CrossCode

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 43
  3. Negative: 10 out of 43

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SWERY_51
    Jul 17, 2020
    9
    Pros:
    + Controls are incredibly smooth
    + Great combat gameplay + Pretty good RPG mechanics (skill trees, gear with stats, trading, loot, leveling system and more) + A game with smart puzzles, finally! + Beautiful 2D retro graphics + Lovely soundtrack + Well designed world, full of life + Intriguing story with twists + Plenty of things to do and secret to discover + 50 hours to    Pros:
    + Controls are incredibly smooth
    + Great combat gameplay
    + Pretty good RPG mechanics (skill trees, gear with stats, trading, loot, leveling system and more)
    + A game with smart puzzles, finally!
    + Beautiful 2D retro graphics
    + Lovely soundtrack
    + Well designed world, full of life
    + Intriguing story with twists
    + Plenty of things to do and secret to discover
    + 50 hours to reach the end, a lot more for the 100% completion!
    + Challenging overall (but combat and/or puzzle difficulty can be tweaked)
    + Solid 60 frame-per-second on PS4 PRO
    + One of the very best 2D action RPG ever made!

    Cons:
    - Auto-jumping mechanic can be tricky to master
    - Not always simple to figure out the different cliff heights while jumping
    - The map doesn't show precisely where your character is    … Expand
  2. HeftyTenders
    Jul 17, 2020
    5
    The game has a great concept, and the story is fascinating, but I quit and uninstalled it midway through. There's only so much of the designers' "difficulty equals slightly bigger rooms and more annoying enemies" style of challenges. The puzzles are often inspired, and most of the characters are at least interesting, but I simply could not justify the annoyance and frustration of anotherThe game has a great concept, and the story is fascinating, but I quit and uninstalled it midway through. There's only so much of the designers' "difficulty equals slightly bigger rooms and more annoying enemies" style of challenges. The puzzles are often inspired, and most of the characters are at least interesting, but I simply could not justify the annoyance and frustration of another room asking me to now kill 37 of the enemies I just fought in the prior room, albeit in fewer numbers. The combat isn't fun or dynamic enough to keep me playing within the context of these design choices.… Expand
  3. Subject98
    Jul 16, 2020
    10
    Saw this wasn't getting a whole lot of reviews, wanted to drop my two cents. I played it on PC a while ago and absolutely loved it. It surpassed my expectations in nearly every way from gameplay to the RPG system, to the story. If you're into retro-style action RPGs, Zelda-likes, Ys games, Alundra, etc. Whatever you're playing right now, finish it and pick this one up. It's got pretty muchSaw this wasn't getting a whole lot of reviews, wanted to drop my two cents. I played it on PC a while ago and absolutely loved it. It surpassed my expectations in nearly every way from gameplay to the RPG system, to the story. If you're into retro-style action RPGs, Zelda-likes, Ys games, Alundra, etc. Whatever you're playing right now, finish it and pick this one up. It's got pretty much everything you need and more.… Expand
  4. Pablocortesi
    Jul 18, 2020
    10
    Le di una oportunidad a este juego sin muchas expectativas, pero me encanto, logre completarlo al 100% con todos sus logros, me tomo cerca de 25 horas. Disfrute mucho su historia y jugabilidad. Muy recomendado.
  5. Steyraus
    Dec 28, 2020
    4
    By the same guys that made the terrible game The Surge this is just a cut and paste of all games done badly.
  6. rafaelmsoares
    Jul 16, 2020
    10
    It's impressive how much is there in this game and how fleshed out each element of it is. In this game alone you have a very fun to play action RPG, great platforming and exploration, deep character customization options, amazing puzzles, great graphics and a 50+ hours long adventure. It's definitely a great package and a steal at 19,99.
  7. brachypelma44
    Jan 30, 2022
    3
    Puzzles. PUZZLES! Why does nearly every action/adventure game seem to think it needs them? The control of your character in this game feels nice and responsive after you get used to it. Unfortunately, I got stuck on a puzzle room immediately after leaving the tutorial area, and was never able to get past it, so puzzles completely ruined this game for me.

