Moero Crystal H (Nintendo Switch) Review

It might be difficult to believe from the official trailer, but while there is a fair amount of mature content with the very much perverted nature of side-kick Otton, the method used to subdue monster girls and a mostly avoidable mini-game, plus terminology used in and out of battle that veers towards the ecchi side of gaming, most of Moero Crystal H is pure fun with cute girls in interesting outfits. They are much more than their looks, their personalities really come into play as more of the team are met. Initially Zenox, who is called a pervert yet tries to be a gentleman when he can despite the intimate actions that the game requires, only knows Luanna who was in the temple, but all that changes as they traverse dungeons.

There are dozens of girls to discover, some only appear in certain conditions, and it is possible not to get them all in one playthrough. Yes, some of them are classic waifu stereotypes, but using them in the main party makes it easier to get to know them individually. They mostly care for each other, tolerate Zenox and despise Otton. There are some who like to flaunt their attractiveness; some of the four collectable outfits available to wear in battle dotted around dungeons are on the skimpy side, but others are tasteful, and the sense of camaraderie is strong. The higher the friendship level with each girl the more skills can be activated in battle, and certain skills can only be learned by equipping a particular outfit.

The, vastly different in theme, dungeons are travelled in first person style, with the monster girls appearing as a moving dot. It is not a case of persuading them to join a party verbally, they have to be battled against, their armour of clothes weakened and then specific spots on their body located and rubbed to help rid them of the negative energy that the bra thief bestowed on them. Sometimes it takes repeated fights before they will agree to join to the team, which can only be changed at the town's inn, not in a dungeon. Wandering around the dungeon can take time but it is a good way to collect items and level up, too. Sometimes it is best to backtrack to a save point in a dungeon rather than hope one will appear soon, as saving is restricted to save points outside of town.

Collecting more supplies, then returning to deal with a boss is another strategy that is wise to employ occasionally - handily a warning appears before an event happens so boss fights are not necessarily unexpected. Run of the mill enemies are relatively easy to defeat in the easier difficulties, some have an amusing appearance, others are quite suggestive, and all have elemental weaknesses that, when exploited, lead to a swift end to the fight. Zenox is not exactly an active fighter, he can charge and release energy to the party, as well as use items, but it is the girls who do all the fighting in a 2D format. Extra tough enemies appear in the places where recruited monster girls are found, but are easy to avoid as they move one step at a time in tune with the player.

Dungeon crawling is the majority of the game with visual novel elements for story progression, but outside the dungeon everything takes place in the town. The central area is the inn where all the girls stay and have individual rooms. If friendship reaches three stars the girls can agree to share a room with each other which leads to amusing scenes, not all related to Moero Crystal H's age rating. Viewing the scenes are not mandatory but it is fun learning more about favourite characters, and gift giving is not always well received as each girl has specific preferences for gifts. It is advisable to save before giving a gift, especially if there is a limited supply of them. The tricky thing about having eighty team members is that when most of them are liked it is extremely hard deciding who can belong in the five strong party. Switching out monster girls is easy enough at the inn. For the first playthrough a key team may be used, but then afterwards time can be taken to level up favourites in the extra floors added to dungeons post game.