Crystal Defenders (Mostly) Confirmed For North America

By Spencer . January 23, 2009 . 11:39am

You didn’t think Square Enix would pass on releasing Crystal Defenders here did you? Of course not! It’s still nice to have some kind of confirmation even though it isn’t from the desk of Square Enix USA.

The ESRB just rated Crystal Defenders, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of it, giving it an E and said the following.

This is a strategy game in which players arrange small soldiers around a winding path to defend against waves of enemies. As the small enemy sprites (various creatures that look like wolves, ostriches, and spiders) pass by the stationed soldiers, they are attacked with arrows and swords. Characters disappear in flashes of light when defeated, while “zapping” sounds accompany each hit.

Crystal Defenders R1, the WiiWare version, was not found in the database. This doesn’t mean we’re not going to get it we probably are, but it will have to be rated separately since the content in Crystal Defenders R1 is different. Also related since Square Enix owns Taito and all are ratings for Arkanoid Live and Exit 2. The latter was rumored to be in development thanks to a leak from Europe we discovered last month. Here’s what the ESRB says about these:

Arkanoid Live: This is a puzzle game in which players bounce a small ball at arrangements of colored bricks to clear a game board. Each set of puzzles contains a different collection of blocks and background graphics.

Exit 2: This is an action puzzle game in which players navigate a small character through various hazards (e.g., fire, electrical waves, alien attacks) in an attempt to rescue civilians trapped in buildings. Players must set a path for the character that allows them to reach the exit without harming themselves or civilians. If players choose a dangerous path, the character may die from fire, drowning, electricity, or other hazards, and then must start the round over.

Images courtesy of Square Enix.