Gorgeous JRPG homage Cris Tales is next week's free Epic Store game

Gorgeous JRPG homage Cris Tales is set to be the Epic Games Store's next freebie, with the week-long giveaway starting Thursday, 24th February.

Cris Tales, the work of Colombian indie studios Dreams Uncorporated and Syck, follows the whimsical adventures of orphan girl Crisbell as she journeys across the gorgeously wrought world of Narim - the kind of place where swords are magical and frogs can talk.

It's a warmhearted escapade that plays out across a series of quests and side-quests, combining overworld meandering and puzzling with a turn-based battle system - all making ample use of Cris Tales' nifty central time-manipulation mechanic.

Sometimes it might manifest simply as glimpses of the world in its past and future states, rendered either side of the screen while Crisbell and friends explore in the centre; other times it has a more integral role, such as in combat, where - as well as deploying Super Mario RPG-style timed attacks - Crisbell can propel enemies into the past or future, altering their characteristics in ways both advantageous and considerably less so.

It's an adventure that was warmly received when it launched last summer, and is probably worth playing for its sublime visual and audio presentation alone.

Those suitably intrigued by Cris Tales' charms will be able to add it to their Epic Games Store library for free starting next Thursday, 24th February. The wonderful Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is available for free until then.