MMOs and what they mean for its players and how they vibrantly connect people, places, things, etc. is all fertile ground to explore. But I don't think employing its conventions for the sheer sake of, what I feel is just having them for tribute, while having nothing really emotional on offer throughout a painful exchange of 'well, grinding is core to feeling that time and investment yes?', is good. Partner quips and npc dialogue that rudimentarily remark on things-that-people-do-in-mmos is not enough connecting tissue to simulate that there is LIFE here. I would sincerely trade away the game's rather functional and alright combat, and solid zelda-like puzzle design, for something much worse if it meant that there was sincere emotional depth to its personality, history and real internet-like connection between factions and people here, etc etc. Like there's almost something unnerving about playing through an 'mmo' with this much polish. I'm not saying it needs to be more realistic but it feels so ultimately constructed and lacking in every punch put within the first handful of hours. Even your avatar is simply emotive early-on, in a situation I feel would at least incite so much more vulnerability (there's not even, like, real awkwardness or emotional unevenness between any of its cast so far. You think vr mmo players are going to communicate this perfect?). Idk, not every mmo reconstruction needs to be DOTHACK, but gosh does this wish it was dothack
The video game that is hyper-aware of its role as a video game is a pretty well explored trope at this point, although a lot of that exploration boils down to shallow references to game culture and design. “Ooh that quest you played sure sucked right, also remember Zelda?”. After a quick laugh, I’m left wondering what the point of echoing other games like this is. This is hardly an exclusive brand of humor to people making their own games either, as seen in the eternal presence of webcomics making Mario mushroom drug jokes. So, why is this such a common thing to see in online communities, anyways?
I could just chalk it up to gamers not being funny and spamming the easiest ways to get a quick laugh like it’s a PK FIRE (you may exhale manually). I probably should, honestly. But on some level, the core drive behind this sort of humor is to play with our perceptions of games, right? Whether it’s injecting the standards of the real world into a video game setting, or just poke fun at the annoyances we recognize as a part of escort missions, even when no part of the game will ever remember how obnoxious we thought they were. There's this common link of thinking about the way people interact with games, separate from a game's own canon.
CrossCode plays with this connection in such a fascinating way that it's definitely a massive disservice that I'm somehow implying it's the final form of gamer humor. Although there is a boss called Sephisloth in it.
The central premise is that the game takes place in a virtual reality MMO, with the exception that the game does take place in a physical space. And this game (which I will be calling its ingame name of CrossWorlds), is such a blatantly gamey video game that it almost hurts. It is undoubtedly an ode to the Skinner Box design of grinding through satisfying combat to get the experience points and gear drops necessary to have high enough numbers for the game’s Zelda dungeons. While those dungeons are an enjoyable enough set of puzzles, the dungeons themselves are quite linear and lack the art of traversal through confusing spaces that fuels the best in Zelda. The story is a rather aimless McGuffin hunt that even has its own generic Kirby lore guff, complete with the staple of “who cares” lore: The Ancients. The name of the space you play in is pretty apt: the Playground. It’s a very plastic experience that resists any meaning beyond “I like playing this”.
While CrossWorlds intentionally lacks a story with much of anything, CrossCode as a game enhances this experience with the people you meet along the way. You form parties with a couple of characters also playing the game, and it’s pretty clear they’re just regular gamers. The French girl who talks about her struggles with homework, the mage guy whose biology facts would definitely warrant a slew of nerd emoji gifs, your sort of rival who’s just kinda mad you cheated and brought dishonor to the class he mains, I buy that these are gamers that could exist. And they do a lot to make CrossWorlds far more memorable than it otherwise would be. The Zelda dungeons being pretty simple makes a lot more sense when you and the French girl have an ongoing race to see who can beat each dungeon first. I certainly wouldn’t want to try and blaze through something like the Water Temple. And I’ll remember the experience of my character confidently exclaiming “Lea wait [at the end]” only to come in last place with all the hubris of Respect Your Elders before I recall the solution to whatever ricochet the bullets puzzle I had to solve. Playing with them transforms CrossWorlds from simply being the game itself into a chance to chill out with some pleasant characters. CrossCode uses both its real and fictional spaces to explore the experience of playing a video game, of the value of what one and their friends bring to a game by playing together, hanging out, and maybe even having a couple dumb gamer in-jokes. Also I like how when you add them to your party it’s like pinging them Discord to join your game, that’s a nice touch.
If this were all that CrossCode was, it would be a great time for this band of fictional gamers, but the main protagonist, Lea, doesn’t get the luxury of having a clean divide between the game and reality. We only see her as an avatar ingame, as when she logs off, instead of just getting to live real life like anyone else, she dreams about her memories. She has an amnesia plot going on, but by experiencing more of CrossWorlds, she begins to recall more memories, so it's clear that for her this is more than just a game. Even in the intro, some player character is out to get her, so there is always this looming threat to her wellbeing.
There's also the part where due to a module issue, she's unable to talk. She communicates mainly through body language, and eventually a couple key words get hard coded in, like "Hi!", hence the "Lea wait" thing I talked about before. The facial expressions put in a lot of work to make her an extremely expressive character. Even with her limitations, she's open to meeting new people and making the most of her time in CrossWorlds. While her friendship sometimes gets strained by her inability to communicate, and there are points where her being stuck in the game can feel isolating, she and her friends care too much about each other for those stresses to be permanent. Even beyond being a novel twist on the silent protagonist trope, she's probably one of my favorite game protagonists.
All in all, CrossCode is a game that wraps a rather fun Zeldalike experience with an engaging story running in parallel to the usual process of clearing quests and making combo chains. This game creates a pretty well realized video game setting, but understands that the process of playing through that game, the people you meet along the way, and the experience you get out of it all mean more than that simple gameplay loop ever could on its own. It’s brimming with passion for the medium, and crafts a great story all about that passion.
I could just chalk it up to gamers not being funny and spamming the easiest ways to get a quick laugh like it’s a PK FIRE (you may exhale manually). I probably should, honestly. But on some level, the core drive behind this sort of humor is to play with our perceptions of games, right? Whether it’s injecting the standards of the real world into a video game setting, or just poke fun at the annoyances we recognize as a part of escort missions, even when no part of the game will ever remember how obnoxious we thought they were. There's this common link of thinking about the way people interact with games, separate from a game's own canon.
CrossCode plays with this connection in such a fascinating way that it's definitely a massive disservice that I'm somehow implying it's the final form of gamer humor. Although there is a boss called Sephisloth in it.
The central premise is that the game takes place in a virtual reality MMO, with the exception that the game does take place in a physical space. And this game (which I will be calling its ingame name of CrossWorlds), is such a blatantly gamey video game that it almost hurts. It is undoubtedly an ode to the Skinner Box design of grinding through satisfying combat to get the experience points and gear drops necessary to have high enough numbers for the game’s Zelda dungeons. While those dungeons are an enjoyable enough set of puzzles, the dungeons themselves are quite linear and lack the art of traversal through confusing spaces that fuels the best in Zelda. The story is a rather aimless McGuffin hunt that even has its own generic Kirby lore guff, complete with the staple of “who cares” lore: The Ancients. The name of the space you play in is pretty apt: the Playground. It’s a very plastic experience that resists any meaning beyond “I like playing this”.
