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

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  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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.
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  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.
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