    I only need two things from    Puzzles. PUZZLES! Why does nearly every action/adventure game seem to think it needs them? The control of your character in this game feels nice and responsive after you get used to it. Unfortunately, I got stuck on a puzzle room immediately after leaving the tutorial area, and was never able to get past it, so puzzles completely ruined this game for me.

    I only need two things from action/adventure games: good combat and fun exploration. If I'm constantly getting stuck on puzzle rooms, and have to stop playing the game to go look up how to solve each puzzle to move forward, the game has stopped being fun, and I'd rather just not play it any more. Super frustrating, because I liked the combat in this one.

    Stop with the damn puzzles in this kind of game. That goes for every developer out there. If I wanted to play a puzzle game, I WOULD'VE BOUGHT ONE! Let action/adventure games be action/adventure games. UGH.    … Expand
  8. RuriGokou
    Aug 5, 2020
    5
    I'm disappointed for purchasing this game off of PSN recently. I watched the trailer and was thinking, "Wow, this looks kinda cool. I would enjoy playing this over the summer!" I looked a little bit online about it. I read some reviews saying it's like Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past. I thought, "Cool! I wouldn't mind playing a game like the Legend of Zelda." The 2D pixel art looksI'm disappointed for purchasing this game off of PSN recently. I watched the trailer and was thinking, "Wow, this looks kinda cool. I would enjoy playing this over the summer!" I looked a little bit online about it. I read some reviews saying it's like Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past. I thought, "Cool! I wouldn't mind playing a game like the Legend of Zelda." The 2D pixel art looks great, and the music isn't that bad either, but that is where my praise ends.

    This game is nothing like the Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past. Not sure why people are comparing it to that. The combat is annoying. I'm 4 hours in and at the start of chapter 4 as I write this. For a game that claims to have "fast paced combat" many of the first enemies you meet require you to slow down, guard, hit them in a specific spot, or enemies just dodge so much it's hard to kill them. How is that fast paced? It made killing anything such a chore and slowed down my progress because I needed to grind to be able to defeat anything. You're barely given any sort of decent increases when you level. 2 point increase to HP? Wow...

    Getting any sort of treasure chests you see on the field is such a chore as well. Many of the chests are off the beaten path. You can usually see them, but to get any of them require you to find some kind of ledge to jump on. Then onto a higher ledge, and do a series of maneuvers and jumps from ledge to ledge to get to the spot with the chest. It's very tedious, and I'm sure the contents are worthwhile to get. You'd be able to trade them in the market for better gear, but I feel like it's just not worth it.

    Another thing that isn't worth it is the amount of content the game throws out at you all at once. I guess if you're into 100% item lists and collecting things than you'd love this, but personally I don't enjoy such content. I actually would have given this game a 4, but I gave it one whole point because the trophy list doesn't include any of this finish all item lists, maps, enemy drops, quests or whatever like in a Star Ocean game.

    The dialogue isn't very interesting from what I've encountered so far. I've skimmed a lot of it honestly. Story is nonexistent so far. Nothing about the game's plot interests me to continue so far. Other than I spent 20 dollars to purchase this. That's not very good for the first few hours of play. I want to be drawn into the world. Not complain how the dialogue reads like a Saturday morning anime from the 90s. I like that it's sort of like the .Hack games, but because of the grindy nature and how getting better equipment is through some tedious barter system. It makes playing furstrating.

    Honestly I thought this was more of a quest like a Zelda game. Going around a map exploring dungeons with puzzles and picking up new ideas. There are puzzles but they're just these annoying shooting timed puzzles. In the first hour of the game, you deal with them. They're tolerable, but I definitely could see how they'll annoy me later if there is more. And it sounds like there will be much more of the same stuff later on.

