CrossCode

My Playtime: 86.7h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): Yes (~12 achievements).
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~49 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
CrossCode is an action RPG game where you play as a character playing an online game. Since it's an online game in-game, you'll be able to make a party with up to three players, although some dungeons won't allow you to do it.
Pros:
- Various enemies and bosses
- Tricky puzzles
- Tons of content: sidequests, arena, chest hunting, and more
- Freedom to do any build that you want
Cons:
- Can be grindy to 100%, especially the end-gear grind
- Timed puzzles
- Game only auto-saves when you move between screens
Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Should you buy this game?
Yes.
If you like action RPG games and don't mind a little bit of grind, buy this game.
In-Depth Review
Visuals
Despite using pixelated visuals, CrossCode's visuals are superb. All characters look like they are alive, and the environment in each region is so beautifully done with its effects and detailed pixel art. You'll have to spend some time to adore the art from time to time.
Story
Meet Lea. Lea is the blue-haired character that you'll be using, playing in an online game and interacting with people. Except that, her speech module is broken. Since CrossCode is made to be very realistic, there is no text chat, so she has to improvise. It's always fun to see how she have to work around her limitation to convey her messages with limited words and expressions. Thankfully, Lea is expressive enough to let the other person know what she's thinking.
As for the actual story, the game tries to be light-hearted when it tries to introduce the online game part. It tries to be as close to an online game as possible in its dialogues and people; there are casuals that try to have fun, and there is also someone that tries to immerse themselves in their roleplaying. Moreover, people will also not forget that they also have real life to do. I like how the game tries to touch this part, unlike other games that act as if people have no life whenever they are playing online games.
However, that doesn't mean that CrossCode is purely light-hearted. It will hit you with the hard stuff once the moment is right, making you empathize with the characters. CrossCode also tries to make the in-game characters likable, even those that are remotely close to Lea. It makes them feel human, and I enjoyed the game more because of it.
The Game
Gameplay
As an online game, you'll be exploring area to area, dungeon to dungeon. You are free to explore them alone or with 2 other friends that you can invite to your party. Having more friends will scale the enemies' HP, although they will give some dialogues and can help you with the killing while you focus on doing something else. Each area is mapped into a certain map that you can put some markers in, which is helpful if you want to mark some chests that you can't access yet.
A lot of secret areas are available. Most of them in the early areas require you to get some powerups in the later dungeons, while the end-game areas require you to use your wits to find out how to access them. Some of them might be accessible from another area, some will require your attentiveness in checking jumpable platforms. It feels like playing a puzzle game all the time, figuring out how to access a certain area in all maps. If you are not in the mood for it, these areas are pretty much optional and you can just skip them right away.
However, the puzzles won't be optional anymore once you enter the dungeons. The dungeons usually have harder and more puzzles, forcing you to use your wits to solve them. I even had to rethink my approach several times, sometimes giving up since I couldn't seem to find out how to solve them. Although I liked doing these puzzles, sometimes they can be too much, especially for the timed ones. I hate them since you have to do the actions quickly.
Combat
CrossCode has numerous ways of combat. You can hack your enemies with melee or go long-range. Dodging enemies also can be done by dashing or putting up a shield. However, some enemies might force you to change your approach - some attacks can't be dodged or blocked with a shield, while some enemies are more effective with melee or long-range. You need to learn the enemies' attack pattern every time you moved to a new area, especially since they can kill you if you are not careful.
Enemies are very bulky, though. It always feels this way whenever you move to a new area. Enemies will have a higher level and it can take a long time just to kill them. Moreover, they will also hit hard, killing you often in the process.
The game has a unique combo system. There will be a bar that goes up whenever you kill a monster in a chain, which will lead to a better drop. However, you will only get EXP once you end your chain, and since your HP will recover faster if you are not in battle, it helps to take a break from time to time to avoid getting killed.
Dying is annoying. It will reload your progress from your latest save, and it can give trouble if you don't save too often or still learning how the enemy works. Imagine that you just finished a quest and then died to an enemy right after. You had to redo the quest again with all of your previous progress lost. I hate that the game doesn't save my progress after doing a certain activity at all, forcing me to redo everything again, and most importantly, lose the previous EXP and other stats that I had accumulated in between.
Build
The other thing that is notable in CrossCode is how you are free to make your build. There is a skill tree that you can use with some passive and active skills that you can learn. Moreover, changing your element will also change your stat, and you are free to build them all into the same build or try some variety. You are also free to reset them whenever you want, as long as you have enough materials to craft the item.
Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 86.7h. It has so much content! I haven't even finished everything yet; I decided to skip the arena since I needed to take a break. The game is fun, but it can be exhausting to play, especially since there is always a small grind hidden from time to time if you want to 100% it. Heck, even the endgame gear requires you to fight some buffed enemies that can take ages to finish, and store-bought gear doesn't look that appealing in comparison. You are not required to get these of course, but it will be easier for you to finish the game with it.
Conclusion
Despite having a lot of things to do, CrossCode does all of them perfectly. You'll get busy with a lot of activities, especially if you focus on the optional ones, while still having to find time to continue the story. I liked the light-hearted dialogues and how it provides so many collectible, but also provide an easier way to detect which one you missed. If you like action RPGs and don't mind a bind of grind, CrossCode has so many things in store for you, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed with it.

> Recommend game to friends
> Friends no play game
> Still recommend game to same friends because more people need to play this wonderful game

The main character can only say about 6 words but she is still more charming and interesting than like 90% of other video game protagonists I can think of.

how the
why are people not playing this
this is on the level of cave story, hollow knight, binding of isaac
this deserves to be mentioned along side the indie greats

Criminally underrated indie game

This game is so good. The combat hits my brain just right, the exploration is fun, and whenever i start getting bored of one thing i can always pivot to the others. It plays like an upgraded SNES era RPG. Highly recommend this game, so long as you don't mind jumping puzzles.
Also the Linux port is one of the most polished I've ever seen, well done.

Hi! Lea!