CrossCode
Main game
3.86 average rating based on 277 ratings
- Developers
- Radical Fish Games
- Publishers
- DANGEN Entertainment, Deck13 Interactive, Mayflower Entertainment, WhisperGames
- Series
- CrossCode
- Event
- Xbox E3 2019 Briefing
- Platforms
- Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Genres
- Adventure, Indie, Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Shooter
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
- Steam
- View on Steam
Release Dates
User Stats
How Long Is CrossCode?
Related Content
MMOre puzzles
I know the concept of 'trapped on an MMO' is not new. Probably some of you have played Dot Hack or watched Sword Art Online, but I still like what CrossCode made with the concept in a very meta way.
It has really deep and fun combat systems, beautiful pixel art and lovely tunes, but the star here are the puzles. Those are everywhere and in some ocassions really made me think in games like Portal or The Witness.
Anyway, you can read my full review in spanish here. This is a little gem that deserves being played... if you're not impatient gamers. It's very long, some puzles are really complex and the plot take its time unraveling.
10/10 Would NOT Recommend
Unless you’re the sort who enjoys the most diabolical puzzles I’ve ever seen in this medium. It’s never unfair, but you’ll be banging your head against the wall and begging for the next combat encounter.
Until you get to the next combat encounter and realize you’re not nearly as well versed in CrossCode’s expansive and deep move tree as you think.
Don’t expect an easy time aside from cutting down all the flowers and bushes, which never managed to get old even after 50 hours.
Great individual components, but the game is mercilessly less than the sum of its parts.
CrossCode is an intriguing action RPG game with many unique and well-executed elements.
You're introduced very quickly to the essence of its gameplay, which is essentially:
- A well thought-out mix of ranged and melee combat making smart use of dual joysticks and shoulder buttons.
- Conventional JRPG equipment system + skill tree to bring in buffs and new abilities.
- A very clever use of elevation to bring platforming into a 2D isometric environment, which turns its medium-sized level maps into major exploration challenges if you want to find all the cool stuff.
- Old school Zelda-style dungeon puzzles. Sweet.
It does all of those things extremely well, but the problem is how they all come together:
- The combat is very challenging. That's fine, but it never feels as refined as a Metroidvania such that you can advance on your own developing skills alone, meanwhile your access to buffs and special abilities just doesn't make that much of a difference.
- While I LOVE the platforming they brought in (you need to see it to understand, but the elevations of each level map is layered brilliantly to tease you with out-of-reach treasures that you just need to find the right approach for), it's used …
CrossCode is an intriguing action RPG game with many unique and well-executed elements.
You're introduced very quickly to the essence of its gameplay, which is essentially:
- A well thought-out mix of ranged and melee combat making smart use of dual joysticks and shoulder buttons.
- Conventional JRPG equipment system + skill tree to bring in buffs and new abilities.
- A very clever use of elevation to bring platforming into a 2D isometric environment, which turns its medium-sized level maps into major exploration challenges if you want to find all the cool stuff.
- Old school Zelda-style dungeon puzzles. Sweet.
It does all of those things extremely well, but the problem is how they all come together:
- The combat is very challenging. That's fine, but it never feels as refined as a Metroidvania such that you can advance on your own developing skills alone, meanwhile your access to buffs and special abilities just doesn't make that much of a difference.
- While I LOVE the platforming they brought in (you need to see it to understand, but the elevations of each level map is layered brilliantly to tease you with out-of-reach treasures that you just need to find the right approach for), it's used in a way that is totally secondary to the game (i.e. you can get almost everywhere you need to without it), and the rewards for doing it are just so damn minor. You can spend 30 minutes trying to get this one tricky chest, only to get some obscure trading ingredients out of it that you can't easily figure out how to use without investing hours into seeking out large quantities of complementary ingredients and the traders who want them.
- The equipment that you spend hours finding or trading other found items up into just isn't that much better than what you can buy in stores. They too often affect different stat modifiers, so sure you get better attack, but less focus (dexterity) or tertiary effects (of which there are way too many of to keep track). So the rewards for all the hours spent grinding exploration & trading is totally uninspiring.
- Finally, while the puzzles are great, it's just too much. Every dungeon is just room after room of fun but fairly repetitive presentations of the same type of challenge. What starts out interesting quickly feels like homework.
As a result of all this, the game just chugs along so slowly, with little sense of progress, achievement, or reward, for significant time investments, so much so that I've put 25 hours in already, and (although I know from the story and time expectations that I'm about 60% through), my experience hasn't advanced much beyond what it was like in the first overworld level.
All of this could be mitigated by a strong story tying it all together, but that's actually the one component of the game that doesn't stand strong on its own at all. I'm as far as I am, and I really have no clue what the game is really about.
