Blumhouse Productions has made a name for itself as one of the premier horror film production companies, and in 2023, it turned its attention to video games. A year after it was formed, Blumhouse Games published its first game in 2010 Fear the spotlightA classic-style survival-horror game with a retro look inspired by the classics. Blumhouse Games has continued to release new titles since then, with its latest survival Crisol: Theater of Idols. While Fear the spotlight Was inspired by the old school Resident Evil and silent hill game, Crisol: Theater of Idols It has a lot in common with similar games Resident Evil 4 and bioshock.
Crisol: Theater of Idols Puts players in the role of Gabriel, who finds himself not in Leon S. Kennedy's adventure but exploring a terrifying, Spain-inspired fantasy island full of deadly monsters. RE4. But instead of using a third-person, over-the-shoulder view like In Resident Evil 4, chrysol Uses a first-person perspective and a general aesthetic that takes a bloody turn bioshockpresentation of It is a solid combination and works well for it chrysolfunction of
Crysol's combat has serious Resident Evil 4 vibes
The most common enemies in chrysol Evil doll-like statues attempt to kill Gabriel with knives, pitchforks, crossbows, and various other weapons. While first encounters with these creatures are discouraging, these monsters are capable of inflicting significant damage on Gabriel if they get close enough. Fortunately, Gabriel has a powerful arsenal at his disposal to help him put up a serious fight.
chrysolThe combat is exciting and offers more strategy than just shooting living statues anywhere. If players have enough aim, they can stun the statues by blowing their heads off, or lock their limbs to disarm them. One of my favorite moments in the game happened during my first combat encounter. I destroyed a monster from the waist, and its feet fell to the ground. Assuming it was dead, I started searching, only to realize I was doing damage. I turned around to look Legs were up and kicking me. These things don't let up, and the new enemy variants introduced later ensure the fight never gets dull.
Ammo conservation is a big part of many survival-horror games, and the same is true in this one chrysolHowever the game offers a unique twist on the concept. The only way to kill monsters on the island is by using magical weapons that are powered by Gabriel's blood. Reloading means damaging Gabriel and hitting health. This give and take adds another layer chrysolThe fight and makes it very interesting. Players can try to avoid enemies if they don't want to lose any health, or they can go in guns blazing with fully loaded weapons at the risk of a stray hit for the count.
When they don't kill enemies, chrysol Players spend most of their time moving through seemingly identical environments in search of resources and key items to advance the plot. There is a problem chrysolThe level design is bloated, even when using the map, with many areas having interesting linear hallways and some sections that are easy to get lost in and feel very large. Scaling things down a bit would have worked wonders chrysolis running
As players explore chrysolof the twisted world, they'll occasionally come across a puzzle or two, in typical survival-horror fashion. i found chrysolThe puzzles strike the right balance while providing enough challenges to make them fun to solve without being unpleasant like what sometimes happens in survival-horror games.
Solving puzzles is usually necessary to advance the story, but there are optional ones that lead to health upgrades and money that can be spent with the game's equivalent. Resident Evil 4merchant of Money and other collectibles are used to upgrade Gabriel's weapons and unlock perks. chrysolThe more challenging sections are a little easier. It may not be a terribly original concept, but it adds a satisfying sense of progress to the experience.
Crisol has a few issues that hold it back from greatness
chrysol Really feels like first person Resident Evil 4 Most of the time, its business and work-focused lifestyles take on a defensive-horror look, but don't expect nearly the same level of polish. chrysol Looks good for the most part, but there is a certain amount of junk to the proceedings. I experienced occasional slowdowns when enemies died (Yo can has been a purposeful choice, but if so it wasn't a good one), and there were a couple of times that I got stuck moving slowly, as if I were aiming my gun's sights, even though I wasn't. A major problem occurred while riding an elevator and Gabriel passing through the roof.
When it comes to walking slowly, one of the most frustrating things chrysol It has radio segments. At various points in the game, Gabriel communicates with people on the radio which slows his walking speed to a crawl and can't pick it up with anything in the environment. There is an option to skip these conversations, but then players will feel like they're missing out on story details, so it's not ideal.
What is not ideal chrysolA half-cock attempt at a predatory enemy. Survival-horror games in the past have used recurring stalker enemies to great effect, from Nemesis Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 2Mr. X immediately comes to mind, but chrysolTaking it in is frustrating. Gabriel's stalking creature is large and seems Scaring, but avoiding it is to run for cover, wait for it to lose interest, and then go back to what you were doing. at worst, chrysol's stalker enemy is a minor inconvenience, and it loses its scare factor after the first encounter.
beating Crisol: Theater of Idols My initial playthrough took about eight hours.
chrysol It's not a perfect survival-horror game, but that doesn't mean it's not a solid time overall. I really enjoyed it chrysolAlthough the combat and levels are slightly bloated, the game still offers a very solid rendition of the classic survival-horror gameplay loop. Fans of the genre should definitely check it out.
- issued
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February 10, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and gore, suggestive themes, strong language, intense violence
- developer(s)
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Vermilla Studio
- publisher(s)
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Blumhouse Games
- Number of players
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single player
- Solid survival-horror action
- Rewarding progress
- Puzzles that are just the right amount of challenging
- Scary monster designs
- Lame hunter enemy
- inflated level
- Sometimes junk
Crisol: Theater of Idols Out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.
