Cry On

Concept and premise

Cry On was an action role-playing game in a medieval fantasy setting. Its story focused on the bond between humans and small stone creatures known as Bogles, which served as protective charms. Certain people aimed to turn Bogles into weapons by reactivating their ability to grow into giants. Players controlled Sally, a girl who could restore Bogles to their giant size, alongside a Bogle that could talk. The gameplay alternated between longer segments with Sally and shorter ones with the Bogle, each offering a distinct style of play. Planned puzzle elements were included but not fully defined.

Production

Cry On was a planned action RPG for the Xbox 360, co-developed by Mistwalker and Cavia with AQ Interactive as the publisher. Mistwalker, a fledgling studio, was simultaneously working on other Xbox 360 titles like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, while Cavia was best known for the Drakengard series. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the founder of Mistwalker and a veteran of the Final Fantasy series, served as co-producer and scenario writer. The other producer was Takuya Iwasaki, who had previously worked as a line producer on the original Drakengard.

Character designs came from Drakengard artist Kimihiko Fujisaka, and the music was handled by Nobuo Uematsu, a frequent collaborator of Sakaguchi. Uematsu, moved by the game's themes, stated he would craft an emotional and melancholy score. This project marked Sakaguchi's first attempt at an action RPG. He estimated the development would take between one and a half to two years, with a budget of ¥1 billion (about US$8.5 million at the time).

A later statement from an artist involved indicated a PlayStation 3 version was also in development. The game was being built alongside Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, a situation Sakaguchi described as difficult due to the strain of managing multiple large-scale projects. Iwasaki explained that the goal was to merge Sakaguchi's RPG expertise with Cavia's action game background. Sakaguchi experimented with various control schemes, including one where both controller sticks would manipulate the actions of the Bogle.

The planned playtime was thirty to forty hours. As with his other works, Sakaguchi aimed to evoke strong emotions in players. At the time of its announcement, the scenario was about half-finished. The central theme revolved around the evocation of tears, encompassing both sadness and joy.

Cancellation and legacy

AQ Interactive pulled the plug on Cry On in December 2008 after evaluating the current and expected state of the video game market. The cancellation drew disappointed reactions from several websites. From its 2005 reveal to its demise, the project stayed largely out of sight, leading IGN’s John Tanaka to label it vaporware. Game Informer’s Kyle Hilliard likened its troubled development and storyline to The Last Guardian.

In a 2014 interview, Hironobu Sakaguchi stated he had no intention of bringing Cry On back, and later that year he uploaded the original concept trailer to his YouTube channel. A 2009 post on Mistwalker’s site had Sakaguchi expressing regret over never telling the game’s story. Artist Kimihiko Fujisaka also posted concept art there, apologizing that the game never came out and feeling the artwork lacked polish. Composer Nobuo Uematsu, when asked about Cry On in a 2009 interview, said he was relieved it was canceled because he was overworked at the time.

The three later teamed up for Mistwalker’s Wii title The Last Story. Some enemy designs from Cry On later appeared in Sakaguchi’s 2014 mobile game Terra Battle.