Developer: Radical Fish Games
Publisher: Deck13
Release: Out now
On: Windows, Mac
From: Steam, Itch.io, Humble, GOG
Price: 15, $20, 20
Satirical website Hard Drive once ran a story which poked fun at the long, drawn-out nature of most RPGs. In a hard-hitting investigative report, one player was commended for finally getting to the good shit at the 117-hour mark of a fictional title, while his roommate scoffed at him for only making it mid-way through the game. Like most RPGs, CrossCode is an immense and time-intensive experience. Learning all the facets of its world from the combat system to trading with merchants does take a substantial amount of time, but it also makes every minute of this long stretch of time matter. This is done by framing its story as a game-within-a-game , lightly knocking on the fourth wall rather than blustering through it, showing familiarity with the genre, while subverting it at the same time.
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