    Overall it's a pretty generic action RPG game aside from the pixel art and above average music.    … Expand
  9. Zerachiel
    Jul 12, 2020
    8
    It's a work of art. Omg I can't believe I was born in this Era and I am able to play it.
  10. Jusalilpanda
    Oct 5, 2020
    10
    Tight platforming and combat, satisfying (if challenging) puzzles, and only a sprinkling of grinding (for the completionists; entirely optional). The story is intriguing, too. Obviously gorgeous with a nostalgic-though strong-score. I'm 19 hours in and hooked.
  11. zMiiChy-
    Sep 13, 2020
    10
    I usually don't like puzzle games but I honestly really enjoyed this one. Please do yourself a favor and check out some gameplay on youtube or wherever to see if it looks fun to you. Don't look at the low user score and decide not to try this game. Look up some videos, check out some gameplay, buy it if it looks fun to you. For the price it's set at it's worth the buy.
  12. torq314
    Sep 14, 2020
    10
    Absolutely stunning and unique. A modern variation on a 16-bit RPG theme. It's a fully scaled 60h RPG, with quests, characted building, real time combat system and puzzles that blow minds - I finished every single Zelda game released so far but what I experienced in CrossCode is just another level, something that possibly is not even possible in a Zelda game as it would be considered tooAbsolutely stunning and unique. A modern variation on a 16-bit RPG theme. It's a fully scaled 60h RPG, with quests, characted building, real time combat system and puzzles that blow minds - I finished every single Zelda game released so far but what I experienced in CrossCode is just another level, something that possibly is not even possible in a Zelda game as it would be considered too difficult.… Expand
  13. Flynt
    Aug 9, 2020
    9
    Oh boy, let me tell you how glad I am that someone on a podcast I listened to mentioned speaking with the early developers to this game years and years ago, probably at an E3 conference or something of the like. Sitting here in the middle of a pandemic, really needing some kind of gaming distraction—despite having played all the way through FFVII Remake, Persona 5 Royal, TLOU2, and GhostOh boy, let me tell you how glad I am that someone on a podcast I listened to mentioned speaking with the early developers to this game years and years ago, probably at an E3 conference or something of the like. Sitting here in the middle of a pandemic, really needing some kind of gaming distraction—despite having played all the way through FFVII Remake, Persona 5 Royal, TLOU2, and Ghost of Tsushima just over the last few months. It’s actually because of all of those games that Crosscode was the game I really, but didn’t know I, needed in my life. If you don’t mind old school retro-platformers and action RPGs—many allude to the “Metroidvania” genre, but I would prefer to consider this to be a crossover between an old Legend of Zelda style gameplay but with all the Action RPG Mechanics of Legends/Secrets of Mana game.

