A retro-inspired 2D Action RPG set in the distant future
Meet Lea as she logs into an MMO of the distant future.
Follow her steps as she discovers a vast world, meets other players and overcomes all the challenges of the game.
Also: Lea can't speak. Nope, no heroic mime. She is actually mute.
CrossCode is ‘a retro-inspired 2D Action RPG set in the distant future’ created by Radical Fish Games, which released on September 21st, 2018. Inspired mainly by early entries in the Legend of Zelda franchise (alongside a litany of other titles), it is a top-down 16-bit indie action-adventure RPG with a fast-paced fluid-yet-intricate combat system, elaborate puzzles that ramp up in complexity as you learn their mechanics, detailed movement mechanics with precise collision complimented with the game’s smooth animations, a robust character-speccing system with leveling, equipment, consumable items and skill trees, and a soundtrack inspired by old SNES and Playstation JRPGs.
Lea is an amnesiac who is tasked with playing through an MMORPG, said to be one she had enjoyed in the past, in order to find anything in the game’s progression that might spark her memory. Well, at least, that’s what she’s told, of course, since she can’t back that up with her own memories.
There are, however, a couple problems haunting this endeavor.
Problem #1: She’s effectively mute, save for the most simplistic of phrases, added one-by-one as a brute-force work-around to a fundamental error in the brain-to-avatar translator known as ‘Speech Desynchronisation’ that a small number of players might face. She also does not know sign, meaning she won’t be able to communicate her status to others very well.
Problem #2: There are outside forces particularly interested in her situation, for reasons regarding her past that are yet unexplained.
CrossCode’s story takes place on the corporate-acquired Raritan Gem, a moon off of a gaseous planet somewhere in the Milky Way, built into the fictional moon of Shadoon by Instatainment Ltd. to host their massively multiplayer online game CrossWorlds. Through somewhat vague means, due to Lea never directly interacting with it throughout the story, players connect to ‘instant matter’ avatars using technology known as the Cross Gear and can control these virtual, yet material avatars through brainwave scanning facilitated by the titular CrossCode. These virtual avatars can interact with both the virtual and physical world of the game, though the latter is much harder to do as instant matter is very lightweight.
CrossCode's story deals with subjects such as communication, the natures of memory/experience and how they shape us, the effects of worker exploitation (in the more colloquial sense, of course) and crunch on the body and mind, the separation (or lack of) between the virtual and the material reality, the measure of the human, and the data accumulation industrial complex.
The game features a charming cast of characters, such as: Lea Hi Bye Lea Lea Hi Lea, the single person on the programming team, the only good Française, oof ouch owie my fingers, Swedish man German gamertag, Phoenix Wright grass-type variant, (not-exactly-)straight man, the guy who dies in the tutorial, his sister, Blue Man Group reject, and many more.
With 30-80 hours of content, 7 extensive unique areas with 7 expansive unique dungeons, 120+ different enemy types and 30+ bosses, 90+ speccable active combat skills (as well as tons more passive), 100+ mostly optional, yet various quests, and 60+ synthy bops, CrossCode is truly an ultimate experience.
You can buy CrossCode for $19.99 on Steam or GOG, as well as on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. There is also a demo, which you can play in-browser (due to the game running on ImpactJS) or offline on Steam. An $8.99 epilogue expansion to the game, A New Home (Steam, GOG, and previously mentioned consoles) is also available, with 4 new chapters, a new area, the final and most-expansive dungeon, 8-10 hours of content, new tracks, and a final, well-handled tying of the loose ends of the story.
CrossCode is also in the $10 (total) Itch.io Bundle for Ukraine, alongside many other greats, such as Baba is You, Celeste, SUPERHOT, and many, many more! DLC sold separately, of course.
And, for gamers without the disposable income to blow cash on a random Hexbear user’s game recommendation:
if you DM me, I’ve got the torrents, though I would recommend purchasing it later if you enjoy it! They’re working on another project right now, and I’d like to see it manifest to the greatest degree possible personally.
Today is my 134th and final day of reminding you mfs to play CrossCode :lenin-shining:
It’s been a ride, thanks for the positive response! I’ll have to come up with a new megathread bit between the time I pre-write this and the time I post this.
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