So I'm torn. Will I finish it? Probably, but slowly over time, whenever I feel like challenging my brain for an hour knowing that there's no promise of short-term reward. Will I recommend it to others? Not without all the caveats I've pointed out there.
It's unfortunate, because they honestly could have made something great here if they either tied the pieces together better, or made separate games where the strengths could shine without their poor contextualization dragging them down.
I'm having absolutely no fun
I was really excited to start this game. The art style was beautiful and the game looked fun and fast. I really enjoyed the game during the tutorial segments and the pieces of story in the beginning of the game had me curious as to where it would go. Everything is such a slog and after the beginning pathway after the starting town took too long. Combat does not feel as tight as other top down action games like Enter the Gungeon and Hades. By comparison, it feel very clunky. In fairness, those games have a lot less MMORPG influence and have different goals, but I can't ignore how much worse the moment to moment action feels. Its possible I'm just missing something, but couldn't stick with it and every encounter took years off my life. The adventure does a great job building interest but is unable to deliver on most of these concepts.
Seems like a great game, outdated graphics
This review is for the PC (Microsoft Windows) version
This game wouldnt run smoothly on my hefty PC build. The optimizations that this game didn't go through is a huge shame since the art is gorgeous, the music is simply beautiful and catchy. The downfall is that the graphics and gameplay were very very choppy. Constant stuttering and frame drops that were only happening on this game. Cannot get through the tutorial without bypassing the Steam 2 hour return window. Also... where is integer scaling??? You are making a PIXEL GAME??
Krauzer's review of CrossCode
This title is a retro-inspired action RPG that combines fast-paced combat with clever puzzle design. Set within the framework of a fictional MMORPG, it offers a unique narrative hook while delivering a single-player experience. The game shines with its fluid combat system, which blends melee and ranged attacks and incorporates elemental powers to keep encounters dynamic and engaging. Its puzzles, often physics-based and requiring precise aim or timing, are equally rewarding, though sometimes they can feel overly demanding.
Visually, CrossCode is a treat for fans of 16-bit aesthetics, featuring detailed pixel art and smooth animations that evoke the best of SNES-era RPGs, even resembling classic JRPG art-styles. The soundtrack enhances the atmosphere with energetic and emotional tracks, complementing both intense battles and quieter moments of exploration, and again, similar to JRPGs, the soundtrack is one of it's standouts.
The world itself is expansive, filled with dungeons, quests, and secrets that encourage thorough exploration, giving players dozens of hours of content to uncover. This is one of the best games when it comes to it's side-quests, very few games makes me want to play all of them. And I dare to say this has the same level of quality of the …
This title is a retro-inspired action RPG that combines fast-paced combat with clever puzzle design. Set within the framework of a fictional MMORPG, it offers a unique narrative hook while delivering a single-player experience. The game shines with its fluid combat system, which blends melee and ranged attacks and incorporates elemental powers to keep encounters dynamic and engaging. Its puzzles, often physics-based and requiring precise aim or timing, are equally rewarding, though sometimes they can feel overly demanding.
Visually, CrossCode is a treat for fans of 16-bit aesthetics, featuring detailed pixel art and smooth animations that evoke the best of SNES-era RPGs, even resembling classic JRPG art-styles. The soundtrack enhances the atmosphere with energetic and emotional tracks, complementing both intense battles and quieter moments of exploration, and again, similar to JRPGs, the soundtrack is one of it's standouts.
The world itself is expansive, filled with dungeons, quests, and secrets that encourage thorough exploration, giving players dozens of hours of content to uncover. This is one of the best games when it comes to it's side-quests, very few games makes me want to play all of them. And I dare to say this has the same level of quality of the Final Fantasy XII hunting side-quests, which it really makes you want to find all the prays and complete all the side-quests related to them.
On the downside, the game’s pacing can occasionally falter, some dungeons feel overly long, and certain puzzles may test patience with their precision requirements. The story, while intriguing, takes its time to build momentum, which might not suit players looking for a more immediate narrative payoff. Despite these issues, CrossCode remains a standout indie RPG, praised for its polish, depth, and the way it captures the spirit of classic games while adding modern twists.
This is one of the best indies I've ever experienced, it has an insane plot twist at the end, which I won't spoil, and also cliffhanger for a DLC can be later enjoyed. I can't say much about it's DLC though, since I was burnt out after I saw the credits rolling, because even though this is an amazing title, it is a very very long one. So be prepared to get overwhelmed sometimes if you played this like me, from start to finish, this shows it has some serious pacing issues. Despite this, I'm excited to play the other games this developer is creating, and if you are a fan of action RPGs to any extent, this is definitely a must-play in my opinion.
Fun singleplayer fake action mmo, have been playing a lot of it, and i'm still nowhere near finishing it lol, the puzzles are kicking my butt
You think you know block pushing puzzles? You know nothing. The blockiverse is vast and uncaring.