While CrossWorlds intentionally lacks a story with much of anything, CrossCode as a game enhances this experience with the people you meet along the way. You form parties with a couple of characters also playing the game, and it’s pretty clear they’re just regular gamers. The French girl who talks about her struggles with homework, the mage guy whose biology facts would definitely warrant a slew of nerd emoji gifs, your sort of rival who’s just kinda mad you cheated and brought dishonor to the class he mains, I buy that these are gamers that could exist. And they do a lot to make CrossWorlds far more memorable than it otherwise would be. The Zelda dungeons being pretty simple makes a lot more sense when you and the French girl have an ongoing race to see who can beat each dungeon first. I certainly wouldn’t want to try and blaze through something like the Water Temple. And I’ll remember the experience of my character confidently exclaiming “Lea wait [at the end]” only to come in last place with all the hubris of Respect Your Elders before I recall the solution to whatever ricochet the bullets puzzle I had to solve. Playing with them transforms CrossWorlds from simply being the game itself into a chance to chill out with some pleasant characters. CrossCode uses both its real and fictional spaces to explore the experience of playing a video game, of the value of what one and their friends bring to a game by playing together, hanging out, and maybe even having a couple dumb gamer in-jokes. Also I like how when you add them to your party it’s like pinging them Discord to join your game, that’s a nice touch.
If this were all that CrossCode was, it would be a great time for this band of fictional gamers, but the main protagonist, Lea, doesn’t get the luxury of having a clean divide between the game and reality. We only see her as an avatar ingame, as when she logs off, instead of just getting to live real life like anyone else, she dreams about her memories. She has an amnesia plot going on, but by experiencing more of CrossWorlds, she begins to recall more memories, so it's clear that for her this is more than just a game. Even in the intro, some player character is out to get her, so there is always this looming threat to her wellbeing.
There's also the part where due to a module issue, she's unable to talk. She communicates mainly through body language, and eventually a couple key words get hard coded in, like "Hi!", hence the "Lea wait" thing I talked about before. The facial expressions put in a lot of work to make her an extremely expressive character. Even with her limitations, she's open to meeting new people and making the most of her time in CrossWorlds. While her friendship sometimes gets strained by her inability to communicate, and there are points where her being stuck in the game can feel isolating, she and her friends care too much about each other for those stresses to be permanent. Even beyond being a novel twist on the silent protagonist trope, she's probably one of my favorite game protagonists.
All in all, CrossCode is a game that wraps a rather fun Zeldalike experience with an engaging story running in parallel to the usual process of clearing quests and making combo chains. This game creates a pretty well realized video game setting, but understands that the process of playing through that game, the people you meet along the way, and the experience you get out of it all mean more than that simple gameplay loop ever could on its own. It’s brimming with passion for the medium, and crafts a great story all about that passion.
If you like rpgs, zelda games, or anything in between this game has it all. There is many moves to pull off, a lot of quests to do, and the areas in this game is beautiful.
Don't be fooled by the screenshots - this looks more arcane than it actually is. It's a tightly-designed, fresh take on the adventure puzzler. The combat is snappy and dynamic, but forgiving. The puzzles are rich, even if a bit top-heavy - you might often walk into a room and mumble "oh jesus" until you make sense of the noise. The dialogue is stunningly well-written; if you've spent time in MMOs, there's a lot of smart jokes and banter to catch. I even found myself invested in the story.
80 hours in, I did eventually get bored and never beat the game. The puzzles and dungeon combat just became too much of a chore. I knew what I needed to do and how to beat them, but felt exhausted when I walked into another huge room full of triangular blocks waiting for me to route a pinball for an hour. that's okay, though. I still had a blast with this game and feel glad for the time I spent with it.
80 hours in, I did eventually get bored and never beat the game. The puzzles and dungeon combat just became too much of a chore. I knew what I needed to do and how to beat them, but felt exhausted when I walked into another huge room full of triangular blocks waiting for me to route a pinball for an hour. that's okay, though. I still had a blast with this game and feel glad for the time I spent with it.
Crosscode, there's so much to talk about but I can proudly say its my favorite of all games around here.
(Very minor spoiler ahead!)
CrossWorlds is an MMORPG devoloped by Instatainment using virtual reality WITHIN an actual physical environment and virtual playground. Game starts in Crossworlds' tutorial area and you play as Lea, a very living soul with a little speaking funcion (you gather new ''words'' throughout the game but my god, how could they ever put so much characteristics to someone who can't even talk?).
There's two diffrent stroies connected in CrossCode. One is the main plot which is the serious one and the other one is CrossWorlds plot and is full of cliche : ). With absolutely great music combined with long (sometimes boring) puzzle elements, you can check it out.
(Very minor spoiler ahead!)
CrossWorlds is an MMORPG devoloped by Instatainment using virtual reality WITHIN an actual physical environment and virtual playground. Game starts in Crossworlds' tutorial area and you play as Lea, a very living soul with a little speaking funcion (you gather new ''words'' throughout the game but my god, how could they ever put so much characteristics to someone who can't even talk?).
There's two diffrent stroies connected in CrossCode. One is the main plot which is the serious one and the other one is CrossWorlds plot and is full of cliche : ). With absolutely great music combined with long (sometimes boring) puzzle elements, you can check it out.
At first glance, this seems to be one of countless retro inspired indie game, but I think CrossCode manages to carve its own identity amongst the titles that inspired it.
The game is a top-down twinstick action RPG. The controls are smooth and the combat is fast. Melee hits feel just right but range attacks also play a crutial role.
By changing elements you Basically overhaul your whole moveset which makes combat dynamic and customizable.
The game is not too difficult but it is fairly challenging.
CrossWorld is the the setting the game takes place in, a real life physical MMO located on the moon! Players connect into the game by projecting avatars on it. Other than this, it feels pretty similar to other Isekais, although not disconnected from the real world. ThIs MMO contains exotic locals and dungeons that were a joy to explore with plenty of secrets hiding at every corner.
The story starts fairly generic but takes a very interesting turn later into the game. Our protagonist, Lea, is a silent protagonist who is not so silent. An excellent jab at the trope which felt pretty well executed. She manages to convey a lot to the player through limited vocabulary by employing creative solutions. The party members were all great and I loved the relationships they built with Lea.
The OST is pretty good. Nothing that really stuck out to me but it felt right in the moment. There are a few tracks i listen to outside of the game but not the majority of it.
Pros:
•Fast paced, smooth and dynamic gameplay.
•Gorgeous pixel graphics and colourful aesthetics.
•Great sci-fi/Isekai story and endearing characters.
•Lot of side content and secrets to find and explore.
•Save anywhere! The game is great for short play sessions or long binge.
Cons:
•Challenging puzzles with a very large amount of them. Some puzzles require real time coordination which requires motor skills. An accessibility option is available to slow down the puzzles butthey take a while when slowed down so it's not a full-proof.
•The top-down perspective males it hard to distinguish height levels due to the game being pixel art, this makes a small portion of the platforming not quite intuitive.
•Dungeons are lenghty and combat can get difficult, you can still save anywhere in the dungeons.
