CrossCode Review | A Hidden Gem

CrossCode is a beautiful single-player MMORPG (a contradiction in terms!) that has somehow slipped under the radar. I recommend you check it out.
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#CrossCode #RadicalFishGames #IndieGames

[@Gharon]

One of the best indie games i've played in the last few years. I really liked the gameplay, puzzles and combat, but the biggest draw for me was the story and the characters. Everything is incredibly charming with amazing writing through and through. I'm especially impressed with the protagonist Lea. How they managed to make her so loveable even though she can only speak a few select words is masterful. The dialogue portraits of all the major characters are very well made, but Lea's is even a step above those. She has so many little nuances in her expressions that you can easily understand how she feels at any given point despite her speech impairment. And I just LOVE her smug face when she succeeds in something... i give this game a "Lea!" out of 10. "Hi!"

[@rhiannn3416]

I love Emilie and Apollo as well! Whenever I got that chance, I'd put Apollo and Emilie together in my party. By far the two funniest characters.

[@leftovernoise]

I was on the fence for the first 5 hours or so. I thought the combat and story were meh. I can't pinpoint when it happened, probably around the time I had both fire and ice, I was fuckin hooked. Did have to lower some difficulty things but I'm ok with that. Think I'm 35 hours in now it it has its teeth firmly sunk into me.

[@danieljwhatley]

Small note about the "grinding" .. you say your playthrough was about 50 hours, and would have been a lot more if you did all the side quests. But in reality, if you had done all the side quests, you would not have had to do all the grinding. 50 hours is about what I clocked as well, having chased down nearly every side quest and treasure in the game.

[@Maharani1991]

+

[@Nyxy-Noo]

And this does make sense as well. Because you get EXP from killing enemies AND from doing quests, therefore you get the ability to choose rather fight endless enemies or just do a lot of quests Both are pretty fun to me at least.

[@kyou_on]

Also, doing side quests and finding treasures return good equipment, which somewhat eliminates the need to buy them from vendors. I rarely buy equipment in the game unless the new equipment is far superior than my current equipment, which is usually not the case. Currently 50+ hours in and found all treasures after reaching Rhombus Square. Could've save some time if I knew there's a treasure tracker device for sale.

[@Will-xi2nl]

@@kyou_on theres a what now. I am SO gonna be using that oh my gosh

[@rhiannn3416]

Yeah. Doing quests levels you up wayyyyyy faster.

[@adiveler]

My GOTY for 2018!

[@jmiller6066]

Same! I knew it was going to be good when I played the original demo several years ago, and it surpassed even my high expectations. Great soundtrack, expressive characters, interesting premise and story, great gameplay, actually difficult puzzles, exploration and discovery, it's got everything I ever wanted in an action RPG.

[@willrose7885]

Thanks for taking the time to review this game! It was my personal favorite game from 2018 by a longshot and I can't wait to play through it all again once the switch version releases. Definitely get that the temples can feel too long at times, and some of the grinding for gear won't be for everyone. Although I enjoyed the combat so much I actually wanted even more of a grind!

[@Someone-xn6yh]

Side quests =/= grinding. Very few side quests actually require you to grind mobs. Like at most 10% of them.

[@tekkins]

Someone most if them have u fight bosses or follow people around or find things

[@rhiannn3416]

ANd you don't even need to grind. If you're good enough, you can pretty much go straight to the bosses. You have to be really good though, and I ain't that. I spend SO long trying to get better equipment.

[@coredeadman5980]

@@rhiannn3416 lol i almost never traded for equipment, i just hunted so many chests.....some chests (very rare) have equipment within them. Did like 3 Trades and i'm Level 48, just finished the last big Dungeon.