Seriously though, the pacing of dungeons towards what I assume is the end of this thing is killing me 😩
Man, I really wanna love this game because it feels so nice to play, but the game is way too difficult even with the difficulty scaled down, and that's after spending hours grinding this week.
I can tolerate grinding if there's a strong story driving the story forward, but I'm several hours in, now in the first big dungeon, and the plot is going nowhere. If Sword Art Online is a poor imitation of .hack, then the story of this one is somehow a poor imitation of SAO. Like I get where it's trying to go, but it's so SLOW.
I'm probably gonna bounce in this one, I'm kind of getting frustrated and fed up. I hate games that waste my time.
good game but the amount of back tracking i had to do cause of keys i missed is insane no clear path way on what to do
Going into the final dungeon. This game is batshit crazy, hands down the toughest game I've played in so long. I LOVE the brain-breaking puzzles, and finding treasure chest and platforming around and exploring while smashing bad guys and plants is so satisfying.
I recommend this to people who truly enjoy brain-teasers. The bosses are hard enough - but you quickly figure out that the real challenge lay with the obtuse puzzles that will have you scratching your head for hours!
Anyway, I did some gear upgrading and what-not, power-leveled up a bit, and so far about a half an hour into the final dungeon, I've been destroying everything in my path with reckless abandon. Putting on gear with HP Regen was a really good idea.
A friend gifted me this, and I've been putting a pretty good amount of time into it. It's been a nice time so far.
I was a bit wary at first of the fact that the game's story is set in an MMO, yet one of the things that surprised me is just how well the game seems to understand the ways in which an MMO can be comfy. For example, in Autumn's Rise, the first real non-town area of the game, you encounter this guy just hanging out by some water:
As you talk to him, he continues, saying:
I've gotten way past Autumn's Rise already, but it's still my favorite area. So I come back here to relax when I'm getting frustrated with the game.
It's a simple statement, yet it makes me feel strangely nostalgic. It brings me back to the first MMO I ever played. There were times when my friends and I, when we weren't grinding, questing, or PvPing, we'd just go back to the starter areas to chill. We'd just sit there, and chat a bit, and look out on the landscape.
Those are happy memories for me, and I'm glad to be reminded …
A friend gifted me this, and I've been putting a pretty good amount of time into it. It's been a nice time so far.
I was a bit wary at first of the fact that the game's story is set in an MMO, yet one of the things that surprised me is just how well the game seems to understand the ways in which an MMO can be comfy. For example, in Autumn's Rise, the first real non-town area of the game, you encounter this guy just hanging out by some water:
As you talk to him, he continues, saying:
I've gotten way past Autumn's Rise already, but it's still my favorite area. So I come back here to relax when I'm getting frustrated with the game.
It's a simple statement, yet it makes me feel strangely nostalgic. It brings me back to the first MMO I ever played. There were times when my friends and I, when we weren't grinding, questing, or PvPing, we'd just go back to the starter areas to chill. We'd just sit there, and chat a bit, and look out on the landscape.
Those are happy memories for me, and I'm glad to be reminded of them.
Been at the endgame for about 3 days now. Alternating between grinding out some arena runs, trying to explore all of the areas, nab all the chests, get all the hidden items and buy the "Boosters" to make the enemies more difficult, etc.
I have to say, my build is absolute shit. One thing that I've noticed throughout my 40 hour playthrough so far is that I never have great gear. The vendors have good gear, but it always requires some insane amount of items that I just don't have. And I attack EVERY bush I see, like lady at the Brazilian waxing place.
An excellent quality of life update would be the ability to flag crafting items that you need, and a quick reference of where to find those items. What constantly ends up happening is I need item A and item B, but I forget which shrubs I should be targeting to find them. So, I have to keep opening menu > Records > Botanist > R button over to the correct area > scroll down, etc etc etc. It's exhausting and I just get distracted and forget what I was even looking for.
I'm doing so little …
Been at the endgame for about 3 days now. Alternating between grinding out some arena runs, trying to explore all of the areas, nab all the chests, get all the hidden items and buy the "Boosters" to make the enemies more difficult, etc.
I have to say, my build is absolute shit. One thing that I've noticed throughout my 40 hour playthrough so far is that I never have great gear. The vendors have good gear, but it always requires some insane amount of items that I just don't have. And I attack EVERY bush I see, like lady at the Brazilian waxing place.
An excellent quality of life update would be the ability to flag crafting items that you need, and a quick reference of where to find those items. What constantly ends up happening is I need item A and item B, but I forget which shrubs I should be targeting to find them. So, I have to keep opening menu > Records > Botanist > R button over to the correct area > scroll down, etc etc etc. It's exhausting and I just get distracted and forget what I was even looking for.