•Ending has players divided. Personally I liked it but it is a little vague so you will need to connects some dots or play the DLC for a resolution.
An amazing game with a ton of soul, this hidden gem must not fly under your radar!
The game is a top-down twinstick action RPG. The controls are smooth and the combat is fast. Melee hits feel just right but range attacks also play a crutial role.
By changing elements you Basically overhaul your whole moveset which makes combat dynamic and customizable.
The game is not too difficult but it is fairly challenging.
CrossWorld is the the setting the game takes place in, a real life physical MMO located on the moon! Players connect into the game by projecting avatars on it. Other than this, it feels pretty similar to other Isekais, although not disconnected from the real world. ThIs MMO contains exotic locals and dungeons that were a joy to explore with plenty of secrets hiding at every corner.
The story starts fairly generic but takes a very interesting turn later into the game. Our protagonist, Lea, is a silent protagonist who is not so silent. An excellent jab at the trope which felt pretty well executed. She manages to convey a lot to the player through limited vocabulary by employing creative solutions. The party members were all great and I loved the relationships they built with Lea.
The OST is pretty good. Nothing that really stuck out to me but it felt right in the moment. There are a few tracks i listen to outside of the game but not the majority of it.
Pros:
•Fast paced, smooth and dynamic gameplay.
•Gorgeous pixel graphics and colourful aesthetics.
•Great sci-fi/Isekai story and endearing characters.
•Lot of side content and secrets to find and explore.
•Save anywhere! The game is great for short play sessions or long binge.
Cons:
•Challenging puzzles with a very large amount of them. Some puzzles require real time coordination which requires motor skills. An accessibility option is available to slow down the puzzles butthey take a while when slowed down so it's not a full-proof.
•The top-down perspective males it hard to distinguish height levels due to the game being pixel art, this makes a small portion of the platforming not quite intuitive.
•Dungeons are lenghty and combat can get difficult, you can still save anywhere in the dungeons.
•Ending has players divided. Personally I liked it but it is a little vague so you will need to connects some dots or play the DLC for a resolution.
An amazing game with a ton of soul, this hidden gem must not fly under your radar!
CrossCode really is a fantastic game. The world is full of huge landscapes illustrated in gorgeous pixel art, the music is great, and combat is straightforward in a way reminiscent of older titles. Despite so many JRPGs using the slogan to seemingly no effect, CrossCode is a title which truly does feel inspired by the classics of old. Then injected with the fluidity of a modern game engine. The soundtrack's instrumentation carries tones of Breath of Fire 3 and Final Fantasy VIII, the setting taking note from .hack and Phantasy Star Online, the protagonist resembles KOSMOS of Xenosaga and the world is drawn like like Chrono Trigger's. And that's to say nothing of the abundant references, like Dr Crescent and her bodyguard Vince in the town that looks suspiciously like Midgar. Yet also it never hinges on the nostalgia pandering, becoming distinctly its own thing right from the start.
My first impression after playing it for a few hours was that to find a game with such genuinely tough puzzles was refreshing. When last playing one I'd become weary of Legend of Zelda's puzzle rooms, for the solution always being too obvious. Crosscode's puzzles I hold in great esteem. But their development outpaced my own. It became increasingly frequent for me to boot up the game, take one look at the room and then close the game. When I did manage to not be scared off I would spend 20 minutes stuck on one room, and when finally solving it I'd again take one look over the next and then close the game. As the puzzles ramped in complexity, most sessions began and ended with "that's a problem for next time's me". CrossCode is very fun and I would like to do the honour of finishing it at some point, but that "next time" is ultimately now become a vague concept. The puzzles are simply too big brain for me so I'm putting it on indefinite hold.
But that isn't a mark against its quality. I look at this game and I get why it's held in such high accolades. I really do.
My first impression after playing it for a few hours was that to find a game with such genuinely tough puzzles was refreshing. When last playing one I'd become weary of Legend of Zelda's puzzle rooms, for the solution always being too obvious. Crosscode's puzzles I hold in great esteem. But their development outpaced my own. It became increasingly frequent for me to boot up the game, take one look at the room and then close the game. When I did manage to not be scared off I would spend 20 minutes stuck on one room, and when finally solving it I'd again take one look over the next and then close the game. As the puzzles ramped in complexity, most sessions began and ended with "that's a problem for next time's me". CrossCode is very fun and I would like to do the honour of finishing it at some point, but that "next time" is ultimately now become a vague concept. The puzzles are simply too big brain for me so I'm putting it on indefinite hold.
But that isn't a mark against its quality. I look at this game and I get why it's held in such high accolades. I really do.
Tried to write a thorough wall of text on why I love this thing so much, but about a dozen hundred words in I just kinda realized I have no real way of accurately portraying how absolutely incredible and undeniably fun this weird game is.
The word 'underrated' is thrown around a lot, especially when talking about video games, but I do truly believe this game is seriously underrated.
The word 'underrated' is thrown around a lot, especially when talking about video games, but I do truly believe this game is seriously underrated.
The fact that Undertale blew up and changed the face of gaming while this game remains obscure proves there is no justice in this world
(updated review)
As a fan of RPGs, i've been feeling that sci-fi RPGs are kinda uncommon, or at least in terms of what i'd like. Most are either fantasy, modern times or is post-apocalyptic. And as sci-fi is probably my favorite genre, i feel the uncommoness of sci-fi RPGs more than most would. Of course, Xeno being my favorite video game franchise of all time makes up for it but i've been wanting a sci-fi RPG that wasn't Xeno for a while now. Final Fantasy exists but i've never really been interested in it or the Square Enix big three for that matter. I tried Star Ocean but it plays like a typical Tales game so i was turned off pretty early on. Anything else, i hadn't really thought about.
So here's where CrossCode comes in, a game i've had my eye on for a while on after it was recommended to me. Sci-fi Zelda-esque RPG with a main lead that looks like KOS-MOS? Yes please. There's a lot to like about CrossCode. The combat is cool, feels a lot like Ys (specifically the top-down games). The spritework is very appealing, the puzzles are very cool and then there is Lea, the best part about the game. I never expected to like Lea as much as i did but damn, she's such a good character. If you had told me before a silent protagonist would rank among my favorite video game protags of all time, i would've called you a dumb dumb because while i don't usually have anything against silent protags, i prefer characters that actually talk. But somehow the guys over at Radical Fish Games did it. Made the perfect blend of a protagonist with a lot of personality while also being silent (most of the time). Lea is so expressive that you can basically fill in the blanks to what she says. She has a few words she says that the game explains by saying they are preset words hardcoded into her and these few words still add a lot of character to her. Lea is so good that she is the reason the story works in the first place. Changing any aspect of Lea's character would make the story just fall apart because Lea is the story.
The other characters in the game are nice but nothing too special. They're all pretty static in comparison to Lea but it's fine, it works for this kind of story. But i do need to talk about Emille. Emille is Lea's first friend and this is very important because out of all the characters Lea befriends, Emille is definitely the closest friend she's made. There's this one cute scene where Emille is talking about her dislike of bugs and she's clearly exaggerating it but Lea takes it 100% seriously and gives her a comfort hug because Lea cares about Emille that much. Lea is so good guys.
