Mini Review: CrossCode - Fast-Paced Action RPG with Beauty and Brains

CrossCode is a fast-paced action-RPG for those who love old-school style adventures. It’s set in the distant future where MMO’s are played with physical avatars that get to run around in a sort of high tech theme park, complete with large dungeons to explore and NPCs giving out quests to every hero willing to help.

The story does tread familiar ground -- the mute protagonist, Lea, has lost her memory and you’ll need to progress through the fictional MMO storyline whilst also trying to regain your real-life memories. While it’s a little slow to begin, both the MMO and real-life storylines are pretty compelling. There are also plenty of well written and incredibly likeable characters to get to know.

Lea is a Spheromancer class, which means that she not only has strong melee attacks but can also fire out projectiles at will. This comes in handy not just during combat but also in solving many of the fiendishly tricky puzzles that block your path. Dungeons are crammed full of them and they require you to use both speed and precision to succeed.

There’s a surprising amount of content in CrossCode, with everything from an expansive skill tree to master, as well as a trading system in place to get the best equipment. There’s also a gorgeously detailed overworld to explore, with many hidden treasures to find, as well as plenty of sidequests to keep you busy. These uncover more of the world’s lore as well as just being really fun to complete. On its default setting, the game is pretty challenging so you’ll need to try to complete as many of these quests as you can to gain their rewards.

There’s a lot to love about CrossCode, from it’s fast and frantic combat, through to it’s tough but satisfying puzzles. The MMO setting is incredibly well done and manages to mimic the online experience whilst also taking time out to make fun of itself. This is an absolutely charming RPG where it feels like there's always something new to experience.