I'm doing so little damage at this point that the arena battles take ages, and I get cut down pretty fast. I'm mostly spec'd as a Brawler so maybe that's normal, maybe I need higher defense? I just can't get any good gear.
Currently level 56 and my gear level average is 49. Far too low.
I can't accurately portray how happy this game has made me in my 35 hours so far. I never play games for this long without getting to the point of "when is this going to end?" Although it also helps that I don't have a lot of games in my queue.
I just got to the final chapter, and reached that incredible point in RPGs where you can cross the "point of no return" and hit the endgame, or level up, get the perfect gear setup, etc. Luckily, CrossCode provides several options for getting ready for the endgame (as CrossCode itself takes place inside of an MMORPG), including an Arena, which has all kinds of awards like better gear.
I am excited to finish this game, but only in the sense that I'm going to be wrapping up a huge journey I've been on for about two months now. There's some DLC from what I understand and as of this writing, I'm still planning on partaking.
Well guys, I am an idiot. Yesterday I posted about how frustrating CrossCode was getting (specifically, the boss of the second dungeon). Turns out, I had an entire Circuit and 28 POINTS to assign to upgrades, including a huge increase in defense, melee attack, HEAT RESISTANCE (the idiot throws fire at you and I kept getting burned status) and OH YEAH a 30% increase in Elemental cooldown, which allows you to use your ice spell without it running out of energy. So basically all the things I needed to beat the boss, I had on me the whole time, just never activated it.
In other words, I was playing Solitaire with half a deck. Assigned my points and beat the boss in 4 minutes on the first try. Can't believe what a goofball I am.
Anyway, on to the next area!
I finally made it to the boss of the second dungeon, the Faj'ro Temple. This game is no joke. I've also come to realize I cannot play this game unless I am absolutely sober - the puzzles and the battles in this dungeon require laser precision and focus. No joke, I had two beers last night during the Super Bowl, tried playing afterwards, and I just couldn't pull off the complex controller maneuvers to get through these puzzles.
Seriously! Check out this gameplay vid @ about 13:00
The idea is to switch between the fire and ice elements, to keep the right angle water pillars frozen, while bouncing fire around the four targets to allow you to shoot ice to freeze the pillars. No joke it took me a half hour on this ONE PUZZLE. Couldn't do it while I was drinking, just didn't have the finger dexterity.Here's another part that just about sent me into a ragequit no less than a dozen times @ 39:30:
You need to correctly angle your ice shots to go through that little machine, while the enemy number steadily increases, and actually get more difficult to the point they're shooting laser beams at …
I finally made it to the boss of the second dungeon, the Faj'ro Temple. This game is no joke. I've also come to realize I cannot play this game unless I am absolutely sober - the puzzles and the battles in this dungeon require laser precision and focus. No joke, I had two beers last night during the Super Bowl, tried playing afterwards, and I just couldn't pull off the complex controller maneuvers to get through these puzzles.
Seriously! Check out this gameplay vid @ about 13:00
The idea is to switch between the fire and ice elements, to keep the right angle water pillars frozen, while bouncing fire around the four targets to allow you to shoot ice to freeze the pillars. No joke it took me a half hour on this ONE PUZZLE. Couldn't do it while I was drinking, just didn't have the finger dexterity.Here's another part that just about sent me into a ragequit no less than a dozen times @ 39:30:
You need to correctly angle your ice shots to go through that little machine, while the enemy number steadily increases, and actually get more difficult to the point they're shooting laser beams at you. If you die at any time, you start over completely. This was a really rough one.
Anyway, so I'm stuck at the final boss currently, although I think I need to do a quick level grind so I can get a boost to my ice spells.
I need to spread these temples across multiple days, because I actually feel a slow but sure build-up of stress as I play. The warnings I received were legit.
Played CrossCode for 3 hours straight last night. This is going to be quite a ride - I'm getting some vibes back to a mobile game from ages ago called "Zenonia", not to mention all the beautiful SNES games from a bygone era. Such a fun game, really looking forward to playing this more.
I also really like the puzzles, looking forward to getting into the next dungeon.
IT IS HERE! After 70 days in transit, it has finally arrived. I cannot accurately explain how much I am looking forward to playing this game! The steelbook is beautiful!
Well, it took two damn months but my package finally arrived...... in the country. It's somewhere, out there... looking forward to meeting you some day!
really good game from what i can remember. a lot of things to accomplish, many of them hard enough to scratch that egotistical itch we all have, but also completely optional for those of us who have no itch except io.
i don't remember exactly why i stopped playing, but i have vague memories of it starting to get too hard for me, especially the bosses. i did tune down the combat difficulty and that was better, but my interest in the rest of the game fizzled out still. the fact that i can only remember two characters probably says something about that lol. but whether that's my problem or boring design on the dev's side, i can't rightfully say, not having played past the first half and all. maybe next time's the charm!