[@rhiannn3416]

@@coredeadman5980 ugh what a legend 😔✊

[@BDtetra]

I've played 66 hours and done 95%+ of the sidequests in ver1.0. I collected all the artifacts and tried to 100% the unique gear and chests. The only "Grind" I've done through the whole game was to get certain materials to craft gear, and even calling what I did as a grind doesn't seem right since I spent very minimal time doing it (probably less than 5 hours in total). I've spent much more time exploring the map and gather secret chests than actually "grinding". I've played the highest available difficulty in that version throughout the game and I still never felt the need to grind (for exp or gear) at all. The grind was purely for collection purposes. I guess technically I was unintentionally gaining levels by trying to collect all the chests before proceeding but I would call that just exploring.

[@Maharani1991]

The landscapes and enemies look GORGEOUS. I absolutely love this style of graphics.

[@widget3672]

I just finished the game and I have to say that as frustrating as some puzzles and arenas were, it made them terrifically rewarding to beat. If you've got the time to play and the tenacity to not shy away from a challenge that will really test you, then you'll find the temples, enemies and puzzles very rewarding.

[@Raffze]

It's nice to see Indie games get some coverage. I bought this on a whim when I saw it on Steam thinking I'd refund it after a bit but it ended up being absolutely amazing. It's almost criminal how little attention it's gotten from gaming publications.

[@RekagonPants]

Just beat it last night. So glad to have picked it up, and I'm looking forward to everything they'll add in updates. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggled with the puzzles, I've never been the best but some of the later ones took a lot out of me to do.

[@lisannastrauss4487]

I haven't exactly played a lot of games in my life, let alone actually finished them because I just lose interest (I believe I only finished two Zelda games and one that I got for free a while ago), but this game is one that I already have over sixty hours in. I personally don't mind the long dungeons all that much, but I don't mind turning off a game halfway through one either, so that might be a factor in that. I don't mind the grinding for items either, although I did look up the locations of some things here and there. Sure, the bosses were hard at times, but I just kept on trying, and when I did manage to win, it was such an euphoria rush. I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I just want to say that I adore the game, and that I can't recommend it enough.

[@Rubidius]

Highly recommend this game. I hope it gets even more coverage.

[@robo2729]

Adrian Dion well then they need to release it on ps4...been waiting for years.

[@jasondp3546]

This or outer wilds?

[@Rubidius]

@@jasondp3546 CrossCode

[@jasondp3546]

Adrian Dion nice man I was going through the summer sale also really don’t c nothing good or if it is good I already have it lol... really slim choices guess I’ll give it a go ty buddy!!

[@Shaewaros]

Really great review. I've enjoyed playing Crosscode, but the long temples and hunting for crafting materials is sometimes exhausting. Also, I don't think you mentioned that Crosscode captures the feeling of SNES action RPGs like Secret of Mana almost perfectly, which is very rare for these type of "throwback" games.

[@textexadecimal9340]

I really wish you had the option to just PAY for most of the weapons. Like it wasn't a fun experience to fight the same enemy on repeat for the *chance* of getting an item or worse, realizing after searching through known monster drops that you just CAN'T buy a certain weapon yet. Like, I would much prefer if each item was just stupidly expensive without the base resources, and you could bring in the resources yourself to reduce the price. All in all, I'd say just because other games do it, doesn't make it fun.

[@egoalter1276]

Equipment progression is entirely unnecesseary. Its diagetic difficulty adjustment (in addition to the already very well featured assist mode), not a core part of the game. You 'build' if you can call it that, is made through the circuits, not through gear, so you are safe to ignori it unless you are struggling with combat.

[@cashnelson2306]

Yeah he mentioned Zelda which I guess I see the comparisons but this is waaaay more Secret of Mana than Zelda to me

[@mapron1]

9:00 only places why you need extra precision is outdoor optional puzzles. With Autumn Rise puzzles requiring pixel perfect shots (but you stand still, not attecjed by and have infinite attempts, so it's fair). If you going through the story and dungeons there never be such puzzles (you probably figured some weird non-optimal solution, as I see in your video - you doing shots in unintended way). You will have a lot of time and a wide windows in all obligatory puzzles. I found many guides also have clunky solutions, so that was probably your case. If you remember room name I can say if there was a pixel perfect shot, really.

