(Or: What’s Your Problem, Man?)
CrossCode is an indie action RPG / puzzle game developed by Radical Fish Games. It first released in early access on May 18th, 2015 before having its full 1.0 launch on September 21st, 2018. It follows Lea, a player of the fictional MMO CrossWorlds who has mysteriously lost her memory. It follows both Lea’s journey as well as the plotline all other Crossworlds players experience. It’s good! I strongly recommend it!
I first tried it in 2021, but dropped it after around 10 hours. I could not remember why, and for years the memory of the game ate away at me. I loved CrossCode… right? Why did I ever quit? I gave in recently: I simply had to play it again. And so I have! I remember why I quit now; I have found it, so far, disappointing. This will contain some spoilers for CrossCode, but nothing I’d consider major.
(Or: In Which The Goose Whines)
CrossCode is split largely into three gameplay sections: side quests, dungeons, and exploration. While there is an extensive story (more on that later), a lot of the plot points are delivered through conversations and not bespoke setpieces, although there are a few of those too.
Let’s start with the side quests. CrossWorlds is supposed to be an MMO. Therefore it is only natural that the majority of side quests are the types you’d find in an MMO, or at least the idea of one. You go to a themed building, talk to an NPC, do some menial task, and collect your reward of 12 XP, a cookie, and a nickel. While they were novel at first, nearing the end of the game I have lost interest in them. Many boil down to going to an area and fighting select enemies. Others are short puzzles. I already got this through the exploration! None of it is bad per se, it just loses its luster after 30+ hours. These activities are fine as filler content, they are sidequests after all, but the game does expect you to do a majority of them. Many are in quest chains, meaning not doing one will leave you with less later (though this is typically contained to one area). If this wasn’t the case, I would be able to be more selective in what I completed. Instead, I found myself moving the game to my second monitor like it was a chore. Can you tell I wouldn’t enjoy a real MMO?
The exploration is the area of the game in which I am the most frustrated. When it's good, it’s good. The feeling of finding secret chests and reaching new areas is exhilarating and something CrossCode really succeeds in. Levels are dense, and often more vertical in nature than they first appear. In the first few sections of the game, I’d go to an area, do the “normal” route, then later reexamine it to get all the secrets. This is a compelling gameplay loop and it’s what got me hooked on CrossCode initially. At the same time, levels are dense and are often more vertical in nature than they’ll first appear. In later areas, I’d find myself going through the entire level without a clue on how to reach certain areas, only to later realize it requires to go to one specific place and never fail a jump. The game's art style is great, but it is also not suited towards this; often it is not clear how high certain areas are in respect to each other. This leads to many frustrating jumps that look possible but aren’t (or are possible but are extremely finicky). As levels balloon in size, their strict navigation requirements become more frustrating. The reason I am even writing this article is that I reached the largest area in the game, went through all of it, did not get to the majority of its higher sections, realized I needed an upgrade, got it, and proceeded to eat shit, finding basically nothing after going through half the map again.
The top jump is possible, the bottom one isn't. I think this is mean >:(
This is a skill issue, of course. I like to think I’m good at most games, but anyone who knows me will know I have problems with most of them that boil down to “goose was bad at this part.” And I like to think I’m usually reasonable about this sort of thing but for this yeah I’ll admit it’s just me being bad. I am apparently not observant enough for the exploration. But it’s still a valid criticism in my opinion: what was my favorite aspect of the game, what made me fall in love with it in the first place, became a chore, and then became so esoteric that I decided it wasn’t worth my time at all.
So if I’m not playing the side quests, and I’m not exploring, what exactly am I playing the game for anymore. The story? Ehhhhhhhh. The story is fine. It gets the job done. The characters are really endearing, but that's about it. From where I am now, I can predict what will happen pretty easily. A story being predictable isn't an actual mark of quality IMO, but if I predict it being mediocre then it is :). The MMO world building is also fine, if a bit generic and forgettable. The logistics of the MMO itself is interesting, but the game doesn’t do enough with it IMO.
(Or: Good Things Are Possible If You Simply Believe)
The dungeons are the best part of the game, and are the real meat of it in this goose's opinion. Each one is a layered, largely linear (but with some branching paths) puzzle labyrinth. Almost everything feels fair and clever. Lot’s of “a ha!” moments, as they say. I cannot stress enough how they are the “real” game. They contain some combat sections, but they’re more puzzle-like in nature, often requiring specific moves to be used in a particular way (the combat is pretty darn good on its own by the way). Once or twice in a dungeon there's a puzzle that's so fast I am practically forced to use assist settings to slow the game down, but that’s not a huge deal. I have at least one dungeon left in the game, possibly two. I’m hyped. I’m ready. I have zero intention of doing anything besides them.
I like CrossCode. I really, really do. For the majority of the game, I’ve had an at least pleasant time with it, even with the occasional rough patch. But as the game has gone on and the areas have expanded in scope, the negatives have only grown. That’s why I’m writing this review now, with the last dungeon(s) still yet to be played. No matter what surprises lay in store, CrossCode has too many nitpicks or larger problems to ignore. I’m not mad, just disappointed.