I initially picked up CrossCode after mistaking the main character Lea for KOS-MOS from the Xenosaga series and her design pulled me in enough to watch some gameplay. Instantly I knew that this would be a game I loved. I was not expecting that this would become my favorite game ever. Never in my life has a game clicked with me so much as this game. It feels like a celebration and recreation of all things RPG while still retaining a very unique identity of its own, something that reflects the themes of the story very well.

Praises:
The combat and movement is very freeform but still feels tight like everything you do was completely intended by the developers.
Customization is very good even with obviously overpowered builds.
The music knows exactly what role to play in each instance serving as a backdrop to more peaceful moments and remaining bombastic and adrenaline inducing in the high tension moments.
The story for the most part doesn't let one moment drag on for too long or get too little attention allowing it to flourish when it needs to and is heavily packed emotionally.
The exploration was easily the highlight of the game for me. Every single aspect of the level design feels interconnected and actually feels like a proper world even when the game actively calls attention to the fact that its world is virtual.
RPGs that have an in-game dictionary to flip through if you don't remember a particular terminology in the story are always a great thing to have.

Criticisms:
Characters outside of the main cast (Lea, Sergey, Emilie, C'Tron and various spoiler characters) of the story can be kind of hit or miss especially the ones that think they're really funny and that's their only character trait.
The jungle section takes waaaaay too long and the railroading of uninteresting CrossWorlds story was very annoying especially on a second play through. The non CrossWorlds story was however near its peak here.

TL:DR
Overall CrossCode is an extremely well thought out and passionately made game that never stops feeling complete all throughout. One particular section of the game overstays its welcome, and some characters aren't particularly interesting. but aside from that the game is a great experience. Heavily recommended.

I initially picked up CrossCode after mistaking the main character Lea for KOS-MOS from the Xenosaga series and her design pulled me in enough to watch some gameplay. Instantly I knew that this would be a game I loved. I was not expecting that this would become my favorite game ever. Never in my life has a game clicked with me so much as this game. It feels like a celebration and recreation of all things RPG while still retaining a very unique identity of its own, something that reflects the themes of the story very well. Praises: The combat and movement is very freeform but still feels tight like everything you do was completely intended by the developers. Customization is very good even with obviously overpowered builds. The music knows exactly what role to play in each instance serving as a backdrop to more peaceful moments and remaining bombastic and adrenaline inducing in the high tension moments. The story for the most part doesn't let one moment drag on for too long or get too little attention allowing it to flourish when it needs to and is heavily packed emotionally. The exploration was easily the highlight of the game for me. Every single aspect of the level design feels interconnected and actually feels like a proper world even when the game actively calls attention to the fact that its world is virtual. RPGs that have an in-game dictionary to flip through if you don't remember a particular terminology in the story are always a great thing to have. Criticisms: Characters outside of the main cast (Lea, Sergey, Emilie, C'Tron and various spoiler characters) of the story can be kind of hit or miss especially the ones that think they're really funny and that's their only character trait. The jungle section takes waaaaay too long and the railroading of uninteresting CrossWorlds story was very annoying especially on a second play through. The non CrossWorlds story was however near its peak here. TL:DR Overall CrossCode is an extremely well thought out and passionately made game that never stops feeling complete all throughout. One particular section of the game overstays its welcome, and some characters aren't particularly interesting. but aside from that the game is a great experience. Heavily recommended.