CrossCode

[h1]Hi? Hi! [nods] Lea![/h1] [h2]The Good[/h2] [list] [*]The game is just gorgeous, one of the best looking pixel art games I've ever seen, animations are extremely fluid as well [*]The concept of the world is so fun and well thought out, and plays with the narrative so incredibly well, helps me get immersed in the environment and story progression so effortlessly [*]I absolutely adore the characters and the story, all the characters have such distinct personalities and relationships, and play a part in the story to some extent. The game also randomly throws some pretty humorous bits and dialogue at you when you least expect it, and I laughed more than a couple times [*]So many things are puzzlefied in this game, and while that may sound tiring at first, the game executes the puzzles so well that it strikes a perfect balance of action, difficulty, and problem solving for me. So many of the harder puzzles take some time, but I eventually get there without any guides [*]The pure puzzle levels in the game always surprise me with new concepts, and how they are handled, seemingly simple mechanics are added upon to create really smart and unique interactions. These levels are also cut up by combat which helps with pacing a lot [*]Exploration is extremely fun and rewarding, as you need to find certain routes to get to certain places, and the fluid movement really makes it flow amazingly. For an isometric game, verticality is also handled fairly well [*]Even certain combat encounters like minibosses or certain enemy types, cant be defeated just by blindly hitting, requiring certain things to be done first, making it a mini puzzle on the fly that tests your quick thinking [*]Customization when it comes to equipment is plentiful, and they all have unique attributes for you to lean into certain builds. The skill tree having branching paths that you can swap at will is genius [*]There's so many QoL and helpful features throughout the game, and the game slowly introduces each aspect which paces it very nicely. Info on enemies, items, traders and other useful things are all easily accessible and incredibly helpful at times [/list] [h2]The Bad[/h2] [list] [*]The DLC is absolutely amazing, BUT, I feel like it should have been part of the base game all along. Without the DLC, many aspects of the game just feel incomplete, the story, the chracters, equipment, side quests and even some game mechanics and levels. I adore the DLC, but wouldn't be surprised if people were mad at the decision after finishing the base game [*]Certain enemy types just have straight up invulnerable periods where you have to just wait for a window, which is not great design and really hurts the quick flow of combat [*]Ice physics are never fun lmao [*]The exploration is really fun, but the vertical terrain in an isometric view can really mess with your depth perception, causing many falls and (sometimes long) runbacks, which can get frustrating at times [*]For how well the entire game is designed, I'm surprised at how terribly the achievements are designed. A bunch of the endgame achievements are just grindy number achievements, that are not fun to grind for [/list] [h2]The Random[/h2] [list] [*]SPHEROMANCER LEA [*]Lea [spoiler]slamming against Joern's armor for a hug[/spoiler] is the funniest thing ive ever seen [*]The endgame content of the base game, [spoiler]the arena and NG+[/spoiler], are just not for me personally, most of my love for the game comes from the first experience through the exploration, story and quests, but I appreciate that it's there for people who want to enjoy it! [/list] [h2]Overall Thoughts[/h2] This game was phenomenal, I got attached to most things in the game, the world, the story, the characters, the mechanics, the levels, the puzzles, everything, up there among my favorites list now. If you get this game, please get the DLC as well, you wont regret it. This game struck the perfect balance of literally everything for me, and I recommend it 1000%, and I hope anyone else who tries this game, will feel the same feelings I had for this game

This game could have been a masterpiece with its unique world, fun story, and great combat. But this game has sidequest disease where it's filled out with boring and tedious quests that slow the game down. RPGs need to learn that less is more when it comes to sidequests. 7.5/10

