First and foremost, thank you for the support, I really appreciate it and I'm glad you guys enjoyed the video so much! On a more serious note, I think there might be a bot impersonating me in the comments asking you to click a link or something. That ain't me boss, don't listen to it. Oh and regarding okamiden, a lot of you have pointed it out, I should have made this more clear in the video but when I said "sequel" I was referring to a console sequel. I think that's it, thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one!
Please implement some form of local co-op. Cross code would benefit from drop-in, drop-out local co-op so much, even if it’s limited. Playing through with my kid would be so great. When a game is so good, you want to share the experience.
Man This is such a good video! i want to say something like this but cannot put words into it. So it always stuck in the back of my mind on how many games, hidden masterpieces are never discovered cause of poor marketing.
Your thumbnail is a masterpiece sir. You put Hades, who I know. Someone else who I don't know, but Hades was a good game so I'm associating those two already. Then the urgency inspired in the "ONLY chance" and the title. I imagine that's why this video has reached so many people
@@phenex5190 Thank you! That was the plan, and I'm really glad you noticed! I spend hours, sometimes even days on thumbnails and titles cuz I really do think they're the most important part of growing as a channel. I've also got an absolutely brilliant friend who's a wizard with photoshop who helps me out a ton!
@@mhswoocer You're absolutely right, and this was a masterpiece of a thumbnail. I only recognized it for what it was bc Ludwig and another youtuber talked about the importance of thumbnails and titles in getting views. If you put out more quality stuff like this, let's just say I'm already excited to see what I will discover in your next videos.
It's got over 11,000 reviews on Steam and I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of it. Granted Celeste and Hollow Knight have _obscene_ numbers of reviews, but they're very much outside cases. That and they cut pretty quickly to the meat of their gameplay loop. Meanwhile the brief demonstration of CrossCode's combat system in this video looks quite interesting, but I have to say I gave the game 6 hours to catch my interest and outside of the comparatively engaging prologue and training rooms, those 6 hours were some of the most flat, repetitive (albeit pretty) drudgery I've ever played outside of a JRPG, and it didn't seem interested in shaking things up anytime soon. I can _finish_ Hollow Knight in 6 hours. Take a handful of fetch quests, the only ones which offer any rewards of note involve items with a 1-2% drop rate. Mow grass. Give up. Have insipid one-sided "conversations" with strangers. Grind overpowered enemies with your crappy combat capability until you instead overpower them because your numbers are now higher. Do endless platforming that mostly revolves around finding the one spot on the map you can actually go "up" a level to continue. Do some mundane puzzles. Go to next area with a new level cap. Take a new handful of horrible fetch quests. Grind enemies again. Have more insipid conversations, do more of the same platforming, etc. It's gorgeous, but holy shit how long does it take to start getting interesting??
@@MediaMunkee It's the modern expectations of Indie games thanks to Undertale, Doki Doki, etc. that people forget not many Indie games get recognized on that level.
I feel kinda bad trying to piggyback off of a higher liked comment, but I want people to see this, the game like this for me is a game on the DS called Avalon Code, it has some of the best characters I've seen in a game and probably top 5 best storylines I've seen and I think it's a travesty that it never got more attention, I only ever found one walkthrough or guide in English, and the game has a lot of things you might want a guide for.
When I played CrossCode on it's release, I was genuinely confused on why this game isn't popping off like the other indie games. It has excellent combat, excellent story, and beautiful art. It was perfect and definitely one of the top 10 games of all time for me.
@@saddogo5415 its made in germany? So like synstech? After ssethtzeeth made a review the game exploded. All this game needs is for some one popular like dunkey to make a review, thats what happened to lisa the painfull
It's absolutely criminal crosscode is as unkown as it is. Obviously the gameplay is incredibly well made as you put it and the dungeons are also really great but lea is absolutley for the BEST silent protagonist I've ever seen and more people deserve to know about her.
Gonna use your comment to bandwagon off of, if you don't mind, but check out an indie game called Oddity! It's basically Earthbound but without any of the same names. Really amazing project that still doesn't have a release date. I hope it's doing ok.
Crosscode what grabbed me was how real the characters are. The NPCs are genuinely intresting and they seem just like regular people. That's what sold it for me.
Well... Okami did get a sequel in Okamiden, the only problem is that it came out on the DS and was even less well known than it's prior game, both leading it to never get a rerelease despite being a fun followup to Okami.