Moving onto the gameplay, the combat and puzzles are great. As i've mentioned before, combat feels a lot like Ys, perhaps a bit more involved due to the multitude of skills you get. And i really like how each of Lea's modes has different stats, not all of it is just a raw power boost. Although i will say i wasn't a fan of Elemental Overload. Basically, using one of the modes too much causes it to stop working. Problem is, Overload is universal so if one mode is close to that, all modes that aren't normal mode are. This is pretty annoying, especially with bosses that can only be hurt by a certain element. I can't really think of a reason for Elemental Overload to exist, certainly it's not to prevent spam because SP does that already. But that's my only gripe, combat is cool and the Lv.2 and Lv.3 Arts are very based. The boss fights also make good use of the modes you've unlocked and it all culminates into the absolutely incredible final boss. That second phase is one of the coolest final boss fights i've ever played.
The puzzles in the game are very cool conceptually but it's kinda hard for me to talk about them in detail. You just gotta see it to believe it. That said, the first two dungeons simply have too many puzzles and in that regard, those two dungeons are basically gonna be an endurance test for some people. Get past it, and it's all smooth sailing after that (and honestly, the first two dungeons feel much better on a repeat playthrough). That said, slow-mo puzzles are bad, there isn't a single good one.
I will say that as good as the spritework is, the depth perception kinda fucks with you sometimes. It was at it's worst in Sapphire Ridge in my experience, due to the area being in eternal night.
Now it is worth mentioning that the ending of the game is a little bit underwhelming.....which is where A New Home comes in. I won't go into too much details because spoilers but A New Home is the epilogue DLC that might as well be packaged with the game itself because it is that vital. The real ending to the story is found here, after completing the true final dungeon, which also happens to be the best dungeon in the entire game. It's super long compared to the others but the mechanics in it are so damn good that i didn't mind. It took me three days but it was worth it. And the boss at the end chef's kiss.
All this and i'm not even taking into account New Game+. I'm of the belief that CrossCode has the best New Game+ in any game i've ever played as it gives you a bunch of different options to spice up your next playthrough. It even allows you to get rid of Elemental Overload, for example. And then there's Sergey Hax, which turns the game into a hilarious comedy as Lea takes out enemies in a single hit.
Honestly guys, CrossCode is a masterpiece. It ain't every day a new video game studio puts out a masterpiece as their first project but RadicalFishGames did it.
As a fan of RPGs, i've been feeling that sci-fi RPGs are kinda uncommon, or at least in terms of what i'd like. Most are either fantasy, modern times or is post-apocalyptic. And as sci-fi is probably my favorite genre, i feel the uncommoness of sci-fi RPGs more than most would. Of course, Xeno being my favorite video game franchise of all time makes up for it but i've been wanting a sci-fi RPG that wasn't Xeno for a while now. Final Fantasy exists but i've never really been interested in it or the Square Enix big three for that matter. I tried Star Ocean but it plays like a typical Tales game so i was turned off pretty early on. Anything else, i hadn't really thought about.
So here's where CrossCode comes in, a game i've had my eye on for a while on after it was recommended to me. Sci-fi Zelda-esque RPG with a main lead that looks like KOS-MOS? Yes please. There's a lot to like about CrossCode. The combat is cool, feels a lot like Ys (specifically the top-down games). The spritework is very appealing, the puzzles are very cool and then there is Lea, the best part about the game. I never expected to like Lea as much as i did but damn, she's such a good character. If you had told me before a silent protagonist would rank among my favorite video game protags of all time, i would've called you a dumb dumb because while i don't usually have anything against silent protags, i prefer characters that actually talk. But somehow the guys over at Radical Fish Games did it. Made the perfect blend of a protagonist with a lot of personality while also being silent (most of the time). Lea is so expressive that you can basically fill in the blanks to what she says. She has a few words she says that the game explains by saying they are preset words hardcoded into her and these few words still add a lot of character to her. Lea is so good that she is the reason the story works in the first place. Changing any aspect of Lea's character would make the story just fall apart because Lea is the story.
The other characters in the game are nice but nothing too special. They're all pretty static in comparison to Lea but it's fine, it works for this kind of story. But i do need to talk about Emille. Emille is Lea's first friend and this is very important because out of all the characters Lea befriends, Emille is definitely the closest friend she's made. There's this one cute scene where Emille is talking about her dislike of bugs and she's clearly exaggerating it but Lea takes it 100% seriously and gives her a comfort hug because Lea cares about Emille that much. Lea is so good guys.
Moving onto the gameplay, the combat and puzzles are great. As i've mentioned before, combat feels a lot like Ys, perhaps a bit more involved due to the multitude of skills you get. And i really like how each of Lea's modes has different stats, not all of it is just a raw power boost. Although i will say i wasn't a fan of Elemental Overload. Basically, using one of the modes too much causes it to stop working. Problem is, Overload is universal so if one mode is close to that, all modes that aren't normal mode are. This is pretty annoying, especially with bosses that can only be hurt by a certain element. I can't really think of a reason for Elemental Overload to exist, certainly it's not to prevent spam because SP does that already. But that's my only gripe, combat is cool and the Lv.2 and Lv.3 Arts are very based. The boss fights also make good use of the modes you've unlocked and it all culminates into the absolutely incredible final boss. That second phase is one of the coolest final boss fights i've ever played.
The puzzles in the game are very cool conceptually but it's kinda hard for me to talk about them in detail. You just gotta see it to believe it. That said, the first two dungeons simply have too many puzzles and in that regard, those two dungeons are basically gonna be an endurance test for some people. Get past it, and it's all smooth sailing after that (and honestly, the first two dungeons feel much better on a repeat playthrough). That said, slow-mo puzzles are bad, there isn't a single good one.
I will say that as good as the spritework is, the depth perception kinda fucks with you sometimes. It was at it's worst in Sapphire Ridge in my experience, due to the area being in eternal night.
Now it is worth mentioning that the ending of the game is a little bit underwhelming.....which is where A New Home comes in. I won't go into too much details because spoilers but A New Home is the epilogue DLC that might as well be packaged with the game itself because it is that vital. The real ending to the story is found here, after completing the true final dungeon, which also happens to be the best dungeon in the entire game. It's super long compared to the others but the mechanics in it are so damn good that i didn't mind. It took me three days but it was worth it. And the boss at the end chef's kiss.
All this and i'm not even taking into account New Game+. I'm of the belief that CrossCode has the best New Game+ in any game i've ever played as it gives you a bunch of different options to spice up your next playthrough. It even allows you to get rid of Elemental Overload, for example. And then there's Sergey Hax, which turns the game into a hilarious comedy as Lea takes out enemies in a single hit.
Honestly guys, CrossCode is a masterpiece. It ain't every day a new video game studio puts out a masterpiece as their first project but RadicalFishGames did it.
I never heard about this game before it got highly recommended to me. Out of curiosity I decided to give it a shot and... wow I can't believe I was missing out.
It's kinda jarring how overlooked this gem is, an amazing indie game that does so many things and offers an experience like no others.
It has a premise that glue you on the screen from the moment you start, as you begin explore this MMORPG inspired world to discover the secrets of the main character and the people around her.