[@597das]

whooo! thanks for covering my favourite video game :D

[@Latchfpv]

This game just appeared in my steam library one day. I am pretty sure I backed it and forgot about it a ways back. Pretty happy they included the cheat menu to help out those of us who aren't as nimble anymore. Need to put some time into it, thanks for the review.

[@keonf5426]

Another fantastic review, thanks for all the hardwork chris!

[@senario4]

great review as always! I was kinda suprised how cheap it was (16 USD in NOK). Gonna check it out

[@joearnold6881]

Oh I forgot about this. I put in like fifteen hours before being distracted. This game is so so good.

[@utisti4976]

The best part of this game is the music. It sounds just like an old Pokemon game. :D

[@cvoghel]

Just letting you know that Erik from Internet Comment Etiquette watches your videos quite a bit apparently. Thought that was pretty cool, and that you’d find it cool too. It’s how I found you actually, and I’m glad I did, so thanks Erik.

[@spugediwestern78]

These mad lads turned puzzles into an action mechanic!

[@bnjkf9u3]

It's a great(!) game and I wholeheartedly recommend it to pretty much everyone. I stumbled into it through a podcast and really fell in love with it (also I have to admit that I paused playing it after ~25 hours, since Hitman 2 took up all my (very limited) time). Don't wait, just buy it! :)

[@GVRCLaTeX]

I bought the game on GOG, but didn't manage to check it out so far. Thanks for bringing this up again Chris.

[@hadialkhafagi7421]

Hey great review dude. I totally agree with the puzzles in the late game and the depth perception for platforms, They get really annoying

[@Croatz]

Crosscode reminds me of the sci fi book "Fable Hill."

[@marcoose777]

It's a great game, looks gorgeous, the game play is smooth and fast, with plenty of exploring, puzzling, dungeons, and parkour to keep you occupied ... what's not to like. Filthy frobits anyone?

[@razlem]

I know right! It seems so weird that I haven't heard this game in major outlets. The soundtrack, the graphics, I LOVE IT SO MUCH! But man, the dungeons and puzzles are very long though. Especially that one puzzle in the end. Especially too when Emilie beat you to it and smashes that victory on your face.

[@Grimbonez]

4/5? So only slightly better then anthem? Guess i should skip it then... /half sarcasm half i think the rating system is broken Lololol For real though, this looks like the perfect switch game.

[@Grimbonez]

@Jason U it...it was a joke....did u miss the /sarcasm bit. also, u cant exactly use hard math to judge a review scale, as there's no formula to say exactly what each rank means. you can say 4 is 33% more then 3, but on a review scale they could be only slightly different, or massively different, depending on the person. the whole point was that anthem is boring, unfinished, bad story, bad characters, unbalanced and every other negative thing from the review, and this game is only 1 point better then THAT. either this game isnt that good or anthems score is too high, hence the second part, "i think the rating system is broken" again its a joke, he even already said the as a game, anthem would be a 2, only gave it a 3 cuz he had some fun.

[@QuestionThings123]

I will play the living shit out of this if it comes to the Switch!

[@Gagostrong6735]

It's out today! on the switch! A year later :) !

[@ZoraPMC]

Perfect portable game.

[@rocketscientist14]

How the fuck did I never hear about this game?! I just saw it on someone’s post on Facebook.. needless to say I already purchased it.. this is the Zelda game I’ve been wanting for so long now!!

[@EVILAKUMA]

How is it ?

[@ryanwaasdorp]

@@EVILAKUMA It's pretty good, especially with the final DLC having been released. The story is somewhat predictable, but the characters are really likable and combat grows in complexity. It has a good mix of fighting and puzzle solving, side quests are tons of fun, environments are pretty engaging and worth exploring. Endgame is particularly good.

