While there are many games where you “defeat enemies to become stronger,” “CRYMELIGHT” completely overturns that common sense. The theme of this work is confronting one's sins and accepting them. Rather than denying the sins that innocent girls carried in their past, it depicts a highly unique worldview where they confess their own sins and move forward while converting their suffering into power. Once you start playing, you realize it doesn't end as a mere action game, as the internal conflicts and determination of each individual add depth to the story. What awaits beyond the battle is not just victory, but also a time to face oneself, and this profound theme keeps players captivated until the very end.

The setting is “Wonderland,” a prison where the souls of the dead are trapped. A girl who lost her memories is named “Alice” by a white rabbit and joins the game as she is guided along. The condition announced there is a harsh rule stating that only those who defeat the ruler, the Queen, can attain freedom. Furthermore, as she continues to fight while cooperating with a mysterious girl named Mary, the sins carried by her companions and forgotten memories are gradually brought to light. The story does not end as a simple escape drama, as grand mysteries such as “Why does this world exist?” and “What is the Queen's true objective?” are presented one after another, naturally making you want to progress through the game out of curiosity for what happens next.

The combat system also shines with a individuality unique to this work. Defeating an enemy causes a blue-purple space called the “Wonder Dimension” to expand along with their dying cries, and the larger its range becomes, the more the protagonist's abilities are enhanced. Because of this, you can experience the exhilaration of dominating the battlefield while jumping into danger yourself, rather than just fighting cautiously from a safe place. Since your positioning changes drastically every time the battle situation shifts, even the same combat tends to unfold differently every time, allowing you to fully enjoy the tension and sense of speed unique to rogue-likes.

The system that symbolizes this work is “Confession.” The setting where Alice herself takes on the dying cries and sins of the souls defeated during battle is highly impressive; instead of carrying them as they are, she confesses and sublimates them to transform them into new power. Incorporating sins and suffering, which one would normally want to avoid, as necessary elements for growth is extremely innovative. The presentation where the tears shed at the end of a confession remain as enhancement items also beautifully links the game system with the story, allowing players to experience emotional shifts that cannot be felt by simply raising stats.

The fact that it offers the fun of using your brain, not just action, cannot be overlooked either. It adopts a poker system where you combine playing-card-shaped skill cards obtained every time you clear a stage to make a hand with five cards; how you fight changes significantly depending on which cards you keep and which hand you aim for. The skill effects become more powerful as hands are completed, and the high degree of freedom to build your own strategy—such as a build that emphasizes single-strike destructive power or quick combat utilizing mobility—is an attraction. Since the card composition differs every time, there are fresh discoveries no matter how many times you challenge it, and mechanisms to make you want to play repeatedly are firmly incorporated.

“CRYMELIGHT” is an ambitious work that fuses exhilarating rogue-like action with deep strategic elements while centering around the heavy theme of sin. A fantastical yet unsettling worldview, a story that gradually approaches the truth, the Wonder Dimension that drastically changes the battle situation, the growth system through confession, and unique build elements incorporating poker are exquisitely combined, providing new discoveries every time you play. For those who want to thoroughly savor not just the exhilaration as an action game but also the meaning of the story and the emotions of the characters, it will surely be a title that leaves a strong impression until the very end.