This blood-fueled shooter captivates with its dark folklore, yet falls short of delivering on its promises.

Crisol introduces an intriguing mechanic where your weapons consume your blood for ammo, causing you to lose health with each reload. While this concept is compelling, the rest of the game—combat, narrative, characters, and puzzles—falls short. There are some interesting ideas, but they ultimately contribute to a foundation of mediocrity.

The blood-for-ammo mechanic is woven into the story. You step into the shoes of Gabriel, a soldier for the cult of the sun, tasked with infiltrating the ominously named island of Tormentosa, ruled by the cult of the sea. After a rough first encounter, Gabriel is resurrected by his god using blood, which not only enhances his weapon but also gives it a cooler aesthetic.

Reloading comes at a cost, encouraging you to be strategic with your shots and maintain distance from enemies, who can also chip away at your health. You can regain health by absorbing corpses or using syringes scattered throughout the environment, but healing opportunities are limited, so caution is key.

Despite the interesting mechanic, combat starts off weak and doesn’t improve much. The pistol feels sluggish and underwhelming, lacking the smoothness you’d expect. While the horror atmosphere Crisol aims for doesn’t lend itself to a Rambo-style approach, Gabriel, as a soldier, should feel more adept with his weapons. The subsequent guns—a shotgun and a sniper rifle—require so much blood to reload that I mostly stuck with the pistol, upgrading it whenever possible until I finally unlocked the more enjoyable final weapons.

Crisol’s dark, retro-inspired environments and animated statues evoke a blend reminiscent of Resident Evil and Bioshock, but the atmosphere lacks depth. It fails to explore themes of religion or faith meaningfully and doesn’t embrace the campy charm of its inspirations, leaving the world feeling flat.

The dialogue can be awkward, particularly with Gabriel. A standout moment occurs when an unknown voice on his radio cryptically states, “We have been expecting you,” to which Gabriel responds, “Who are you?” followed by the hilariously unnecessary, “Do I know you?”

Puzzles are scattered throughout the game, and while some are decent, I encountered a couple that were bugged. Others require you to traverse overly large areas, making experimentation tedious. There’s also a late-game section where a particular puzzle type is repeated too often, leading to a moment where Gabriel’s exasperated question, “How many times will I have to do this?” resonated with my own thoughts.

The final hour of the game is surprisingly strong, showcasing a shift away from the design choices that characterized the earlier parts. I can’t delve into specifics without spoiling it, but it left me wishing the entire game had maintained this level of quality. Crisol concludes on a high note, diving into its darkest themes, but it can feel like a time investment when only a fraction of the game stands out as genuinely good.

Before reaching that satisfying finale, I found myself trudging through Crisol, thinking it was merely okay. It wasn’t a chore to finish, and I enjoyed exploring for upgrades, which kept my deaths to a minimum. However, I wasn’t particularly eager to dive back in for the next session. The game lacks genuine scares and doesn’t provoke much thought, but there’s still a sense of accomplishment in overcoming challenging puzzles or defeating tough enemies.

If you’re in the mood for a slow-paced shooter with a unique twist, Crisol’s blood ammo system and its blend of folklore and religion might pique your interest. However, without that specific craving, you may find a few intriguing concepts overshadowed by a wealth of untapped potential.