The writing is really charming, and gives a lot of personlity to most of the roster and the setting they are part of.
The gameplay has a top-down perspective that combines different things from various geners: you have the energy and range of games like Enter the Gungeon but also really great puzzles from titles like A Link to the Past. It all merges together to create an incredible experience. It is even abe to feature an incredible combat, that leads to really fun and ismart gimmicks for enemies and especially bosses, that makes every encounter interesting and fascinating to discover.
I do have some nitpicks, like I feel that sometimes the maps can feel a bit too large and dispersive, and some of the puzzles and dungeons can feel a bit too long for my taste... but that can also be my lack of general orientation (and possible lack of brain cells) that stops me from praising it more,
I feel I am not really that far into the story (the game is surprisingly long), but for now I can safely say that Crosscode is a masterpiece. An absolute recommendation for every fan of videogames.
It's kinda jarring how overlooked this gem is, an amazing indie game that does so many things and offers an experience like no others.
It has a premise that glue you on the screen from the moment you start, as you begin explore this MMORPG inspired world to discover the secrets of the main character and the people around her.
The writing is really charming, and gives a lot of personlity to most of the roster and the setting they are part of.
The gameplay has a top-down perspective that combines different things from various geners: you have the energy and range of games like Enter the Gungeon but also really great puzzles from titles like A Link to the Past. It all merges together to create an incredible experience. It is even abe to feature an incredible combat, that leads to really fun and ismart gimmicks for enemies and especially bosses, that makes every encounter interesting and fascinating to discover.
I do have some nitpicks, like I feel that sometimes the maps can feel a bit too large and dispersive, and some of the puzzles and dungeons can feel a bit too long for my taste... but that can also be my lack of general orientation (and possible lack of brain cells) that stops me from praising it more,
I feel I am not really that far into the story (the game is surprisingly long), but for now I can safely say that Crosscode is a masterpiece. An absolute recommendation for every fan of videogames.
Imagine, if you will, one of those classic dot Hack// games, but actually good. And actually affordable, those games cost like $700 now. Anyways so Crosscode sets you up as a mysterious amnesiac protagonist whose consciousness manifests in an MMO--not the most unique premise. But it really hits the nail on the head, "Crosswords" feels like a real MMO and the game goes to the 9s with all the little details to make it feel alive and populated. The combat is phenomenal, the puzzles require real thought (perhaps too much?), the story is vaguely interesting and at worst isn't too intrusive.
I played the game over a long period of time, taking one or two long-term breaks as I went through. This probably isn't the best way to play, but also, the game can be a little intimidating? Perhaps difficult to tackle? Admittedly I'm not the most puzzle-focused guy, but some of the puzzles just looked scary and difficult (tons of moving parts), which made it hard to really want to tackle. Once you get into it it's not too bad, but it seems like the game is geared more towards people who are really into puzzles. There are a lot of them. And they're good, and having so many isn't bad in the abstract, it's just uhh. I guess I'm just a little dumb.
But anyways the puzzles all rock, the combats great, game looks pretty and has memorable music. The story is fine, I think putting aside my puzzle-anxiety the story might be the weakest part. Without getting too bogged down in spoilers I just feel like they could have done more with the various twists that get doled out. In particular, as the game progresses it becomes more clear that your player-character is incredibly special. But there's no attention given to the actual reasons why your character is special (that they are a player character, controlled by you). Maybe that's a little annoying 4th wall breaky, but it just seemed like they almost butted up on it, why not go all the way? Unsurprisingly, the Switch port suffers from a chugging frame rate at a few too many of the games main locales; I'd heavily reccomended playing it on a different console/PC.
The game also had absurdly well-animated hugs. You really felt em. It's a nice time.
I played the game over a long period of time, taking one or two long-term breaks as I went through. This probably isn't the best way to play, but also, the game can be a little intimidating? Perhaps difficult to tackle? Admittedly I'm not the most puzzle-focused guy, but some of the puzzles just looked scary and difficult (tons of moving parts), which made it hard to really want to tackle. Once you get into it it's not too bad, but it seems like the game is geared more towards people who are really into puzzles. There are a lot of them. And they're good, and having so many isn't bad in the abstract, it's just uhh. I guess I'm just a little dumb.
But anyways the puzzles all rock, the combats great, game looks pretty and has memorable music. The story is fine, I think putting aside my puzzle-anxiety the story might be the weakest part. Without getting too bogged down in spoilers I just feel like they could have done more with the various twists that get doled out. In particular, as the game progresses it becomes more clear that your player-character is incredibly special. But there's no attention given to the actual reasons why your character is special (that they are a player character, controlled by you). Maybe that's a little annoying 4th wall breaky, but it just seemed like they almost butted up on it, why not go all the way? Unsurprisingly, the Switch port suffers from a chugging frame rate at a few too many of the games main locales; I'd heavily reccomended playing it on a different console/PC.
The game also had absurdly well-animated hugs. You really felt em. It's a nice time.
...Lea Hi! :D
Now for the real talk. I burned myself out trying to finish it and gave it a scarcely deserved 3 star rating. I have more good than bad to say, aint nobody wanna read allat tho.
I'll see about the rating when i tackle A New Home at a tame pace
Now for the real talk. I burned myself out trying to finish it and gave it a scarcely deserved 3 star rating. I have more good than bad to say, aint nobody wanna read allat tho.
I'll see about the rating when i tackle A New Home at a tame pace
I barely know how to navigate Bergen Village
The perfect blend of artstyle, puzzles (albeit some ridiculous bits lmao), and fast combat. A perfect story, great OST (highly addictive to hear).
This is a masterpiece of an indie game. I HIGHLY recommend to play this. You will not regret it.
Also Luke is best boi next to Sergey and Lea is best girl.
This is a masterpiece of an indie game. I HIGHLY recommend to play this. You will not regret it.
Also Luke is best boi next to Sergey and Lea is best girl.
"why didn't anyone tell me this is one of the best indie games ever made?" i say after ignoring everyone who told me to play crosscode for the past five years
This Game was amazing. The combat was simplistic yet it felt great to learn the move set to pull mad combos on groups of enemies. The whole art style of the game was just beautiful especially later on in the game with Giga's Garden and Sapphire Ridge looking so damn good as well as the sprites being really well made. Hell the story was so simple on the surface level and yet it was also fantastic with
many themes that it manages to tell very well. Even the weakest parts of the game, which I would say are the dungeons, still hold up pretty well on there own which features a good mix of combat and puzzle solving. I can't wait to do my NG+ run
many themes that it manages to tell very well. Even the weakest parts of the game, which I would say are the dungeons, still hold up pretty well on there own which features a good mix of combat and puzzle solving. I can't wait to do my NG+ run
incredible combat system, great story, fun dungeons, and good puzzles. it should be talked about alongside other premiere indie games like hollow knight, shovel knight, and celeste.
When Lea cries I cry
The closest thing I'll come to loving an MMORPG without actually playing one.
You play the role of Lea a new player who has joined this game world. Lea can't speak but she has so much personality thanks to her avatar's brilliant expressions, she is a fantastic character. The rest of the cast and npcs do a fantastic job of really making this single player action RPG really feel alive like an MMO full of people from different cultures and time zones.
