Code provided with thanks to Crimsonren.
Medusa Crisis is a puzzle logic game where you cosplay as Medusa, chilling in Ares’ Temple when soldiers decide that bath time is over. Apparently, Athena has something against you ? Now it’s your job to plan an escape and see if you can outwit the goddess of Strategic War…Fingers crossed!
The look and feel of Medusa Crisis
Visually, Medusa Crisis is quite cute. The colour palette is mostly soft, the characters have rounded designs, and everything has a rather approachable look. Special mention has to go to Cerberus, whose design is truly adorable!
There’s also a small visual detail I enjoyed: every time you retry a section, the overall decor changes colours. It doesn’t completely transform the experience, of course, but it gives repeated attempts a little visual variation. And honestly, when you’re seeing the same puzzle for what feels like the hundredth time, I’ll take any bit of variety I can get. And speaking of repeating puzzles…
The Pros of Medusa Crisis
The actual puzzle concept behind Medusa Crisis is pretty interesting. As Medusa, you need to escape areas filled with soldiers. Every time you move, they move too. Some soldiers carry mirrors, which is obviously a bit of a problem when you happen to be Medusa. If you end up looking into one, you’re turned to stone.
Other soldiers simply patrol the area, and if you end up on the same tile as one of them, a little animation shows Medusa being dragged away by her hair. I can only assume that whatever happens next isn’t particularly pleasant.
This means you have to carefully plan your movements according to the soldiers’ positions and rotations. You need to anticipate where they’ll move next, which directions are safe, and when it’s finally time to make your escape.
On paper, I actually quite like the idea. There’s something satisfying about looking at a puzzle, planning several moves ahead, and finding a way through without getting caught. There is also a little attempt at storytelling, which I wish the game had explored further. One particularly cute moment happens when Medusa leaves the temple, and little Cerberus starts playfully running after her. It’s a small cinematic, but it gave me a glimpse of a more playful adventure hiding underneath all those puzzles.
The Cons of Medusa Crisis
My biggest issue with Medusa Crisis was, unfortunately, the reason I couldn’t experience more of it. I got stuck. Not “this puzzle took me a while” stuck. I mean properly stuck.
I spent quite a bit of time trying different strategies, watching the soldiers’ movements, changing my positioning and attempting to work out the safest possible route. Eventually, though, I simply ran out of ideas.
The problem wasn’t necessarily that the puzzle was difficult. Difficult puzzles can be incredibly satisfying when you understand the rules and just need to find the solution. Here, I reached a point where I wasn’t sure what the game expected me to have figured out.
A hint system could have made a huge difference. Even a small clue pointing toward the relevant mechanic or suggesting that I reconsider a particular movement could have been enough to get me back on track. Instead, I eventually gave up. And that’s particularly frustrating in an early impressions article, because I didn’t really get to play as much of Medusa Crisis as I was willing to.
There are also a few more personal issues. I’m not usually a turn-based movement kind of game, and Medusa Crisis didn’t exactly reconcile me with the concept. Controller support also doesn’t add much to the experience for me — if anything, I found playing that way less comfortable. The settings are similarly minimal, with very little to adjust before starting the game.
Final Thoughts
I didn’t have a good time with Medusa Crisis. The basic concept is interesting, the visual design is cute, and there’s a little spark of personality hiding behind the puzzles. But for me, the experience quickly became more frustrating than engaging. The biggest issue is that I was willing to figure out the puzzles, try different strategies and see where Medusa’s little adventure would take me. I just needed a little more help when I hit a wall. A hint system, clearer clues, or simply a little more guidance toward the intended logic could do wonders.
Medusa Crisis wasn’t exactly a good experience for me, but who knows? Maybe I just don’t have a good enough brain for it. You can find out for yourself, though! A demo is currently available on Steam, so if you’re curious, give it a try and see if you can outwit Athena where I couldn’t.
Do you like our content?
Support LadiesGamers as a member on Patreon!
Or buy us a cup of coffee or tea on Ko-Fi!
