Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Middling sci-fi shooter filled with violence and profanity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Crysis 3
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 11 kid reviews
Kids say the game is engaging and features impressive graphics along with intense violence and strong language, yet it is noted to be less graphic than similar titles. While the gameplay and story mode receive praise, the frequent use of profanity and some violent themes might concern parents for younger audiences.
- engaging gameplay
- impressive graphics
- strong language
- less graphic violent
- suitable for older kids
- less intense than similar titles
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
The fourth game (third numbered) in Crytek's visually sophisticated series of sci-fi shooters about an alien menace confronting Earth, CRYSIS 3 puts players in the shoes of a super-soldier named Prophet. Wearing a suit of armor engineered with alien materials that has been fused to his skin and altered his body, he travels to a ruined, near-future Manhattan in which broken skyscrapers jut out of a green canopy of trees and flooded streets. His aim is to track down the source of a great alien energy emanating from the city's core and being harvested by a suspicious corporation with questionable goals. Sandbox-style campaign levels allow players freedom to choose their own tactics, ranging from pure stealth to all-out run-and-gun action. Online play, meanwhile, delivers a broad selection of competitive modes as well as a comprehensive leveling system complete with challenges and rewards.
Is It Any Good?
A graphically sophisticated games, Crysis 3 awes players with its environments that mesh recognizable urban architecture with gorgeous, jungle-like greenery. But while developer Crytek continues to push visual boundaries, it feels like this particular series may be running out of creative gas. The emergent, player-controlled action seen in earlier entries has become more linear here, thanks to smaller levels with fewer objectives. And while players can choose how to tackle each new challenge, the game strongly pushes the player towards stealthy play, making the experience less action-packed than you might expect.
Fans of the genre may still find plenty to like -- stalking monsters with a high-tech bow and arrow while wearing a cloak of invisibility can be a blast -- but Crysis as a series feels like it has reached its natural end. Here's hoping its makers are ready to move on to new challenges.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the concept of identity. What makes you who you are? If you replaced parts of your body -- including areas of your brain -- with prosthetics and artificial enhancements, would you still be you, or would you be someone or something else?
Families can also discuss the role of violence in the media.
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360
- Skills : Collaboration : teamwork , Thinking & Reasoning : strategy
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Electronic Arts
- Release date : February 19, 2013
- Genre : First-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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