<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1999	O
graphic	O
adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Earthlight	O
Productions	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
DreamCatcher	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
uses	O
portals	O
to	O
traverse	O
multiple	O
planets	O
,	O
including	O
desert	O
and	O
jungle	B-Device
worlds	O
,	O
while	O
collecting	O
items	O
and	O
solving	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
John	O
and	O
Jennifer	O
Matheson	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
underwent	O
a	O
five-year	O
creation	O
process	O
hampered	O
by	O
problems	O
with	O
its	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
became	O
a	O
commercial	O
hit	O
and	O
was	O
DreamCatcher	O
's	O
best-selling	O
game	O
of	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
mixed-to-negative	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
cited	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
and	O
often	O
unfavorably	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
certain	O
reviewers	O
praised	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Keys	I-Application
visuals	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
others	O
panned	O
them	O
outright	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
lengthy	O
development	O
period	O
,	O
Earthlight	O
followed	O
up	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
in	O
2004	O
with	O
the	O
sequel	O
Crystal	B-Application
Key	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
a	O
co-production	O
with	O
Kheops	O
Studio	O
in	O
France	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
is	O
a	O
graphic	O
adventure	O
game	O
that	O
takes	O
place	O
from	O
a	O
character	O
's	O
eye-view	O
in	O
a	O
pre-rendered	O
graphical	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Player	O
movement	O
is	O
restricted	O
to	O
jumps	O
between	O
panoramic	O
static	O
screens	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
compared	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
work	O
of	O
science	O
fiction	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
casts	O
the	O
player	O
as	O
the	O
pilot	O
of	O
an	O
experimental	O
spacecraft	O
able	O
to	O
reach	O
the	O
speed	O
of	O
light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
begins	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
reaches	O
the	O
transmission	O
's	O
origin	O
point	O
,	O
near	O
series	O
of	O
locked	O
portals	O
to	O
other	O
planets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Locating	O
a	O
device	O
known	O
as	O
the	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
accesses	O
these	O
portals	O
and	O
travels	O
to	O
a	O
desert	O
planet	O
,	O
a	O
jungle-themed	O
world	O
and	O
the	O
Arkonians	O
 '	O
underwater	O
city	O
of	O
Suralon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
John	O
and	O
Jennifer	O
Matheson	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earthlight	O
employed	O
QuickTime	B-Application
VR	I-Application
to	O
create	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Keys	I-Application
360°	O
panoramic	O
environments	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
devised	O
to	O
allow	O
some	O
vertical	O
scrolling	O
without	O
being	O
truly	O
spherical	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
minimize	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
interface	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
designed	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
in	O
such	O
a	O
way	O
as	O
to	O
never	O
require	O
double-clicks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
1999	O
,	O
Earthlight	O
had	O
signed	O
with	O
publisher	O
DreamCatcher	O
Interactive	O
to	O
distribute	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
and	O
was	O
set	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DreamCatcher	O
had	O
started	O
doing	O
business	O
in	O
1996	O
with	O
the	O
publication	O
of	O
Jewels	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Oracle	I-Application
,	O
and	O
gradually	O
drifted	O
into	O
the	O
adventure	O
genre	O
after	O
finding	O
that	O
"	O
customers	O
really	O
were	O
hungry	O
for	O
"	O
these	O
titles	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
DreamCatcher	O
's	O
Director	O
of	O
Sales	O
Marshall	O
Zwicker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
was	O
among	O
several	O
games	O
that	O
DreamCatcher	O
used	O
to	O
push	O
its	O
corporate	O
strategy	O
in	O
the	O
adventure	O
genre	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
alongside	O
Nightlong	B-Application
:	I-Application
Union	I-Application
City	I-Application
Conspiracy	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Forgotten	I-Application
:	I-Application
It	I-Application
Begins	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
publisher	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Beyond	B-Application
Time	I-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
adventure	O
game	O
releases	O
whose	O
reception	O
had	O
drawn	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
1999	O
,	O
DreamCatcher	O
announced	O
an	O
autumn	O
release	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
,	O
and	O
in	O
October	O
set	O
it	O
for	O
November	O
15	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
launched	O
on	O
November	O
22	O
,	O
1999	O
,	O
at	O
a	O
budget	O
price	O
point	O
and	O
on	O
two	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
debuted	O
on	O
PC	O
Data	O
's	O
computer	O
game	O
sales	O
rankings	O
at	O
#14	O
for	O
June	O
2000	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
average	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
$18	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Keys	I-Application
North	O
American	O
retail	O
sales	O
for	O
2000	O
ultimately	O
totaled	O
178,690	O
units	O
,	O
by	O
PC	O
Data	O
's	O
tally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
continued	O
to	O
sell	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
during	O
2001	O
,	O
when	O
PC	O
Data	O
reported	O
29,539	O
sales	O
by	O
March	O
,	O
49,478	O
by	O
June	O
and	O
67,099	O
by	O
year	O
's	O
end	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
Susanne	O
Baillie	O
of	O
Profit	O
to	O