[@AsatorPrime]

Can’t wait for the switch port.

[@qasderfful]

Unfortunately, according to developers, there won't be a Switch port. steamcommunity.com/games/368340/announcements/detail/3410812292167245946 The second half.

[@rhiannn3416]

@@qasderfful Nah, it's on switch pretty soon. Or it might already be.

[@danielgiovanniello7217]

@@rhiannn3416 One more month baby

[@Gagostrong6735]

It's out today on the switch !!!!

[@titanicww2345]

It is currently included in Xbox Pc gamepass.

[@paulc7400]

The game looked interesting when it popped up on my feed years ago but at all the risk of sounding shallow and offending the art style didnt vibe with me. I know artists worked hard at it but thats just my honest opinion.

[@superflymagpie]

You were able to present this game better than the Steam Store page.

[@felliu7785]

XUI280 like almost every steam store page no ?

[@superflymagpie]

@@felliu7785 Not every steam store page, but I get what you're saying.

[@randomdude8877]

I enjoyed the game so much. Yea it sadly is overlooked. Well it feels like it is.

[@ehrtdaz7186]

grinding in this game is something you don't have to do at all at any point

[@GatoEpico]

celeste a game from 2018 got an award in 2020 while this game that reached 100% possitive rating did not , kind of weird. the NG+ changes most dialogs + the post game DLC on the make

[@Smily613]

I've been wanting to play this game for what seems like forever, but that switch version just won't come out! Good to know it'll be worth the wait though.

[@madmaster0015]

So what do you think of Hollow Knight? I personally really love the game but I'm not a big fan of the charm system (so many charms, not enough notches) and Godmaster personally does feel as rewarding as it should be for all the struggles it puts you through.

[@BentDoorFrame]

imagine a game like this... but you have a life sim on the outside of the fake mmo where you have to earn money for the premium currency in the in game mmo lol, i want to make that game!

[@Speedether]

So... A Zelda inspired Indie .Hack? I'm in!

[@carlosnataniel3801]

Anyone know when it’s coming to switch?

[@JimPanzeeEsq]

I presume you use the mouse to aim projectiles? Will that be a lot harder with an analogue stick on Switch??

[@revlarmilion9574]

There's shooting and melee and the two control methods favor one or the other. Personally, using a controller worked just as well.

[@AIIPlanet]

I used a controller aswell and it worked perfectly fine.

[@JimPanzeeEsq]

@@AIIPlanet Oh yeah, I'm sure it works, but he keeps saying how difficult it is. I can only imagine a controller would raise the difficulty by being less precise than a mouse.

[@Gharon]

@@JimPanzeeEsq It wasn't an issue for most of the time for me. There are a few puzzles with very tight timing but i managed them all just fine with a little practice. Of course i can't say if they would give you any troubles but as he mentioned in the review you can also adjust the difficulty of those puzzles somewhat if you struggle too much. Aiming wasn't really ever an issue in combat either, you get used to it very quickly.

[@LucasRazorBlade]

Man, this looks fun! :D

[@iycgtptyarvg]

Thanks for the video. At 8:40 you gave me the information I needed. Considering I'm terrible at execution, I've removed this game from my wishlist.

[@videoket]

Keep in mind you can change the speed of puzzles. No shame in that. But if this game isn't your cup of tea, not an issue!

[@textexadecimal9340]

9:56 Each temple can take up to a few hours to complete? I'm sorry TEMPLES? Not trying to sound leetist, but the first 2 took just less than an hour. Maybe some players will make shorter work of them if they have experience with the likes of Portal or Factorio.

[@Gsoda35]

the game is a pleasure for me even if I do agree with your review mostly. my main complaint is that I am locked to the blue hair choice. never been a fan of the colour blue since it looks unnatural to me.

[@danielgiovanniello7217]

I am now broke because I spent about $70.00 on the collector's edition for Switch.

