ll gain access to little things if you ever wanted to revisit them without replaying the game. You’ll be able to replay cutscenes, revisit chapter screens, listen to the game’s music, and much more. It’s a neat addition for those who have finished the game’s story.
Graphics and Soundtrack
Each dungeon has a theme, but they aren’t that magnificent to look at. However, they carry a familiar feeling of the classic first-person dungeon crawling experience. What Moero Crystal H focuses more on is its characters. They’re all adorable, and there’s a good chance of the next character competing with the previous in terms of appearance. The developers have also implemented jiggle physics during combat when you attack a monster girl, which will certainly satisfy the interested party.
There is full Japanese voice acting throughout the game, and it’s consistent. It can sometimes get repetitive, with long-term party members talking while traversing a dungeon if you repeatedly bounce into walls. This likely won’t ever be a problem with how motivating it is to replace teammates, but the chance of becoming irritated still exists. You won’t see your character mistakenly touching a monster girl’s ‘goods. However, the noise that accompanies each accident makes it apparent. The sound itself makes up for the lack of animation during these moments. It enhances the experience to make what’s actually happening known while the dialogue rolls.
The game’s soundtrack is pretty decent too. Each dungeon has a theme song that helps calm the mind during the dungeon runs. Engaging enemies in combat has its own set of songs as well. They aren’t too notable, and you may find yourself focusing more on the combat rather than paying attention to the tunes. At least one is likely to get stuck in your head, though.
Conclusion
The thick layer of fanservice in Moero Crystal H masks its simplistic dungeon crawling. However, its combat mechanics put up a fight to keep the flame lit. The enemy encounter rate can get irritating at times, and the game can be decently challenging. However, there are methods to help mend those. The game goes above and beyond with its fanservice, which shakes off a number of RPG fans from the pool; it’s the type of game you won’t feel too comfortable playing around family or friends, but you may have the time of your life when you’re the only one in the room.
Moero Crystal H gets an 8/10.
