Summary: 8.3/10
Disclaimer: Review was made from when Postgame content was still being added to the game.

CrossCode has been one of the few *very* polished early access games that has reached completion. Featuring Lea, the mute player character of the ingame fictional VRMMO CrossWorlds, the game is a frenetic experience of fast-paced combat, challenging puzzles, and some wonderful graphics.

Story:
8/10

Being an RPG based on an MMO makes it hard to write around this theme. Nevertheless, for the most part, you are a character who was brought into the game because you have forgotten many things, and there are hopes that you would be able to recover it as you play.

The story is casual, if not mildly compelling. It is still better than most of the old 16-bit RPGs it emulates.

Gameplay:
9/10

This section does not include puzzles.
Combat is very slick with fast-paced actions, tight timing windows, and enemies with obvious tells but hard counters to your attacks or strategies. Combat is also very flashy, with many skills you could use to eliminate foes, and there's a lot of emphasis on equipment.

The game is rather on the hard side, as all enemies worth noticing are puzzle bosses, and they require twitchy trigger fingers and fast-paced reactionary times to maintain the curve.

Combat highly encourages perfect blocking or knowing how to dodge, windows are very strict.

Treasure and Navigation:
7.5/10

This deserves a mention. Exploring maps is fun, but sometimes, backtracking is a pain and looking for all the hidden treasures will leave your head aching, due to the multiple Z levels you have to trek, some spanning multiple maps.

One of its greatest weaknesses is that navigation is very easy to flub, and if you're on a higher level trying to jump to the next mushroom and miss, you'll have to walk all over there again to retry.

Puzzles:
7/10

Its strongest point next to gameplay, to an irritating degree. Many puzzles require very fast reaction times, and later, it almost feels like you're playing Kaizo Mario or I Wanna Be The Guy instead of a puzzle game.

Nothing is more frustrating than knowing the solution of a puzzle, but failing it 30~ times because your aim with the bubble-bobble-esque ranged projectile mechanics is bad.

If you can get past it, it's a rewarding feeling, but this limits the number of people who would actually be able to play the game with competency.

For the puzzles that don't require reaction times, those are great; cerebral even.

That being said, the devs have added Assist mode to allow you to tweak some settings, including puzzle speed, so you twitch less.

Music:
10/10

The music is one of its strongest points that isn't gameplay related; Deniz Akbulut captured the ethereal feeling of various composers, resembling a soundtrack that sounds like SAGA Frontier, Golden Sun, and Phantasy Star Online.

Every song is on point.

Summary: 8.3/10 Disclaimer: Review was made from when Postgame content was still being added to the game. CrossCode has been one of the few *very* polished early access games that has reached completion. Featuring Lea, the mute player character of the ingame fictional VRMMO CrossWorlds, the game is a frenetic experience of fast-paced combat, challenging puzzles, and some wonderful graphics. Story: 8/10 Being an RPG based on an MMO makes it hard to write around this theme. Nevertheless, for the most part, you are a character who was brought into the game because you have forgotten many things, and there are hopes that you would be able to recover it as you play. The story is casual, if not mildly compelling. It is still better than most of the old 16-bit RPGs it emulates. Gameplay: 9/10 This section does not include puzzles. Combat is very slick with fast-paced actions, tight timing windows, and enemies with obvious tells but hard counters to your attacks or strategies. Combat is also very flashy, with many skills you could use to eliminate foes, and there's a lot of emphasis on equipment. The game is rather on the hard side, as all enemies worth noticing are puzzle bosses, and they require twitchy trigger fingers and fast-paced reactionary times to maintain the curve. Combat highly encourages perfect blocking or knowing how to dodge, windows are very strict. Treasure and Navigation: 7.5/10 This deserves a mention. Exploring maps is fun, but sometimes, backtracking is a pain and looking for all the hidden treasures will leave your head aching, due to the multiple Z levels you have to trek, some spanning multiple maps. One of its greatest weaknesses is that navigation is very easy to flub, and if you're on a higher level trying to jump to the next mushroom and miss, you'll have to walk all over there again to retry. Puzzles: 7/10 Its strongest point next to gameplay, to an irritating degree. Many puzzles require very fast reaction times, and later, it almost feels like you're playing Kaizo Mario or I Wanna Be The Guy instead of a puzzle game. Nothing is more frustrating than knowing the solution of a puzzle, but failing it 30~ times because your aim with the bubble-bobble-esque ranged projectile mechanics is bad. If you can get past it, it's a rewarding feeling, but this limits the number of people who would actually be able to play the game with competency. For the puzzles that don't require reaction times, those are great; cerebral even. That being said, the devs have added Assist mode to allow you to tweak some settings, including puzzle speed, so you twitch less. Music: 10/10 The music is one of its strongest points that isn't gameplay related; Deniz Akbulut captured the ethereal feeling of various composers, resembling a soundtrack that sounds like SAGA Frontier, Golden Sun, and Phantasy Star Online. Every song is on point.