The idea of a single-player MMORPG sounds strange and contradictory at first, but CrossCode, by ININ Games, Deck13, and Radical Fish Games, manages to weave together an experience that is the best of both genres. You take control of the main character Lea, an avatar in the canonical MMO of CrossWorlds. This game is special in that all avatars exist in the real world, so they can interface between virtual and physical spaces as well as interact with physical humans. However, each avatar in this game has a designated human on the other side of it. Every avatar except Lea, that is. As an avatar, she has forgotten everything about her past, including the human she belongs to. In order to uncover her past, she must progress through CrossWorlds as a new player and uncover the secrets of The Ancients, as is the goal of this MMO.
I’ll admit that at first, CrossCode didn’t hook me like I’d wanted it to. The idea of being an avatar in an MMO trying to discover my past was such a great idea, but after the first few minutes, there was barely any mention of it. It became just a playthrough of CrossCode, complete with fighting common enemies and finding hidden chests scattered throughout the world. I kept waiting for the main story to come back into play, but after a bit, I realized I was going about it wrong. I was trying to enjoy the MMO as story driven, but in reality, I had to pivot my mind to enjoy the grinding and leveling associated with a true MMO.
Once I realized what kind of game I was playing, the gameplay became much more engaging. I was collecting materials, crafting new equipment, and completing quests with the best of them. Every once in a while, though, the story would come back into play and I’d become reinvested. It was almost as if I was playing two games of different genres simultaneously, but I enjoyed both of them, so I didn’t mind jumping back and forth. Rather than thinking of the gameplay as a chore between story, I ended up somewhat separating the two in my mind. I’m not sure that was what the developers had in mind, but it made me really appreciate both aspects of the game itself.
In terms of gameplay, taking control of Lea felt a bit awkward at first, and I definitely had to swap around a few controls to get everything feeling nice, but once I got the hang of it, the fact that the game uses nearly every button on the controller allows for a greater sense of control over the character. I always felt like my movements were mine and thus my mistakes were also mine. The combat felt unfair at first until I learned how to not bite off more than I can chew. The map is separated into rooms and each room has little patches of enemies. Attack one enemy of a group and they’ll all come after you, but these groups were not too dangerous on their own. CrossCode has a mechanic where the more enemies you kill in quick succession, the more rewards you earn from each enemy. This had me fighting hordes of enemies and dying repeatedly without any progress. Once I gained my bearings and started healing between rooms and even between groups, the combat became much more manageable.
The art style of CrossCode has a very comforting vibe to it. I’ve seen the chosen 2D pixel art style described as an homage to classic retro games, but it feels like this game wants more to be a step into the future of indie games. It borrows ideas from the past, but builds upon them for the better. Small things like drop shadows beneath characters and different ground levels within a single room make the game feel almost 3D despite using pixel art. I really appreciated the effort put into making the game feel this way because it really did the environmental puzzles justice.
Radical Fish Games has done a great job with CrossCode. My only major complaint is that it took me too long to really understand what the game was trying to be. That being said, hopefully anyone reading this review will have a better understanding of the game going in. I think CrossCode can be enjoyed by MMO players and story-based players alike. Such a great mixture of the two leads to a very interesting game that everyone should try.
9/10
Check out the CrossCode Trailer:
CrossCode is available digitally for Nintendo Switch and PS4.
To find out more information, and to pre-order The physical Nintendo Switch or PS4 boxed versions of CrossCode, please visit: https://crosscode.inin.games/
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I am an aspiring game designer looking to explore the philosophy behind game creation. Some of my favorite games include Overwatch, Super Smash Bros, Portal, and Beat Saber.
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