The game plays in a very fast paced action with Lea being able to use a mixture of melee and ranged attacks. I found the controls a little weird at first but actually they are really intuitive once you get used to them.
Lea's journey takes her and her friends across the game world fighting enemies, exploring, taking side quests and solving puzzles. This is where the game falls a little short for me. Some of the puzzles and dungeons just need trimming down, they are too big or drawn out and a few of them really out stay their welcome. There is an issue with puzzles and combat too where the balance is all over the place, puzzle after puzzle after puzzle towards the end. The game really needed to have it's pacing adjusted, despite loving the game it just felt too long.
Presentation wise CrossCode is an absolute slam. The pixel art is gorgeous with great looking environments and characters full of color, animations and little details. The OST is also wonderfully put together, each track really stands out for the area or situation Lea finds herself in. Some examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlk5UEXiGCo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5kfOzppULs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdOmMyl1D3A
To sum up despite some pacing issues Cross Code was well worth the wait. The combat is fun and fast paced, the story, world and characters were well thought out and it looks and sounds wonderful. Well worth it, especially to any fans of SNES and Megadrive games such as Zelda or Beyond Oasis.
Recommended.
+ Lea is a great character.
+ Interesting story and world.
+ Gorgeous looking game.
+ Excellent soundtrack.
- Has some puzzle / combat pacing and or balance issues at times.
You play the role of Lea a new player who has joined this game world. Lea can't speak but she has so much personality thanks to her avatar's brilliant expressions, she is a fantastic character. The rest of the cast and npcs do a fantastic job of really making this single player action RPG really feel alive like an MMO full of people from different cultures and time zones.
The game plays in a very fast paced action with Lea being able to use a mixture of melee and ranged attacks. I found the controls a little weird at first but actually they are really intuitive once you get used to them.
Lea's journey takes her and her friends across the game world fighting enemies, exploring, taking side quests and solving puzzles. This is where the game falls a little short for me. Some of the puzzles and dungeons just need trimming down, they are too big or drawn out and a few of them really out stay their welcome. There is an issue with puzzles and combat too where the balance is all over the place, puzzle after puzzle after puzzle towards the end. The game really needed to have it's pacing adjusted, despite loving the game it just felt too long.
Presentation wise CrossCode is an absolute slam. The pixel art is gorgeous with great looking environments and characters full of color, animations and little details. The OST is also wonderfully put together, each track really stands out for the area or situation Lea finds herself in. Some examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlk5UEXiGCo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5kfOzppULs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdOmMyl1D3A
To sum up despite some pacing issues Cross Code was well worth the wait. The combat is fun and fast paced, the story, world and characters were well thought out and it looks and sounds wonderful. Well worth it, especially to any fans of SNES and Megadrive games such as Zelda or Beyond Oasis.
Recommended.
+ Lea is a great character.
+ Interesting story and world.
+ Gorgeous looking game.
+ Excellent soundtrack.
- Has some puzzle / combat pacing and or balance issues at times.
insanely good indie action rpg and even has adjustable difficulty, fucking play it
A hidden gem and one of the best experiences I have had playing a videogame ever. Let me give you a list of a few amazing things this game has to offer:
- The game is overflowing with love and care, it is obvious that the devs put everything into crafting this masterpiece.
- The story unfolds in a very very nice way, and there actually two stories (mind you, this is an isekai): the game's story per se, and the MMO's story.
- Lea, the main character, is so beautifully designed, and it makes the strongest case I have ever seen for the inclusion of a "silent" protagonist in videogames. While she cannot speak, she definitely is not a passive agent in the story, you'll have to check that out for yourself ;)
- The characters in general are greatly crafted, with nice dialogues and personalities and very nice inclusions in the story.
- The game looks so good, and the character's art sprites are incredible. One just can't get enough of Lea's expressions.
- The level design comes off as very clever and intricate alike, both in the overworld and in the dungeons. Plus, the puzzles very rarely feel too difficult, and the game does an amazing job at subtly teaching you how to solve them.
- The final boss battle HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
- CrossCode also has a vast offering of quality of life elements that make you wonder why barely any other games have them, when they come off as obvious once you experience them here.
- It actually has a playable demo!
- The game features a Pippi Långstrump reference!
- Hi. Lea!
I am very grateful to have been able to experience CrossCode, and I hope you get to experience it someday as well.
- The game is overflowing with love and care, it is obvious that the devs put everything into crafting this masterpiece.
- The story unfolds in a very very nice way, and there actually two stories (mind you, this is an isekai): the game's story per se, and the MMO's story.
- Lea, the main character, is so beautifully designed, and it makes the strongest case I have ever seen for the inclusion of a "silent" protagonist in videogames. While she cannot speak, she definitely is not a passive agent in the story, you'll have to check that out for yourself ;)
- The characters in general are greatly crafted, with nice dialogues and personalities and very nice inclusions in the story.
- The game looks so good, and the character's art sprites are incredible. One just can't get enough of Lea's expressions.
- The level design comes off as very clever and intricate alike, both in the overworld and in the dungeons. Plus, the puzzles very rarely feel too difficult, and the game does an amazing job at subtly teaching you how to solve them.
- The final boss battle HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
- CrossCode also has a vast offering of quality of life elements that make you wonder why barely any other games have them, when they come off as obvious once you experience them here.
- It actually has a playable demo!
- The game features a Pippi Långstrump reference!
- Hi. Lea!
I am very grateful to have been able to experience CrossCode, and I hope you get to experience it someday as well.
I feel like it's a love it or hate it kind of game. It's also a really difficult game to criticize. If you have a problem with how long the game is, how most of its quests feel like generic, disconnected busywork, or how its sense of constant progression is too manipulative to be considered well designed, then that's fair. But if you were to say that any of these things were faults, someone else could just as easily argue that you're missing the point and they actually succeed in their true purpose of characterizing the MMO that the game takes place in, which is exactly the side of the fence that I'm on. CrossCode is the rare indie game that establishes a unique concept and actually ends up delivering on it. The game takes advantage of nearly everything that it establishes. The emphasis on convenience that evolves naturally from its MMO influence fits like a glove around its action RPG gameplay. Its mechanics are absolutely rock-solid from the very get-go, and there's never a single second where they aren't being expanded on in every direction. I wasn't crazy about the story- I thought it was pretty predictable and I never really found myself liking any of the characters all that much, but it's hard to deny how ambitious it is. It's got a really unique tone to it that I couldn't really see being pulled off without its particular setting, and it does reach towards some potentially interesting themes, although it doesn't flesh them out as much as I'd like it to.
I know I said that it's a difficult game to criticize, but I'm gonna try to do it anyway. The game's emphasis on convenience starts becoming a con most notably when your party members never end up feeling like real people. They respond to you instantly even when they're in the middle of something that requires a decent amount of focus, they hardly ever die, and they accept you as their leader no matter the circumstances- why would this ever happen in an MMO if I'm at a lower level than you and can't even talk? Aside from that, the game decides to absolutely neuter its pacing about 85% of the way through, which is a decision that doubly goes against what makes CrossCode a great game in the first place- it doesn't make sense contextualized either in its MMO world or outside of it.