[@goodToons007]

Me too

[@danielgiovanniello7217]

@Captain Reset ...What? The reasons it's so much is because it takes a lot of money to produce these physical cartridges. What exactly makes CrossCode not worth the money? The special edition comes with a load of shit, including a steel book. As far as the switch itself goes, it's cheaper than every other console current gen console at launch and it has some incredible games on it. I genuinely don't get what you're trying to say.

[@danielgiovanniello7217]

@Captain Reset let's just agree to disagree because, truth be told, I really don't care about how much the switch is in the UK or whatever you have to say. Have a nice day.

[@danielgiovanniello7217]

@Captain Reset bruh what the actual fuck are you on about? Why bring politics into it you loon? I paid for the switch because I like its library, that's why I didn't mind the $300 USD price tag. Also, current gen consoles tend to launch at $500.00 USD are are not portable. Hell, I don't even own an iPhone. What the fuck is your actual problem?

[@TitiusBodeVids]

Good review man

[@CaidicusProductions]

I bought this game for Switch and my sentiments are largely the same. If I had to summarize the game in one sentence, I'd say it's excellent but tedious.

[@digitalnation2876]

that's the plot of megaman, oh i'm sorry if you didn't if it exist,

[@apexwolf5]

I'm new to PC and to gaming via keyboard and mouse. I have low end specs, 16GB Ram (2x8) and a GTX 1060 4GB. I'm actually looking for games to hone my keyboard and mouse skills on because I'm novice with a capital N. Is this a game that a complete PC novice could use for gaining skills or would I be jumping in the deep end? What other games would people recommend gar a novice like myself?

[@jaxxh6529]

it arives on july 9 on the #switch and it will be great even the soundtrack so? cant wait for more reviews to come out

[@UltraCasualPenguin]

Looks interesting and it is coming to Game Pass but getting ganked by high level players is something I don't like.

[@СшаСша-ф5о]

Luckily it's not an online game at all.

[@jmarra07]

Does anybody know of a similar game but it's turn based battles?

[@utisti4976]

The old Final Fantasy games maybe?

[@Vintasticvin]

Phantasy Star

[@jmarra07]

@@Vintasticvin Thank you

[@jmarra07]

@@utisti4976 True

[@-pressxtostart-]

Chained Echoes 😂

[@olthdorimirth6055]

Playing this game in Highschool was the best... Reee... I wished this had more coverage.

[@ryanfrancis3839]

50hrs??!!! Tf?! Who has that kinda time to grind. Damn shame game looks interesting

[@flapjackgd937]

As others have been saying, this review absolutely overblows the grinding aspect of this game. The most you’ll ever do is maybe go back to a previous area for a little while to get materials for a piece of gear, and even then most gear pieces can also just be found around in the world with no need to get materials to trade for them. The game still clocks in at around 50 hours, but it is an RPG and it’s all worthwhile content. Side quests also are really solid, while a bunch of early ones are simple most involve unique bosses or gamemodes. One involves you playing a tower defense game, one involves you ‘breaking the game’ with an NPC and accessing a dev area, etc etc. it’s all really good.

[@robertwallen1582]

Just wish it would come to switch already. The had to delay all console releses. Here is hoping for 2020!

[@ItsHomingbird]

WAIT WHAT THE FUCK YOU CAN SLOW DOWN THE PUZZLE???????

[@Makoto03]

i hope this comes to PS4.

[@muajin]

So...this game isn't really an mmo is it?

[@emilyminnow]

Nope that's just the fictional setting the story takes place in, if that makes sense. The character just happens to be in an MMO but it isn't actually multiplayer.

[@litarogers3984]

good review but "the only issue was a lil too much grinding" and "i was a little overleveled" is..... an easily fixed problem? just dont?

[@hjge1012]

Curious comments at the start of the video. You say you 1) don't like grinding, and 2) that you are overleveled. So why not simply grind a bit less?

