Japanese publisher FuRyu released a new demo for CRYMELIGHT on September 17 via Steam. This is a full demo that replaces the previously available “Battle Demo,” offering more content and an improved experience reflecting player feedback.
The third entry in FuRyu’s dark bishojo action “Cry” series, CRYMELIGHT is a roguelite action game with a macabre Alice in Wonderland-themed setting. The story is set in the afterlife, in a prison called Wonderland where the souls of the dead are held captive and must “confront their sins” to be freed. The protagonist is an amnesiac girl, assigned the name Alice by her guide, the White Rabbit. Without any recollection of her life before and after her death, Alice is invited into Wonderland and led to participate in a death game. The rule of the game is that “only those who defeat the Queen, the ruler of the realm, can gain freedom.”
Battles revolve around defeating enemies using weapons tied to the concept of “sin,” and doing so triggers a unique mechanic in which the enemies’ “dying screams” create a special expanding field beneath the player. This field grows bigger the more enemies you defeat, and the larger it becomes, the more it buffs your abilities and speed. The exact way this system affects you changes depending on the skills you acquire, adding to the variety of runs.
CRYMELIGHT also comes with a card-based deckbuilding mechanic modeled after poker. Throughout a run, you collect skill cards designed like playing cards, and maintain a hand of five at any given time. At the end of each stage, you’re presented with a choice of three cards and must select one to add to your hand. The goal is to form synergistic “hands,” much like in poker, which can dramatically change your attacks and combat style.
The sins accumulated through battle can be purified in the Tea Party Hall (a hub area where story progression happens) by confessing, converting them into resources for enhancements and the like. This is also where you’ll have conversations with the other girls participating in the death game.
Unlike the game’s previous “Battle Demo,” CRYMELIGHT’s new demo offers a more continuous experience of the story and overall game loop, offering 1.5 to 3 hours of gameplay. It will cover the events up to the end of Chapter 1. The developers have announced a hefty list of updates to the game made based on feedback from the last demo, including improvements to tutorial sections, character visibility, difficulty levels, localization, and battle mechanics among other additions.
CRYMELIGHT is scheduled to release on November 5 for PC (Steam), PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2. The demo is currently available on Steam, with PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 demos also planned for release at a later date.
