If you keep up on video game news and releases, you’ve probably seen an outpouring of love for the recent port of this game. Since it was announced for console, it seemed everyone was gushing about it. Somewhat understandably, given its history of creation and the ideas that it wants to tackle; it sounds wonderful on paper. But how does it fare in reality?

In all honesty, I didn’t understand the hype for CrossCode. Something felt off about it, even during the trailers. But I loved the idea of it, so I jumped in anyway. Suffice it to say my feelings were wrong, mostly. And I’m glad of that, as something similar happened with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which ended up being something I absolutely loved.

Outside of betas and fooling around with other people’s accounts, I’ve never dived into an MMO. I loved the idea of them when I was younger, and I certainly appreciate what they are, but even if I wanted to dive into one now, I don’t have the time to do so. However, a game mimicking an MMO has also always been alluring, which is why I bought each iteration of .Hack so many years ago on the PS2, and why I watched seasons 1 and 2 of Sword Art Online. Mix in that faux-MMO nature with 16-bit action RPGs of yore and you have something truly charming on your hands. And it’s important to note that on top of what you’d expect from the terms 16-bit action RPG, there are many puzzles to be solved, both optional and required. And as with any RPG, the characters have to be written well, otherwise you won’t be too invested – luckily, it’s pretty solid in this department.

I’ll admit that as I age and play less video games, my reflexes and actual ability with games has decreased. I beat Battletoads and all the Mega Man games without cheating when I was a kid, and now I struggle with games that others seem to fly through without issue. This game definitely isn’t easy, although it’s manageable. However, if you find that it’s getting a bit frustrating, there are sliders to drop the enemy damage, attack rate, and even lengthen the time allowed for puzzle completion. Utilizing these allows for players to make it more accessible, while still providing a challenging experience. It doesn’t go to the lengths of The Last of Us 2, but it’s a welcome addition.

The game is pleasing to look at, as this style ages much better than the likes of photo-realism, and the combat and puzzles are interesting and deep enough to avoid getting boring. On top of the basic abilities, you have a very deep skill tree with options for customization, and of course there’s an option to respec your character. Exploration is encouraged, even if you decide to skip all the side quests that are offered, although you’ll likely want to take part in them if you want to play the game at the intended difficulty setting. While I didn’t play it, Chad did, and I feel like there’s a lot of similarity to Creature in the Well in terms of puzzle solving with all the balls you have to throw, perfecting the timing and angles of each throw.

Probably my biggest complaint about the game is how long it takes to really get going. You have a somewhat cliché opening sequence meant to get you hooked, followed by a lot of what you’d expect from a game like this. There are some twists – seeing how the avatars are affected by actual human weaponry was worth a laugh, but for the most part it all seems pretty standard. On the one hand, that’s bothersome, because it can turn people off from seeing everything this has to offer, which is a TON. On the other hand, I kind of enjoy the classic nature of it, as nostalgia always seems to win me over if done correctly. It’s comfort food, much like the older Tales games. The other portion that stood out as problematic was the map and quest system – while you’re able to mark places on the map, I don’t often think to do so for every little thing like who provided me a quest. Often times I’d just wander about looking for an exclamation point to turn in a quest – it’d be nice to be told where they’re located on the quest menu, or better yet, quick travel to their location. For all I know that’s possible though, as the game has so much going on, I’m sure I missed some features.

If you like action RPGs and grew up playing things like the Mana series, it’s almost impossible to not recommend CrossCode. However, it’s hardly limited to that subset of players, as there’s so much to dig into with this. Just understand that it’s not perfect, and it is trope heavy while being very Meta. If that sounds like something you could spend some time with, this should last you well over 30 hours, even if you’re skipping the optional stuff.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Beautiful, Classic Aesthetic
• Deep Combat and Puzzles
• Living World

Cons

• Map and Navigation
• Trope Heavy
• Slow to Start

CrossCode was developed by Radical Fish Games and published by Deck13 in association with WhisperGames, DANGEN Entertainment, as well as Mayflower Entertainment. It is available on NS, PC, PS4 and X1. The game was provided to us for review on PS4. If you’d like to see more of CrossCode, check out the official site. In addition to the digital copy, you can find multiple physical versions on the website, which may or may not tickle your fancy if you’re a collector.

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

 

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