I know I said that it's a difficult game to criticize, but I'm gonna try to do it anyway. The game's emphasis on convenience starts becoming a con most notably when your party members never end up feeling like real people. They respond to you instantly even when they're in the middle of something that requires a decent amount of focus, they hardly ever die, and they accept you as their leader no matter the circumstances- why would this ever happen in an MMO if I'm at a lower level than you and can't even talk? Aside from that, the game decides to absolutely neuter its pacing about 85% of the way through, which is a decision that doubly goes against what makes CrossCode a great game in the first place- it doesn't make sense contextualized either in its MMO world or outside of it.
Near perfect self contained RPG experience with the full package for an indie game. Crisp attractive pixel art with unique environments for each zone capture the VR MMORPG escapism that SAO failed to live up to. The overworld music blends synth with woodwind to match the whimsical world that you explore. Not to mention soft and somber tracks for story beats and high intensity boss battle music. The story is gripping enough to want to keep playing, but the star of the show is definitely the exploration, combat, and atmosphere of the CrossCode world. Fans of the MMO genre who aren't too crazy about the social aspect will find comfort in a pseudo MMO world with likable characters that act with a sense of realism.
Dungeons function with a heavy emphasis on puzzles, specifically manipulating the physics of the elemental abilities that you wield. These puzzles can be intimidating and sometimes drag on until frustration, but as a puzzle lover it was extremely rewarding to struggle through them.
Combat is simple at first, but expands into large skill trees with multiple character builds and extremely satisfying combo moves. It gives freedom to players to play in their own style. I said nearly perfect because the one shortcoming that the game had for me was paradoxically, its pixel art. While environments and terrain look beautiful, depth perception takes a hit, especially with auto jump, as it becomes difficult to see where there is scalable terrain. It gets to be a headache when exploration comes to a halt when it is physically straining to see where you can jump to or not.
Overall, CrossCode is a charming RPG that surprised me in the amount of care that went into nearly every detail of the game.
Dungeons function with a heavy emphasis on puzzles, specifically manipulating the physics of the elemental abilities that you wield. These puzzles can be intimidating and sometimes drag on until frustration, but as a puzzle lover it was extremely rewarding to struggle through them.
Combat is simple at first, but expands into large skill trees with multiple character builds and extremely satisfying combo moves. It gives freedom to players to play in their own style. I said nearly perfect because the one shortcoming that the game had for me was paradoxically, its pixel art. While environments and terrain look beautiful, depth perception takes a hit, especially with auto jump, as it becomes difficult to see where there is scalable terrain. It gets to be a headache when exploration comes to a halt when it is physically straining to see where you can jump to or not.
Overall, CrossCode is a charming RPG that surprised me in the amount of care that went into nearly every detail of the game.
CrossCode is a beautiful homage to the SNES era visually, but a modern masterpiece mechanically and narratively. You play as Lea in the game world of Crossworlds, a fictional MMORPG that serves as the entire setting of CrossCode. A little confusing to write, but it makes perfect sense while playing. What's important is that CrossCode is an action RPG with some MMO-like elements due to its setting like respawning mobs, side quests, and raids.
One of the first things that's apparent when jumping into CrossCode is how smooth the combat is, and gaining access to new moves and elemental attacks throughout the game only improves the experience. The elements of combat are pretty straightforward: ranged and melee attacks, dodging, and guarding. Nevertheless, I always had fun blasting away enemies and more nuanced abilities become clear over time like perfect dodges and guard counters.
In between roaming the many environments the game has to offer are the highest points of the game in my opinion: the dungeons. Dungeons are rooms upon rooms of fun combat encounters and satisfying puzzles, usually all tied together by the new element that you are granted inside. The game has several of these that get longer and more complex over time, and they are easily my favorite part. Of course, there are other ways to distract yourself in the world including but not limited to side quests, of which there are a significant number.
Finally, I'd be remiss not to mention the story. It takes a while to pick up as the game pulls the amnesia card early on, but once you get into the meat of it about halfway through it becomes an important aspect of the game. I was honestly surprised about how much I ended up caring about the story, especially in a game where I was perfectly content to grind away side content just for gameplay's sake.
CrossCode is a very special experience that I have trouble comparing to many other games and I'm very glad I completed. If you want to give it a try however, just beware that you're in it for the long haul to reach the end.
One of the first things that's apparent when jumping into CrossCode is how smooth the combat is, and gaining access to new moves and elemental attacks throughout the game only improves the experience. The elements of combat are pretty straightforward: ranged and melee attacks, dodging, and guarding. Nevertheless, I always had fun blasting away enemies and more nuanced abilities become clear over time like perfect dodges and guard counters.
In between roaming the many environments the game has to offer are the highest points of the game in my opinion: the dungeons. Dungeons are rooms upon rooms of fun combat encounters and satisfying puzzles, usually all tied together by the new element that you are granted inside. The game has several of these that get longer and more complex over time, and they are easily my favorite part. Of course, there are other ways to distract yourself in the world including but not limited to side quests, of which there are a significant number.
Finally, I'd be remiss not to mention the story. It takes a while to pick up as the game pulls the amnesia card early on, but once you get into the meat of it about halfway through it becomes an important aspect of the game. I was honestly surprised about how much I ended up caring about the story, especially in a game where I was perfectly content to grind away side content just for gameplay's sake.
CrossCode is a very special experience that I have trouble comparing to many other games and I'm very glad I completed. If you want to give it a try however, just beware that you're in it for the long haul to reach the end.
One of the most underappreciated games period. Surprisingly lengthy for an indie action RPG with an engaging plot with very well define characters. Also quite possibly the best use of the silent protagonist I've seen.
