Crysis is a somewhat curious title in my memory, that of a title which I will never be able to play, for lack of a PC up to the task. So I had to fall back on the console versions of Crysis 2 et 3, without ever being able to enjoy this first opus, until today! Saber Interactive has indeed been commissioned to carry out a console port of the trilogy on PS4 and Xbox One (Crysis: Warhead is once again shelved). The choice of platform is a bit surprising, but as often, playing it on PS5 and Xbox Series brings some welcome improvements. It remains to be seen if the trilogy Crysis still manages to shine despite the past decade.
Crysis, first of all, it's the story of soldiers equipped with nano-suits providing strength / speed / armor and other joys, who must face aliens after discovering on an island annexed by North Koreans the existence of say aliens. It's a little nanardesque, and it's not really improving. The first opus took quite a beating from the old side of the staging, the cutscenes are not numerous, we discuss between characters as we move forward, with a totally western lip synchronization... Too bad, because at least Nomad (the hero) spoke a little, although he didn't say much interesting. On the gameplay side, the game is also showing its age, and it's quite rigid. We already feel the basics of modern FPS, but it's very choppy and chaining several actions and approaches does not seem "natural".
Graphically, it is clear that a stallion like Crysis keeps some nice leftovers. Obviously, you won't take graphic slaps, there are runny textures quite frequently, but the paradise island as a playground remains nice (although we would have done without North Korean camps copied / pasted everywhere on the island). The remaster is successful, and the PS5 version displays a solid 4K/60FPS, only cut by micro-loadings which would probably not be necessary if a native PS5 version existed.
The second opus is already closer to the current FPS, and the combination has undergone several adjustments which make the action smoother. The structure of the game was revised to be able to be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 at the time. Gone is the open world and the lush jungle of the first game. Here we are in town, and surprisingly, despite the work done to bring the game up to scratch graphically, it is the one that has aged the "worst". Probably linked to the very cold urban side which prevents wonder. Here we embody Alcatraz, which will be entrusted with numerous missions by radio and via the few characters encountered here and there. Again, the story is as uninteresting as possible, and we'll just go from point A to point B to reach the goal and wait for the next one to fall. Crytek already had delusions of grandeur and will offer some great moments to motivate us a bit to progress.
Last but not least, Crysis 3 comes to close this trilogy in style by putting us in the shoes of Prophet, yet another soldier determined to knock out the alien by the hundreds. Of the three opuses, this is the one that aims to be the most spectacular, the most beautiful... and also the shortest. Already at the time, I came out a little frustrated from this 3rd game which promised so much but offered so little. We are on a structure very close to that of Crysis 2, and in urban environments... except that nature has taken over here, which offers a game that impresses (still today) at times. To circulate in a New York street with buildings covered with moss and other vines, it's a little something. The story is once again a little disappointing, but the studio seems to insist on the fact that we must follow it, by multiplying cutscenes and other cutscenes that are not always interesting. On the gameplay side, we are facing the most successful game, although we can deplore the fact that the nano-suit becomes a far too powerful element which affects any potential difficulty. Where we sometimes had to hide and use tricks to kill a group of enemies in the 2 previous parts, all you have to do is arm yourself with your bow and sprint by shooting a few arrows to overcome any enemy. Certainly pleasant, but not very rewarding.
In the end, I still enjoyed doing this trilogy again. The work done on the remastering side manages to bring the games up to what we can expect today. Crysis is a very series B license, which we will follow with a little laugh, but which we will enjoy browsing through what the universe and the possibilities of the nano-suit offer. Too bad the "RayTracing" graphics mode available in the options does not bring anything, the fault of a lack of native next-gen version. Maybe in a few months?
Crysis remastered trilogy, already available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (Epic Games Store) at the recommended price of €49,99.
