Crytek may have had the monopoly on the first-person shooter genre when their acclaimed Crysis games released a couple of generations ago, but a re-released and remastered package of the entire trilogy today is simply an echo of what once was. That's not to say that the Crysis Remastered Trilogy is bad by any stretch of the imagination. If you have yet to experience these games, consider yourself very lucky. However, as far as remasters go, the end results are flawed at worst and visually stunning at best.



Crytek's Crysis trilogy has been brought back to life for PS4, Xbox One, PC and somehow, Nintendo Switch. If there was any ounce of technical wizardry to really praise about this release, is that it runs on a Switch. However, I reviewed Crysis Remastered Trilogy's PS4 version on PS5. While you don't really get a true current-gen experience out of it, it does enough to showcase all the impressive (and less than impressive) work that was done for this bundle.

Right off the bat, the first Crysis - which has become somewhat of a meme in pop culture these days for bricking PCs - runs superbly on PlayStation. While much of the faults that gave it notoriety were largely due to the game simply being broken or otherwise incompatible with many systems at the time, some work had been done here, at least on console, to make sure that it's the best way to experience the first game all over again. That said, some technical issues persisted from the moment I booted up the game - and pretty much carried over to the more ambitious Crysis 2 as well.



Technical issues seemed to plague the first two Crysis games more than the third for some reason, making revisiting the trilogy as a whole feel awkward and unbalanced in this package. Crysis 3 is easily the most polished and, considering it was the last game in the trilogy, the most visually pleasing remaster as well. Some contentious gameplay elements like the inclusion of the over-marketed bow did draw some unwarranted attention to it back then, but now, you can simply just sit back and appreciate it for being the most, well, underappreciated of the Crysis games.

Crysis 3 is easily the most polished and, considering it was the last game in the trilogy, the most visually pleasing remaster as well.

Back on the topic of technical issues, the most egregious seemed to be major framerate dips, especially during busy segments in the first two games. Texture pop-ins were frequent and I had a few game crashes to boot. As far as remasters go, this isn't the most polished package to exist - especially seeing how Mass Effect Legendary Edition already set a very high bar this year = but it's serviceable for fans if you're willing to look past some of the odd issues or ideally, wait for updates and patches to iron out the creases.



Visually, Crytek and Saber Interactive actually did a wonderful job at upgrading the graphics for new consoles. The third game once again got the most attention in this regard, but improved lighting (especially in dense jungle areas) makes each game look and feel more in-tune with new first-person shooters, even if, mechanically, it has fallen victim to father time. Each game was given a lot of attention in the visual department, and that's the best praise I can offer the Crysis Remastered Trilogy as a whole. Polished up textures, better lighting, and some impressive particle effects all make up a splendid visual trip down memory lane.

Each game was given a lot of attention in the visual department, and that's the best praise I can offer the Crysis Remastered Trilogy as a whole.

However, do the games themselves withstand the test of time? Well, not quite. Perhaps for simply being products of their time, the Crysis games never really delivered the most well-written stories of all time. Sadly, the free-form sandbox approach in the first two games is also significantly lessened by the third game, which favours more linear level design. Die-hard fans will simply overlook these issues if they're returning to the series, but as a warning to newcomers, the Crysis trilogy is best experienced when it takes off its gloves and lets you unleash pure carnage and mayhem with a cool nanosuit.



In the late 2010s, the Call of Duty series may have been at the pinnacle of the first-person shooter genre and spearheaded more military-focused action, but games like Crysis (and to some extent, Ubisoft's Far Cry series) all defied the military-style shooter for something a little more... extravagant. In the case of Crysis, players assume the role of hardened soldiers with powerful nanosuits, gifting them various abilities like enhanced strength, speed, agility, and the awesome cloaking ability.

the gameplay in Crysis is mostly still phenomenal, fast-paced and addictive...

Couple that with fantastic shooting and you got yourself a recipe for an inventive series of games that boldly went against the norm. Let's just say that the story begins simply enough before it descends into some madness involving ancient aliens and long-standing conspiracies. Storytelling woes aside, the gameplay in Crysis is mostly still phenomenal, fast-paced and addictive, despite not being the most original of concepts today. It looks and in some cases, runs even better on PS5 (and will surely work the same on PS4).



Putting aside any nagging technical issues and the games simply not aging as well as one might've hoped, the Crysis Remastered Trilogy is worth a visit for curious newcomers to the series, and for veterans to absorb all the new visual improvements. Unfortunately, this isn't the best example of what remasters are capable of today, and we have incredible enhanced trilogies like the Mass Effect Legendary Edition to blame (or thank) for that. However, as a package at a lowered price point, this might be one revisiting for the fun factor.