    The platforming and game design is simply brilliant, much better than any Castlevania or Metroid game I’ve ever played (trust me, you can tell they worked very hard to make you think and revisit your mistakes in ways that lead to the ‘Eureka!!!’ solution moments we all enjoy so much at times. I must warn anyone interested in this game, then be warned, however, it is quite long—probably 40-50 hours of actual gaming content just in the storyline, more—like double or triple that—if you really try to look for everything. In addition, there are still a few odd bugs that force the game to crash and need to be patched, but they’re rather rare now and the game auto saves every time you leave or enter an area—any sized area, which is really nice!    … Expand
  14. Nahna
    Sep 16, 2020
    10
    Jogão (razoavelmente) no estilo dos Zelda 2d. É um RPG de ação que simula - de forma convicente - um MMORPG. Exploração, templos, quebra-cabeças, personagens carismáticos e uma história bem feita. Vale muito a pena (tanto que finalizei no Switch e PS4).
  15. jcasualmente
    Aug 3, 2020
    9
    CrossCode proved to be an incredible game that encourages you to face your difficulties during the game. There were several moments when the puzzles were very challenging and it was necessary to stop to understand what the correct solution was. In addition, it also forces you to use defense and dodge at all times to find the correct weak point of enemies. The game is an incredibleCrossCode proved to be an incredible game that encourages you to face your difficulties during the game. There were several moments when the puzzles were very challenging and it was necessary to stop to understand what the correct solution was. In addition, it also forces you to use defense and dodge at all times to find the correct weak point of enemies. The game is an incredible discovery and recommended mainly for fans of The Legend of Zelda, who will notice several positive similarities of the title.… Expand
  16. Godhand1982
    Feb 17, 2021
    10
    This game is honestly one of the greatest indie titles ever made. As a 38 year old life long rpg fan I can't recommend it enough. Everything from the story to the combat, visuals and sound is just top tier. If your a fan of the classics then don't sleep on crosscode buy it now.
  17. Awanka
    Mar 21, 2021
    6
    The best of the new wave of retro JRPGs I've played so far, but that's not saying a lot. Combat is fast-paced, and the way elements and a wide variety of special moves are integrated makes it fun. There are a lot of very annoying enemies though, for example enemies that are invincible except for brief windows like the sand sharks, and gimmicky boss fights where figuring out how to doThe best of the new wave of retro JRPGs I've played so far, but that's not saying a lot. Combat is fast-paced, and the way elements and a wide variety of special moves are integrated makes it fun. There are a lot of very annoying enemies though, for example enemies that are invincible except for brief windows like the sand sharks, and gimmicky boss fights where figuring out how to do damage is a puzzle in itself. This game involves a lot of killing of enemies to farm materials to craft items, and can at times be a bit grindy.

    This game has a LOT of puzzles, and they can be quite difficult and unintuitive. The closest analog to to the puzzle design would be Lufia 2 I think, but the puzzles here are way more intense. I would go so far as to say that Crosscode has as many puzzles as a pure puzzle game like Talos Principle. These puzzles are sometimes delightful, but are also often an exercise in frustration. A rule for puzzles as a part of the gamer-designer pact I believe is that you know all the rules of the puzzle. Otherwise it's just unfair. You could spend hours trying to figure out something that is impossible because you didn't know certain mechanics of the puzzle. Also way too many of the puzzles involve incredibly obnoxious trick shots where you have to experiment with a richochet shot until you get the exact angle similar to playing pool. I'm not exaggerating when I say that 20% of the gameplay are trick shot puzzles. A lot of them are also timed. Seriously, who's idea of fun is this?

    There's definitely a story here, and in the long tradition of JRPGs, it's pretty bad and overlong. The writing is quite melodramatic, and the characters always use 5 lines to say something that can be said in 1. It just takes way too long to tell what is a quite goofy story which I imagine was written by a 40 year old man wearing a sailor moon outfit.

    A lot of effort went into this game, and I can tell it's a labor of love. This game has so many questionable design decisions associated with it though. It's a great example of designers doing something just because they could, without asking themselves if they SHOULD. Although I appreciate the elements that went into the game, the final experience just isn't that much fun.    … Expand
  18. Spzb
    Apr 18, 2021
    10
    Einfach Top.! Erinnert an die alten Pokemon Spiele, ist unglaublich spannend und sehr schwierig. Ich kann dieses Spiel jedem empfehlen.

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. GameCritics
    Sep 16, 2020
    70
    CrossCode is an ambitious title, has a strong style that fans of this type of RPG will appreciate, and the combat is great. Unfortunately, the lack of a compelling narrative and loads of filler made it an experience that didn’t convince me to play to the end.
    Read full review
  2. TheSixthAxis
    Sep 16, 2020
    90
    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.
    Read full review
  3. Finger Guns
    Aug 6, 2020
    70
    There is a lot to love in this indie RPG, with a wonderful level of detail. It’s just a shame that it has only the bare bones of a plot, and some MMO tropes that should have been cut.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »