CrossCode

Full disclosure, I'm like the number one fanboy of this game. Number two at least--five, definitely top five. Ten maybe. In my defense I'm pretty sure that's because CrossCode is just really, really good, I didn't know about these guys before a couple years ago, and I'm not really getting anything out of evangelizing it beyond the joy of sharing it with other people. It just excels at pretty much everything it does: clever writing, fluid combat, tricky puzzles, earwormy music and colorful art. And possibly most important, there's an incredible attention to detail and polish, with a solid foundation in good game design principles, and they continue to tweak and sand down every rough edge they find. I think the focus on "retro" actually does it a bit of a disservice, because an all-too-common first reaction is "this looks like another trashy pixel-art game among millions trying to cash in on some stupid nostalgia thing." The thing is, CrossCode isn't really trying to be nostalgic, and none of its engagement really derives from being LIKE something else you may have played on an SNES in the past. It absolutely stands on its own merits, with an art direction that is comfortable and familiar to the developers so that they don't over-promise and under-deliver. It will almost certainly remind you of things you've played before, but it doesn't really feel "the same as" anything else. And above all, whatever it's doing it's doing it well. So whether you want to get a sneak peek at a well-advanced development copy before everyone is talking about it later this year, or if you want to play it safe because you're just over early-access on principle, do yourself a favor and keep an eye on this one. I've seen a lot of people expect to be underwhelmed by CrossCode, and end up way more than just pleasantly surprised. You could be one of them too.

The Good: -Great character progression system (interesting skill tree and equipment with cool stats) -Combat is unique and very engaging -Puzzles are difficult but intuitive -Story is just great, many emotional moments -Art design is just out of this world -Music is pretty good -Characters are easy to love -Sidequests are really cool, there is even one that you play a tower defense game -Dev still updates this game The Bad: -Sometimes some interactions in puzzles are not presented clearly to the player

Cross Code is the first game I purchased pre-release (actually own it on Early Access on Steam). I've always been hesitant about investing in any game before there's a public, official release, but I can happily tell you I do not regret supporting this game. Beautiful pixel-perfect visuals, tight controls (if you're wondering, movement and combat is handled twin-stick shooter style), a great soundtrack reminiscent of Phantasy Star Online, and plenty of content as-is. I've already dumped 20+ hours into it, and that's without even touching the story (I'm waiting for official release to start the main questline).

Review from Version 0.8.5, supported on Indigogo with a lot more than the retail price of 19,99€ (also more than 19,99$). Transparency information: I am a moderator in the CrossCode-wiki CrossCode is an 2D or 2.5D action RPG with gorgeous pixelart like old 16-Bit classic games. The game combine as real time combat system with engaging Zelda-like puzzles and a gripping story Difficulty: moderate The Graphics is similar to old SNES games and a stickler for details with Parallax und cutscenes. The unique controlls allows to switch smooth and fast between melee and ranged combat, dodge, special attacks, Guard und Element attacks, to fight different enemies with there matching tactic. If you are not sure, you can try the Demo. The Music was composed by Intero, which perfectly match the Game and Environment. In my opinion CrossCode contains some of the best pieces you can get in video games. You can listen the music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/interovgm/sets/crosscode-original-soundtrack. The main story of this action RPG is about the female player and protagonist Lea. With her real Avatar she is part of an MMORPG called CrossWorlds. She has lost her Memory and tries to recover them by retracing her steps in CrossWorlds. Also her Avatar is due to an technical problem (a little bit) mute. This game is in Early Access and has not the size of the finished game. Nevertheless it can played many hours Playtime: Main: ~8h (0.8.5) Details: 40+h (0.8.5) In my opinion this game is perfect About Review & Author Edition: 3 This review is my subjective opinion. Parts can be different for other player. This review was written with the intention of completeness and accuracy. But there is no guarante for that. Thank you for reading. Leave criticism, improvements or correction suggestions as comment down below (English isn't my native language), send them as a private Message or via Discord © 2016 Streetclaw