CrossCode

Radical Fish Games has taken eight years to craft one of the best indie titles of the year. With an interesting story, great combat, exciting and rewarding exploration CrossCode not only pays homage to some of the best retro action-RPGs it also proves that a small studio with love and passion for their project can rival the million-dollar blockbusters we've grown so used to. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on this future classic.

CrossCode is without a doubt one of the best RPG titles we’ve seen this year, marrying 90s JRPG nostalgia with modern gaming sensibilities to create an exceptional experience. Whether it’s the stellar combat, ingenious puzzle design or lush and vibrant world, there’s plenty to keep you coming back to CrossCode throughout its lengthy story.

It’s beautiful animations and art style, deep and engaging combat, and meta-commentary on the way we play games combine to make CrossCode a modern classic in its own right, and a fantastic throwback to one of gaming golden ages.

CrossCode really impressed me. Instead of overly leaning on the retro-inspired graphics, the developers created an exceptionally unique and incredibly fun RPG experience. Thankfully, the console release doesn’t change that, even with a few controller issues. I highly recommend this as a must-play Action-RPG, and now that it’s on consoles, we have no more excuses on why we aren’t playing it.

Interesting plot and story concept, fantastically versatile 2D combat, and some of the best dungeon puzzling outside of a Zelda game. Gorgeous graphics and soundtrack.

CrossCode is a beautiful 2D action RPG that definitely worth your while, especially if you are a fan of the genre.

Quotation forthcoming.

All in all, CrossCode is a love letter to fans of the pixel days without skimping on the gameplay. It plays like a modern third person action game, requiring precision and timing. The plot is breezy enough and there’s a certain zen-like quality to all the quests that can be relaxing. If you’re in need of a solid action RPG with content for days, then this is one you don’t want to miss.

CrossCode is an old-style 2D RPG, set in an MMO and made precious by an incredibly refined style.

The large dungeons aren’t the only places for larger-scale puzzling. Every overworld is essentially a dungeon-space: this is a game of dungeons within dungeons. You automatically jump off the edge of platforms, and the game has a great sense of physicality, compounded by the twisty environment design. Combine that with plenty of inventive puzzles, obstacles that react to certain elements, and battles, and you have an intense retro throwback that constantly presents new challenges throughout its 35-plus hours of playtime. [Issue#178, p.76]

Overall, I enjoyed Crosscode much more than I thought I would. Despite the generic and cliched start of the game, it is full of great writing and a lot of heart. Couple that with solid gameplay, beautiful graphics and a solid soundtrack and you have an indie-RPG that is easy to recommend to fans of the genre. If you're a fan of action-RPG's and fondly remember the 16-bit era, you owe it to yourself to check CrossCode out!

Radical Fish Games has done a remarkable job of replicating the MMORPG experience in a single player game, and of elevating it with the complex story and powerful character interactions of a singleplayer experience. Combine that with a beautiful world brimming with secrets, gauntlets of challenging and brilliant puzzles, and a deep, bombastic combat system, and CrossCode is an easy game to recommend. It's not a perfect game, and, like the MMOs it draws inspiration from, it can become a little bit of a drag from time to time. But the positives far outweigh the negatives, and players can bet that even when things get dull, there's a delightful surprise just around the corner.

There’s a lot to love about CrossCode, from it’s fast and frantic combat, through to it’s tough but satisfying puzzles. The MMO setting is incredibly well done and manages to mimic the online experience whilst also taking time out to make fun of itself. This is an absolutely charming RPG where it feels like there's always something new to experience.