This is a criminally overlooked game that deserves to be mentioned with some of the very best indie games ever made. At first glace, a 16 bit RPG with an isekai premise sounds overdone but CrossCode if anything is more of a tribute to 2D Zelda games in the skin of classics like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger. It attempts the action RPG in a 2D setting and while it can be a bitThis is a criminally overlooked game that deserves to be mentioned with some of the very best indie games ever made. At first glace, a 16 bit RPG with an isekai premise sounds overdone but CrossCode if anything is more of a tribute to 2D Zelda games in the skin of classics like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger. It attempts the action RPG in a 2D setting and while it can be a bit difficult to get used to the combat at first as you cannot just mash your way through it, when you learn how to break enemies it becomes so much more satisfying.
I say this game is more of a Zelda game than a traditional RPG because of its puzzle heavy dungeons. Like Link's quests, you travel through some pretty intractate dungeons which branch out and wrap around each other, solving puzzles and defeating enemies. The puzzles are a fair bit harder than most Zelda games which might be a turn off for some but they're built up very well over the course of each dungeon introducing new elements and eventually you get sprawling brainteasers to deal with. The story is a bit slow going as it sets up all the characters but the characters are all good enough to keep you intrigued until Chapter 7 when the story takes a big twist and everything is recontextualised. This game is worth playing for Chapter 7 alone! The dialogue is also pretty witty and fully of meta humour that pokes fun at MMORPGs and video games in general. Apollo in particular is the best character in the game.
Sadly there are a few minor issues which really hold the game back from being a 10/10. There is one puzzle towards the end of the game which, while forshadowed during the story, is incredibly obtuse and not very obvious what you're supposed to do, I had to look up online to figure out how I was supposed to do it. I also feel like the dungeon pacing is a bit warped as you do three dungeons back to back late game and they're all right next to each other on the map. In most Zelda games you at least have to traverse a new area to get to your next dungeon but while you get to choose between two dungeons at this point it can make everything feel quite long when you do a gauntlet of dungeons.
I also have to give praise to this game's scale. This is an indie game that is longer than many triple A games, the fact that an indie studio made a 35 hour long RPG is a commendable feat in of itself. Its easy to spend well over that before you finish the game.
Give this game a chance. If you love Zelda games and RPGs, you will love CrossCode.… Expand
CrossCodeYour Score0 out of 10User Score