part of what gets me is that i'm not sure there is anyone who both fully understands and cares why this game means so much to me as well as various parts of it. explaining why would involve telling strangers on backloggd dot com more about myself than i think i've told all but two or three people and if you weren't there for some of those events it's not something that can be explained anyway so i am. not going to do that HKFDHFKJG
but god i think the only other games to make me cry as much as this game and as much at the ending in the last 10 years have been the to the moon trilogy games only?? i spent 65 hours from start to finish of the base game, which is more than i spent on lost judgment, a £60 triple A game. i'm amazed at how much i got out of this game, and tbh i plan on continuing, i'm only writing this bc i finished the base game
but what made this game for me was the strong emotional connection i formed to it. that would be the part that nobody left in my life would understand. i connect with lea in some ways uhhhh i imagine many people would not to put it vaguely??? (if you think you can tell what i'm getting at, you do not! you would be surprised) not to mention, i used to know people VERY much like emilie and lukas. i can only say that that deepened my connection to the game, but once the game started with the heavy hitters from a certain sequence around level 40, i really started to just realise how much i adored this game and everything in it
the combat is really good and enemies and bosses vary so much you'll never find yourself settling into boredom or overusing one move in particular, the puzzles are super fun to do while also being difficult enough to engage your brain (that being said i lost every single dungeon race with emilie which honestly upset me at the time because i did the final two track dungeons very quickly and without hesitation on the puzzles), the areas are gorgeous and vibrant, the music is wonderful and never wears its welcome out, and each character is a lively personality and replicates the actual mmo experience very well; there's the best friend, there's the guildmember with no tact that makes you uncomfortable at first, there's the veterans, there's the ones who just want to mess around (sitting on table lady my beloved), and even the npcs are good?? i notice lea has a soft spot for joel mahir and talatu lips which is cute
on characterisation too, lea shows SUCH good characterisation; she's only able to say a handful of preset words due to a speech module malfunction, but it's done really well and like in games like early overwatch, those few words become entire languages through context - i'm no stranger to strictly nonverbal communication myself, and i also can't help but be reminded of my overwatch days, like back when i only had "hello", "group up with me", "understood", "thanks", and four voicelines that only ever served as goofing around voicelines with no actual meaning - "hello" and crouchspamming would mean "hi! let's have fun and maybe mess around a bit if you're up for that", "understood. my ultimate is charging (88%)" in response to another ultimate callout would mean "wait for me! let's do it together, i'm almost ready, we can do this", "understood. understood. understood." would mean "ok i get it stop it already", and so on. lea makes this work in such good ways, and one thing i love is how she notices how crossworlds' ingame npcs would take ANY spoken word as the trigger to continue the dialogue, so she would just say "lea!" because she found it really funny that she could just say her own name and the npcs would be like "oh, you're saying the monsters are gone from the area? and that it was due to nearby mining", but eventually used it so much that in late game she started unironically using it as a positive exclamation of various meaning. it's a behaviour i adore seeing even in real people and lea conveys so much personality through all of this nonverbal communication and facial expressions
but what surprised me the most was just how existentialist the game got?? like this game made me do a LOT of thinking on various issues and it got real broad with the scope of it, and tbh i'm still thinking about it. i feel like had i played this at a time i had more going on in my life i may have built my entire identity around it. in a way it really does make me sad about a lot of things but. again there's the stuff i'm not gonna go into KJFDHGKJFG
i'm amazed at how much i loved this game. i got it with the ukraine bundle and i only played it on a whim as i was like "oh hey i've heard of this game maybe i'll play this one" months after even buying the bundle and i was so unprepared for what a trip this game would be. also i forgot to say but i also love how accessible this game is; it's got a TON of anti-frustration features: shortcuts basically everywhere it matters, dialogue skips, detailed encyclopedia with information on enemies, drops, plant locations, npcs, friends and more, no standard enemies that attack on sight, save slots, and best of all, an adjustable difficulty slider which is REALLY good imo
tl;dr good combat, fun but difficult puzzles, fresh and vibrant visuals, soundtrack that never grows stale, engaging characters, amazing characterisation, lively cast, and will make you question a lot of things, WILL make you cry
but god i think the only other games to make me cry as much as this game and as much at the ending in the last 10 years have been the to the moon trilogy games only?? i spent 65 hours from start to finish of the base game, which is more than i spent on lost judgment, a £60 triple A game. i'm amazed at how much i got out of this game, and tbh i plan on continuing, i'm only writing this bc i finished the base game
but what made this game for me was the strong emotional connection i formed to it. that would be the part that nobody left in my life would understand. i connect with lea in some ways uhhhh i imagine many people would not to put it vaguely??? (if you think you can tell what i'm getting at, you do not! you would be surprised) not to mention, i used to know people VERY much like emilie and lukas. i can only say that that deepened my connection to the game, but once the game started with the heavy hitters from a certain sequence around level 40, i really started to just realise how much i adored this game and everything in it
the combat is really good and enemies and bosses vary so much you'll never find yourself settling into boredom or overusing one move in particular, the puzzles are super fun to do while also being difficult enough to engage your brain (that being said i lost every single dungeon race with emilie which honestly upset me at the time because i did the final two track dungeons very quickly and without hesitation on the puzzles), the areas are gorgeous and vibrant, the music is wonderful and never wears its welcome out, and each character is a lively personality and replicates the actual mmo experience very well; there's the best friend, there's the guildmember with no tact that makes you uncomfortable at first, there's the veterans, there's the ones who just want to mess around (sitting on table lady my beloved), and even the npcs are good?? i notice lea has a soft spot for joel mahir and talatu lips which is cute
on characterisation too, lea shows SUCH good characterisation; she's only able to say a handful of preset words due to a speech module malfunction, but it's done really well and like in games like early overwatch, those few words become entire languages through context - i'm no stranger to strictly nonverbal communication myself, and i also can't help but be reminded of my overwatch days, like back when i only had "hello", "group up with me", "understood", "thanks", and four voicelines that only ever served as goofing around voicelines with no actual meaning - "hello" and crouchspamming would mean "hi! let's have fun and maybe mess around a bit if you're up for that", "understood. my ultimate is charging (88%)" in response to another ultimate callout would mean "wait for me! let's do it together, i'm almost ready, we can do this", "understood. understood. understood." would mean "ok i get it stop it already", and so on. lea makes this work in such good ways, and one thing i love is how she notices how crossworlds' ingame npcs would take ANY spoken word as the trigger to continue the dialogue, so she would just say "lea!" because she found it really funny that she could just say her own name and the npcs would be like "oh, you're saying the monsters are gone from the area? and that it was due to nearby mining", but eventually used it so much that in late game she started unironically using it as a positive exclamation of various meaning. it's a behaviour i adore seeing even in real people and lea conveys so much personality through all of this nonverbal communication and facial expressions
but what surprised me the most was just how existentialist the game got?? like this game made me do a LOT of thinking on various issues and it got real broad with the scope of it, and tbh i'm still thinking about it. i feel like had i played this at a time i had more going on in my life i may have built my entire identity around it. in a way it really does make me sad about a lot of things but. again there's the stuff i'm not gonna go into KJFDHGKJFG
i'm amazed at how much i loved this game. i got it with the ukraine bundle and i only played it on a whim as i was like "oh hey i've heard of this game maybe i'll play this one" months after even buying the bundle and i was so unprepared for what a trip this game would be. also i forgot to say but i also love how accessible this game is; it's got a TON of anti-frustration features: shortcuts basically everywhere it matters, dialogue skips, detailed encyclopedia with information on enemies, drops, plant locations, npcs, friends and more, no standard enemies that attack on sight, save slots, and best of all, an adjustable difficulty slider which is REALLY good imo
tl;dr good combat, fun but difficult puzzles, fresh and vibrant visuals, soundtrack that never grows stale, engaging characters, amazing characterisation, lively cast, and will make you question a lot of things, WILL make you cry
Crosscode is a ridiculously ambitious title. I genuinely don't understand why it isn't more often praised as one of the best indie games of all time. The story has it all (interesting plot, clever twists, fun characters) The gameplay has it all (complex combat mechanics, build variety, great bosses, challening and diverse puzzles) and the game is HUGE for an affordable price. In a way, it's just as impressive as hollow knight, if not more, and that is my favorite game of all time.
The dlc makes it even bigger and better too!
The dlc makes it even bigger and better too!
Solid combat system and puzzles that build up concepts before throwing you to the wolves. It's never unfair. Sidequests are super varied. Fun story with lovable characters, too. It's all so swag. CrossCode is so cool I wish MMOs were real
If there is any game I can consider my favorite out of any game, it would probably be this one. CrossCode gets everything right-- every part of it makes one "ultimate experience." If there is one game could get everyone to at least try, it would be this one.