<aside> 💡 Visiting far off planets in the blink of an eye, unearthing ancient artifacts of unspeakable power, harnessing magic that lets you hurl actual freaking fireballs into the gaping maw of an earth-shattering monster — and that’s just the first half of A.K. Duboff’s first entry into the Dark Stars trilogy, *Crystalline Space.*

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Acclaimed Science Fiction Author, A.K. DuBoff

If this sounds like your favorite sci-fi space shooter or fantasy RPG, get ready to level up in a time-twisting adventure that only Tales could bring you.

When we teamed up with Duboff to launch Crystalline Space off the page with immersive backgrounds, character portraits, and FX, we knew right away that the planet-hopping epic and its blend of sleek sci-fi and traditional fantasy elements was a match written in the stars.

In a fantasy title like Duboff’s where the worldbuilding and imagination levels are off the charts, visualization is everything.

Which was why we immediately jumped at the chance to infuse Duboff’s descriptive prose with the ethereal, other-worldly backgrounds it deserves; from slick spaceships to slimy swamp worlds and stunning crystalline caves, adding backgrounds from our library was as simple to do as they were satisfying to see.

But what's a good space opera without some heart-pounding battles?

With a balanced team of mages and warriors, Duboff's characters utilize both magic and sheer strength to dispatch their enemies.

In particular, newly-minted mage Kaiden has a penchant for fireballs, whereas the feisty Maris comes in to save the day with healing spells and power-up buffs to speed & defense - and all of these magical elements deserve their own unique visual display.

Cue the fireball animations!

There’s something uniquely satisfying about reading a spell as it's spoken aloud by the caster, only to see it materialize on screen with a single tap.

While we never doubted main character Elle (we never doubt a girl with pink hair) and her ragtag team of galaxy saviors, it’s hard not to do a little cheer every time Kaiden hurtles a fireball into the fray.

But like any good story, be it RPG or space opera or something in between, all characters must progress, or… level up, if you will.

Throughout the story, our heroes discover new sources of power: weapons, armor, even unlocking abilities within each other. So while the fireballs are exciting, it’s even more exciting when Kaiden learns an electricity spell and we see the rippling crackles of lightning cascade across the screen.

With the power of our character creator, adding various newly-acquired accessories to character portraits felt like a little magic of our own.

Picked up a cool new amulet? Let’s put that bad boy on.

Found an amethyst circlet imbued with untold powers? Not only are we able to add that accessory to any character portrait, but we can even decide the exact color of royal purple we want the amethyst stone to be.

Now that’s power.