A Resident Evil 3 fan decided to improve the remake to make it worthy of the original.
Blumhouse has long been synonymous with quality low-budget horror. The studio that gave us "Paranormal Activity," "The Purge," and "M3GAN" is now actively expanding into the gaming industry under the Blumhouse Games label. After publishing Sleep Awake, Eyes of Hellfire, and Fear the Spotlight, the company remains true to its model: supporting small, auteur-driven projects faithful to genre roots. The studio's new product, the action game Crisol: Theater of Idols, looks like Blumhouse's most ambitious attempt in gaming and, apparently, received a slightly more substantial budget. Will this dark first-person horror deliver the experience we expect? Let's find out in the review.
The Cursed Island of Tormentosa
Welcome to the world of Tormentosa — an island lost in a distorted, otherworldly version of Hispania, fallen under the weight of a terrible curse. We play as Gabriel, an overly formal soldier who must unravel the mystery of this curse, learn the origin of the Sun God, and, most importantly, find the answer to the eternal question: how many times can you inject yourself with random blood-filled needles before something terrible happens? The answer, apparently, is at least enough to last through the entire 15-hour campaign.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first-person survival horror game executed in the style of modern Resident Evil installments, particularly the seventh and eighth. We will explore a vast open island across four unique chapters, shooting creepy wooden statue-like creatures, periodically evading the relentless pursuit of a sinister entity named Dolores, which reminds us of Nemesis but has now become a common trope in indie horror. In addition to shootouts, players will solve various puzzles, upgrade weapons, and even unlock several special skills to increase their chances of survival. And yes, you'll likely have a tough time along the way, so keep some sedatives handy.
Despite its familiar gameplay, it would be a serious mistake to write off Crisol: Theater of Idols as just another run-of-the-mill horror shooter. Its gloomy island is captivating: it's saturated with hopeless imagery and a thick atmosphere often conveyed through dramatic reconstructions of past events, narrated by ghostly red figures who once inhabited this place. Like accidentally intruding into your parents' bedroom, you will see things you never wanted to see — for example, how many of the island's inhabitants met their often terrifying end. If it's not already obvious — the game is definitely not for the faint of heart, though it still has plenty of that campy aesthetic that Blumhouse is so loved for.
Between Intentional and Accidental
Take the voice acting, for example. Normally, I would tear a game apart for terrible acting, but in the case of Crisol, I'm willing to make an exception because its absurd, unnatural delivery of dialogue seems almost intentional. Even if it's not, the actors' manner of reciting lines verbatim, without adding personal intonations or natural speech patterns, creates several unintentionally funny moments that, oddly enough, work in a game that clearly doesn't take itself too seriously. The writers aren't afraid to add absurdity, and although some plot twists fall flat — especially one slightly bewildering resolution closer to the finale — overall, I rather enjoyed all this theatricality.
But the game's biggest and best surprise is its use of blood. "What are you talking about? Many games have blood!" you might object. Yes, that's true, but in how many of them do you need to drain your own blood to replenish ammo? Exactly. That's how reloading works in Crisol: you have to pierce your own skin, losing health each time, to fill the magazine. This adds a unique strategic element: I carefully monitored my supply of health-restoring injections, switched between weapon types, looked for animal corpses to absorb their essence, and tried to take cover from danger to safely drain another portion of blood into the barrel. On paper, the system seems insane, but, like the game's plot, it works effectively and leads to truly thrilling combat encounters.
As for combat, the developers did an excellent job adapting the gripping brutality of a first-person shooter to a survival horror setting. Aiming is precise here, and each weapon — though the selection is not vast — feels distinct. The main pistol requires less blood to reload but also deals less damage. For melee combat, there's a dagger, but it dulls and must be periodically sharpened at special stations. The shotgun can destroy an enemy with one shot, but its high blood cost will make you think twice about whether you really need it right now.
However, it must be admitted that close-quarters combat is less polished — there are no grenades or traps to clear a room, except for rare exploding barrels. This led to a few situations where I was cornered with literally nowhere to run: the game has no parkour. Fortunately, such situations are rare, and most skirmishes occur in more open spaces. There's also a quick turn that can help escape a trap and a dagger parry, though I never found a practical use for it.
Enemy variety leaves something to be desired, but what's there is executed superbly. The clumsy wooden statues are terrifying as hell when they wildly swing swords and shoot bows. Headshots don't always help — their bodies shatter into pieces that still keep advancing. It looks very impressive when an enemy torso tries to harm Gabriel or a decapitated creature aimlessly shuffles towards you. These creepy creatures are the main stars of the enemy bestiary, complemented by a couple of flying babies, sewer gremlins, annoying glass creatures, and quite decent bosses that use Gabriel's lack of climbing skills to their cunning advantage.
A World Full of Secrets
Much of Crisol: Theater of Idols revolves around exploration and puzzle-solving. There are plenty of places to explore, hiding secrets, and the map shows where you've already been and marks items or puzzles worth returning to. The map isn't perfect, but it's better than in many other games, and I completed the entire game without guides. You'll want to scour every corner, as I found no "New Game+" mode upon completion, and you should squeeze everything possible out of the map before the fourth chapter. Fortunately, fully explored areas are marked in blue on the map.