![]() ![]() The frame rate also can take a dive from time to time. ![]() The biggest examples of this are the menus, which always stutter or outright freeze whenever you try to access them. Unfortunately, for all the ways that CrossCode makes great use of modern technology, there are a few hiccups as a result of the PC to Nintendo Switch porting process. The whole ‘game within a game’ conceit is quite clever and prevents this 40-plus hour sci-fi adventure from ever becoming too stale or generic. CrossCode isn’t afraid to get very meta in this way, poking fun at several established video game tropes and staples to entice the odd chuckle out of you. Leah herself is very much a conduit for the player, remaining voiceless for a lot of the main adventure to the point that it becomes a reoccurring joke. Such emphasis on story is something you wouldn’t typically see in the games CrossCode pays homage to, and you’re always given the opportunity to flesh it out further thanks to literally dozens of side quests.īoss battles take full advantage of the various skills Leah can acquire, often forcing you to flutter between ranged and close-up attacks. Set almost entirely within a fictional MMO aptly named Cross Worlds, you play as avatar Leah who must navigate all seven regions – each unique from one another – key to solving this Matrix -like world’s central mystery. The world that CrossCode sets you in is by far one of the best aspects it has going to it. And while puzzle-laden dungeons and thoughtful boss battles help break up the pace, killing is still your primary action. You’re constantly slashing at enemies up close by tapping the R button or taking down foes from afar using the protagonist’s basic ranged attack. Many people have likened CrossCode to the early Zelda games since it first released, but the truth is that it shares more in common with Square Enix’s Trials of Mana series, largely due to how it handles combat. The seven regions feel distinct thanks to the in-universe MMO conceit. It follows in the footsteps of Shovel Knight and Bloodstained Curse of the Moon in that it looks gorgeous thanks to its smart used of 16-bit pixel art, but the Switch’s much-improved technical capabilities allow it to play smoother than any true SNES game ever could. CrossCode is a nostalgia-fuelled 2D action RPG in the best way, knowing exactly when to innovate its mechanics beyond the era it’s aping without ever falling too much into a more modern style of play. Luckily, the arduous wait has been worth it. In CrossCode ’s case, its nature as a retro-style throwback to the glory days of the SNES means that it’ll be welcomed with open arms by players hungry for old-school adventures. Not because PC indies finding a home on the hybrid console is anything particularly new – far from it. Originally crowdfunded on Kickstarter before eventually releasing on PC in mid-2018, this Nintendo Switch version of CrossCode has been a long time coming. ![]()
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