[@konradvonmaisfeld6428]

You should've watched the video before commenting. He doesn't contradict himself, he said he went back after beating the game to record more footage from earlier levels and that that's why he looks overleveled in some clips.

[@planescaped]

Yeah, I think you misheard.

[@inoob26]

This game was so hidden, one streamer on Twitch literally has the most viewership vs every other streamers combined

[@revlarmilion9574]

The rushed ending ruined it for me. It would've been a great game if it had paced itself. It didn't need to go by quickly, I was ready to drown myself in it like in an MMO. Instead it pulled out all the stops in ways that ended up hurting the narrative.

[@felliu7785]

Revlar Milion how was it rushed ? You realize that a lot of people wanted to see only the story and complained that it was too long

[@revlarmilion9574]

@@felliu7785 It's a matter of consistency. The game paces itself very well early on, it maintains a slow pace for many, many hours. Then you hit a turning point and it loses steam. That turning point is the Vermillion Wasteland, which increases the tension dramatically, only for the game to go back to dungeon-delving afterwards and slow down again, wasting all that tension. Then the game contrives a way to get all the characters involved in the finale without really giving them a piece of the stakes, other than their relationship with you. If the game had spent more time developing the supporting cast and giving them reasons to go on this final mission, instead of just assuming that they would, the ending would've been paced more consistently. Personally, I would say the easiest fix would've been to have every character be in the original Vermillion Wasteland bit, and have those characters join you in the finale instead. Doesn't help that to this day the postgame is not there. The epilogue is still incomplete.

[@-pressxtostart-]

​@@felliu7785 a game is an interactive medium, if you are playing a video game for just story you arent human nor do you matter in thus world whatsoever. FAKE GAMER just want games to be movies booooooring

[@AFnord]

CrossCode sadly did not do it for me. I played it on release, and sadly I found the grind and tedium to kill the game for me. There's a good game in there, and I found some of the nods to the MMOs I played when i was younger to be cute, but CrossCode also reminded me of why I don't play MMOs anymore. I wish I could like CrossCode as much as most other people seem to, but I think this will sadly be one of those games that will forever sit unfinished in my Steam library.

[@coredeadman5980]

I don't understand, where do you have to grind? Sidequests and Chests is enough for leveling and getting gear

[@Astaticembrace]

What he said. Game seems to made in a way that 2 types of people can progress the way they want. Those who love grinding and those who love questing. And for those who aren't keen on either, the difficulty probably isn't too high and the puzzles can be real fun head scratchers.

[@theguyinthere]

9 minutes ago

[@jmarra07]

I really don't like this art style, but I hope I'll like the gameplay. Looks very childish though

[@coredeadman5980]

You probably won't like animes xD

[@MattEBF5]

what do you mean childish?

[@jmarra07]

@@MattEBF5 Maybe that's not the right word? Like, Chrono Trigger for example, is also childish in a way, but it works for what it is. I may be meaning that it kind of apes that style, but an Americanized version of it? Mostly the portraits shown in conversation and the actual character sprites in the game proper. Environments and enemies look good though.

[@ChicCanyon]

guy literally spoiled the game in his review because he thought it was predictable.

[@qasderfful]

Uh, you're misleading people. There won't be any Switch release anytime soon, or maybe ever. Source: steamcommunity.com/games/368340/announcements/detail/3410812292167245946 tl;dr Porting is beyond developer's capabilities due to HTML5. So no Switch release later this year.

[@videoket]

Just your friendly neighborhood time traveler here to let everybody know that a Switch port now exists, and has been patched too! It's good!

[@dominokos]

Am I the only one who really dislikes the character design of the main character. She looks like a 30+ year old woman but has that anime hair which usually teensin those shows have and it just looks kind of sad like an old woman in her midlife crisis.

[@-pressxtostart-]

Do your custom characters in games always look like you?