实在不懂那种站在一个移动平台上，让你瞄准一个缝射进去的设计跟解密有什么关系？太让人烦躁了，考验射击准头去了。

Easily one of the greatest games of all time, a pure hidden gem. I haven't enjoyed a game as much as this in years. Combat feels amazing and responsive, with the ability to carry out many different and complex attacks with different elements. The elements are used to break enemy shields or just to do more damage to whatever the enemy is weak to and this works very well. Dodging is unique in this game where you can dodge 3 times as opposed to only once, and this is absolutely necessary due to the intensity of combat. Some enemies do feel more fun to fight than others, but in general you will be challenged throughout the entirety of the game and will be punished if you don't learn how to dodge or shield. A gripe I have with the combat is that after a certain point towards the end of the game, the enemies become extremely tanky and more annoying to deal with. It became so much in fact that I ended up using the difficulty adjustments which I had avoided up until then to make combat more enjoyable (You can reduce damage taken and how frequently the enemies attack). Puzzles in this game are so insanely well designed that you will find yourself feeling like an idiot on many occasions. The game uses geometry, elements, and general problem-solving skills perfectly to create some of the hardest puzzles I have ever experienced in games. This of course makes the reward for completing them so much more satisfying. I will say though, after a certain point in the game I became tired of the length of some dungeons and difficulty of the puzzles which led me to use the difficulty adjustments for the first time (These can reduce the speed at which you need to complete puzzles). The difficulty ramps up as the game progresses, so don't expect them to get easier. The story is a unique take on the LitRPG/Isekai genre where the game you play (CrossCode) takes place itself within a game (CrossWorlds). You play as Lea, a not quite silent protagonist who has lost her memories and has awoken within CrossWorlds. It's hard to say anything about the story without spoiling, so I will just say that it is fantastic and is well worth trying out yourself. I really became very attached to Lea and the other main characters, their interactions with each other were entertaining and emotional. I really liked the dialogue which is something I see people complain about. There are maybe one or two NPC's which have dialogue that is too cheesy/too much, but the vast majority are very well written with a good amount of drama and humour mixed in. There are tons of side quests for you to do in every region and they make CrossWorlds feel more like a real game that you are experiencing. I personally have not completed most side quests, mostly just doing those that interest me but they are a really nice addition and again, there are tons of them. The crafting side of things is where I think CrossCode is the weakest. It is a very convoluted system where you gather resources from across the entirety of the in-game world which you then trade with specific trader NPC's to gain an item. This leads to you having to go on a wild goose chase across the game to first craft a specific material with a trader here, then use that material for another trader in another region, again and again to eventually snowball into a decent weapon or piece of armour. The good news is that this system is not entirely necessary to complete the story, as you can buy good enough equipment and consumables from stores at each region as the difficulty increases. There is 'endgame' content in the form of an arena where you can do challenges and achieve a special currency to buy things like special equipment, ability points, or even pets. I have not explored this part of the game much as again it is not necessary for completing the story which is what I focused on, but if you are someone that likes stuff like that then go for it. Overall, give it a try, it deserves so many more players. Even if you haven't tried this genre of game before (like me) and feel like it will be too difficult, don't be afraid to use the difficulty adjustments. Experiencing the main story alone is a good enough reason to try this game.

Se existe um jogo que parece ter saído direto da era de ouro dos RPGs — mas com cérebro moderno — é CrossCode. CrossCode é aquele tipo de jogo que te ganha devagar… e quando você percebe, já está completamente envolvido. Você entra esperando um RPG indie simpático — e encontra um dos sistemas mais inteligentes do gênero. O combate é rápido, técnico e extremamente satisfatório. Mistura ação em tempo real com habilidades elementais e precisão nos golpes. Não é só apertar botão — exige timing, posicionamento e adaptação constante. Mas o verdadeiro diferencial está nos puzzles. E aqui vai o aviso: eles não são “decorativos”. Os dungeons de CrossCode são praticamente um teste de raciocínio. Mecânicas com ricochete, ângulos, timing… em alguns momentos, parece mais um jogo de lógica do que um RPG. E isso divide opiniões: pra alguns, é genial. Pra outros, pode cansar. A progressão é sólida, com árvores de habilidades que realmente fazem diferença, e um mundo que recompensa exploração de verdade — nada de mapa vazio só pra preencher espaço. E ainda tem a história. Lea, a protagonista, é um dos personagens mais carismáticos dos indies — mesmo falando quase nada. O jogo consegue criar conexão com poucos diálogos e muita expressão, algo raro hoje em dia. Mas nem tudo é perfeito. O ritmo pode quebrar por causa dos puzzles longos, e em certos momentos você pode se sentir mais “travado” pensando do que jogando. Só que, quando tudo encaixa… poucos jogos entregam essa sensação de conquista. Veredito: inteligente, desafiador e cheio de alma. Um RPG que respeita sua inteligência — e cobra por isso. ⚡ Nota: 9/10 🧠 Recomendado para: quem gosta de puzzle + ação + progressão profunda ⚠️ Aviso: você vai passar mais tempo pensando do que imaginava “Vim pelo RPG… fiquei preso resolvendo puzzles por horas.”

[h1]Overview[/h1] CrossCode is a fantastic and very unique Action & Adventure game that I think deserves more attention! It's basically a Single Player MMORPG, which I've never seen before, and it just works really well! There is A LOT of content and is definitely worth the price. [h1]Things I Like[/h1] The world is fully realised, with lots of thought-out lore and characters. The UI is very retro, but still very functional and easy to use. The characters are likeable. There's quite a few references to other games. It's quite funny at times (Dialogue, Quests, Character Interactions). It doesn't hold your hand too much and can be quite challenging at times. The options menu is CRAZY! - There's so much to change! (Graphics, UI, Difficulty). Has multiple skill trees that offer a decent variety of abilities / skills (You can change abilities very easily). [h1]Things I Don't like[/h1] The trading system is VERY convoluted and hard to use - Would completely overhaul it. Would of really liked to of seen some sort of multiplayer - would of fit the theme so well! (It's Single Player only). While you can change abilities in the same tree easily, you need a special item in order to fully respec, which just seems unnecessary.

One of those times where I wish Steam had a neutral option. Played the demo of Alabaster Dawn and absolutely loved it, so decided to check out its predecessor. It's clear that the dev team perfected their craft with AD, because Crosscode is not fun for me. The world is overcrowded, the puzzles are infuriating and combat hits a wall when it's required to do anything besides melee. I know this game has its fan base, but ultimately it just wasn't for me. As a new player, I say pass on this title and just play the better Alabaster Dawn when it comes out.