declare	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best-selling	O
PC	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
she	O
cited	O
it	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
DreamCatcher	O
's	O
dominance	O
of	O
the	O
adventure	O
game	O
market	O
by	O
that	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
DreamCatcher	O
,	O
sales	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
reached	O
455,000	O
units	O
by	O
early	O
2003	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
surpassed	O
500,000	O
copies	O
by	O
March	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
,	O
Scott	O
Osborne	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
wrote	O
that	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
"	O
received	O
a	O
ho-hum	O
reception	O
at	O
best	O
and	O
was	O
quickly	O
forgotten	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
PowerPlays	O
Agata	O
Budinska	O
,	O
Inside	B-Application
Mac	I-Application
Games	I-Application
 '	O
Richard	O
Hallas	O
and	O
The	O
Electric	O
Playgrounds	O
Niko	O
Silvester	O
characterized	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
low-quality	O
clone	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
;	O
the	O
third	O
writer	O
called	O
it	O
Mysts	B-Application
"	O
grubby	O
little	O
brother	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
for	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Plus	O
,	O
David	O
Ryan	O
Hunt	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
game	O
devoid	O
of	O
redeeming	O
qualities	O
that	O
ultimately	O
"	O
does	O
n’t	O
have	O
anything	O
to	O
offer	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Erik	O
Peterson	O
of	O
IGN	O
had	O
a	O
more	O
positive	O
assessment	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
he	O
shared	O
Hunt	O
's	O
problems	O
with	O
major	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
in	O
the	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
encountered	O
a	O
game-breaking	O
glitch	O
on	O
the	O
jungle	B-Device
planet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Saved	O
game	O
glitches	O
and	O
numerous	O
crashes	O
were	O
likewise	O
reported	O
by	O
Darcy	O
Danielson	O
,	O
the	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Just	O
Adventure	O
,	O
who	O
followed	O
Silvester	O
in	O
criticizing	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Keys	I-Application
disk	B-Device
swapping	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
these	O
issues	O
,	O
Danielson	O
felt	O
that	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
was	O
"	O
quite	O
a	O
find	O
"	O
and	O
shared	O
Peterson	O
's	O
positive	O
view	O
of	O
its	O
graphics	O
and	O
puzzles	O
,	O
and	O
his	O
belief	O
that	O
it	O
suited	O
both	O
novices	O
and	O
experienced	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hallas	O
and	O
Adventure	O
Gamers	O
 '	O
reviewer	O
,	O
Ray	O
Ivey	O
,	O
both	O
felt	O
that	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
failed	O
to	O
break	O
new	O
ground	O
in	O
its	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
writer	O
praised	O
the	O
music	O
,	O
concurred	O
with	O
Peterson	O
and	O
Danielson	O
on	O
the	O
puzzles	O
and	O
summarized	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
as	O
"	O
a	O
very	O
fun	O
,	O
satisfying	O
game	O
for	O
us	O
Myst	B-Application
Clone	O
fans	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
line	O
with	O
those	O
two	O
writers	O
,	O
Hallas	O
concluded	O
that	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
is	O
a	O
"	O
rather	O
disappointing	O
"	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Key	I-Application
,	O
at	O
first	O
entitled	O
Crystal	B-Application
Key	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Far	I-Application
Realm	I-Application
,	O
was	O
revealed	O
by	O
DreamCatcher	O
Interactive	O
's	O
Adventure	O
Company	O
imprint	O
in	O
April	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
among	O
a	O
slew	O
of	O
announcements	O
in	O
preparation	O
for	O
the	O
2003	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
(	O
E3	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Marek	O
Bronstring	O
of	O
Adventure	O
Gamers	O
called	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
publisher	O
's	O
"	O
top	O
titles	O
premiering	O
at	O
the	O
show	O
"	O
,	O
alongside	O
Traitors	B-Application
Gate	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Cypher	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earthlight	O
Productions	O
developed	O
Crystal	B-Application
Key	I-Application
2	I-Application
with	O
Virtools	O
and	O
V-Ray	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
feature	O
spherical	B-Application
360°	B-Application
panoramas	I-Application
,	O
unlike	O
its	O
predecessor	O
's	O
more	O
limited	O
viewing	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
John	O
Matheson	O
,	O
Earthlight	O
sought	O
to	O
overcome	O
the	O
problems	O
that	O
had	O
affected	O
The	B-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Keys	I-Application
production	O
pipeline	O
and	O
give	O
its	O
art	O
team	O
more	O
room	O
"	O
to	O
be	O
as	O
creative	O
as	O
possible	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
plot	O
builds	O
upon	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
and	O
casts	O
the	O
player	O
as	O
Call	O
,	O
who	O
seeks	O
to	O
stop	O
the	O
minions	O
of	O
Ozgar	O
and	O
save	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Evany	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
developed	O
by	O
Earthlight	O
and	O
set	O
for	O
a	O
winter	O
2003	O
release	O
,	O
Crystal	B-Application
Key	I-Application
2	I-Application
underwent	O
"	O
many	O
years	O
"	O
of	O
production	O
and	O
took	O
longer	O
than	O
The	O
Adventure	O
Company	O
had	O
wanted	O
,	O
Benoît	O
Hozjan	O
of	O
Kheops	O
Studio	O
later	O
remarked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2003	O
,	O
Matheson	O
estimated	O
Crystal	B-Application
Key	I-Application
2	I-Application
as	O
75%	O
complete	O
and	O
on	O
track	O
for	O
December	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
ultimately	O
launched	O
in	O
March	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
summarized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
critical	O
reception	O
as	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
