Crosscode is a game that teeters on the brink of gaming greatness were it not for a handful of creative choices and restrictions that prevent it from soaring to those heights. The game is a remarkably enjoyable action RPG with really fun combat. At a cursory glance, the gameplay might appear to be uninteresting and not your style, but the combat mechanics have this rhythmic energy reminiscent of classic Zelda combat. Unquestionably, Zelda serves as a profound wellspring of inspiration for this game, with its traditional Zelda-like dungeons and puzzles which will definitely interesting any veteran Zelda players to this game.
Nonetheless, where Crosscode falters is in its tendency to overstay its welcome. The dungeons overstay their welcome, diluting the overall experience. If you were to take out four puzzle chambers from each dungeon, I feel the game’s pacing would benefit a lot. Additionally, puzzles throughout the main overworld can be sometimes annoying due to how complex and long they take. This compounded by the fact that you sometimes cannot tell which platforms you can jump to accurately due to the elevation not being clearly defined, it often times made me skip any of the optional puzzles. Yet at the same time, once these puzzles are finally solved after persistent effort, the satisfaction is unmatched.
Combat for the most part is good but often times it also does tend to overstay its welcome. Fights are often harder than they should be – enemies hit you hard, but you don't hit them hard enough. Thankfully, there are generous accessibility options, which are honestly ahead of the curve in terms of accessibility in games in general, to make enemies do less damage, but your attacks still feel a bit weak. The boss fights, though, are awesome and are again reminiscent of the classic Zelda formula – you figure out their weak points using the dungeon items and then go all out on them, which is super satisfying.
The game's MMO setting is interesting, but it gets a bit tiring when you're supposed to care about the story of the game inside the game. Lea and the main characters are cool, especially during Chapter 7, and their well-written enough so that you can get invested in most of their stories. Anything to do with the “real-life” portions of this game are great. However, the game will continue to insist on elevating the MMO's story as if it were just as import as the main cast’s story, and that’s when I begin to lose interest. The game already establishes that the MMO’s story isn’t real and all of these characters are NPCs, so why should I care or be invested in it? Luckily once Chapter 7, the game makes it clear that those story’s will not be the focus going forward which I was grateful for.
In the end, Crosscode is a really enjoyable action RPG, almost hitting the top marks if not for a few things holding it back. The combat is fun, even if it can be tough sometimes. It's worth playing, even with its issues, thanks to its world and exciting battles.
Nonetheless, where Crosscode falters is in its tendency to overstay its welcome. The dungeons overstay their welcome, diluting the overall experience. If you were to take out four puzzle chambers from each dungeon, I feel the game’s pacing would benefit a lot. Additionally, puzzles throughout the main overworld can be sometimes annoying due to how complex and long they take. This compounded by the fact that you sometimes cannot tell which platforms you can jump to accurately due to the elevation not being clearly defined, it often times made me skip any of the optional puzzles. Yet at the same time, once these puzzles are finally solved after persistent effort, the satisfaction is unmatched.
Combat for the most part is good but often times it also does tend to overstay its welcome. Fights are often harder than they should be – enemies hit you hard, but you don't hit them hard enough. Thankfully, there are generous accessibility options, which are honestly ahead of the curve in terms of accessibility in games in general, to make enemies do less damage, but your attacks still feel a bit weak. The boss fights, though, are awesome and are again reminiscent of the classic Zelda formula – you figure out their weak points using the dungeon items and then go all out on them, which is super satisfying.
The game's MMO setting is interesting, but it gets a bit tiring when you're supposed to care about the story of the game inside the game. Lea and the main characters are cool, especially during Chapter 7, and their well-written enough so that you can get invested in most of their stories. Anything to do with the “real-life” portions of this game are great. However, the game will continue to insist on elevating the MMO's story as if it were just as import as the main cast’s story, and that’s when I begin to lose interest. The game already establishes that the MMO’s story isn’t real and all of these characters are NPCs, so why should I care or be invested in it? Luckily once Chapter 7, the game makes it clear that those story’s will not be the focus going forward which I was grateful for.
In the end, Crosscode is a really enjoyable action RPG, almost hitting the top marks if not for a few things holding it back. The combat is fun, even if it can be tough sometimes. It's worth playing, even with its issues, thanks to its world and exciting battles.