It was developed by the UK-based company Fissionchip Software, and published in Europe by Addictive Games and in the US by Cinemaware.

The player takes the role of a pirate named Dancis Frake, on a mission to recover the "Kristal" on behalf of the Kring of Meltoca.

The game was reviewed in 1989 in Dragon #152 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column.

[1] Computer Gaming World gave the game a negative review, citing the poor controls for the action sequences and the repetitive interrogation of other characters.

The review stated that The Kristal is virtually unplayable, and that only the arcade gamers who have the time and patience will master this "challenge".