I got such goosebumps when you brought up Okami. That game was one that convinced me as a kid that video games are art. Everything about it screamed passion. Had no idea it got that second chance.
@@johnleneriesanroque8156 sorry to reply so late, not sure if you're still looking for the song but it's "Logic and Tricks" from professor layton vs phoenix wright
Seeing Crosscode listed makes me so happy. I knew of the game years and remember being so hyped for, and the fact that it isn't super well known is ridiculous to me. Thanks for giving it some time in a spotlight and giving a good explanation as to why the game is great. (And if it wasn't obvious, I love the game lmao)
Crosscode was genuinely one of the best games I’ve ever played, and it’s a shame it didn’t receive more recognition. I’m so stoked to see you talk about it.
Judging from many comments here people absolutely despise the puzzles. I personally can't understand that, it was my favorite part but it seems like this was something people saw as a negative
It really hurts to see so many good games never getting a sequel because of inadequate advertising, financing issues or unjustified twitter hate trends. More content creators should focus on these topics like you. You've earned a sub from me.
Twitter doesn't have the power to cancel a franchise, that's ultimately up to the ones driving the game, they can thrive in the hatestorm (like Factorio guy) or surrender to it and give up (like FNaF guy).
@@bluetoadettethegoddess6104 Twitter tried to cancel the lead dev for some bullshit and he stood strong. Apparently the campaign backfired and ended up boosting sales.
@@Eichro That opinion he stood strong on, from what I could gather in the last half hour or so, was that he believed teachers should be allowed to have sex with their students, among other things of the sort. Not saying you were being disingenuous, but that was probably worth mentioning.
Crosscode is genuinely the single best game in any genre I have ever played, video or otherwise. It does absolutely *everything* immaculately. I consider it to be *the* masterpiece of the medium this far. Thank you for helping to give it some of the exposure it deserves
I played crosscode because of you... And you're right it is amazing. Crosscode is one of my favourite games now that I've played. I loved the story and the combat. I always recommend it aswell now
You hit the nail on the head with this. There’s a grouping of indies that people think of as indie, the Annapurna and Devolver games but they are almost another category. Many are pushed by the big 1st parties. I say this because I remember Stray winning best indie at the game awards and Cult of the Lamb being nominated I finished Stray but neither of these break my top 15 indies for that year. There are so many gems that need more of a shine, I try to on my own channel! Definitely picking up CrossCode after this.
It surprises me that this entire video didn't include a single mention of the MOTHER franchise, which might as well be the poster child for a triple-a game franchise that did poorly in sales outside of Japan, but inspired hundreds of passion projects from devs that have made quite a name for themselves now. It really seems like MOTHER's greatest effect on the world was through how it made people feel and how they wanted to create the same feeling, and honestly that sounds perfect for someone like Shigesato Itoi :)
@@aspectofdecay007 It's the series that Earthbound is a part of and the one that has been an influence on a plethora of unique RPG's with silly dialogue. Games like Undertale/Deltarune for instance credit tons of their inspiration to the series.
@@aspectofdecay007 What James said basically, it includes MOTHER (EarthBound Beginnings), Mother 2 (EarthBound), and Mother 3-- the one that Reggie never gave us. MOTHER wasn't released in the US until 2015 (as EBB) despite being released in Japan in 1989, EarthBound flopped upon release, and to this date the only way to play Mother 3 is using the fanmade English translation or the original game in Japanese. Despite this however, a lot of well known games nowadays like Undertale and Deltarune, OMORI, LISA, OneShot, and more show strong influence from the MOTHER series, with some even explicitly said to be inspired by it, and the reason why the fandom is still alive and people still know and play the games is because the fandom is lifting so much weight to spread the word about it and keep the community alive. And that's how Mother 3, a game released before I was born albeit only by a few months, released officially only in Japanese, and on the GBA (a dying console at the time), became my favorite game of all time. Also because it's a really good game so go play it please sorry for the massive paragraph lol but I hope this tells you a bit about the franchise and maybe even gets you to consider playing it, and if so, I'm glad to hear :D
Is worth mentioning that Mother is different, is not that Nintendo decided to not make them again, but that the creator specifically wanted it to be just those three games.
You ever boot up a game, hear the title music and know that the games gonna be life changing? The last time that happened to me was with Persona 3 Portable and it now happened again with Crosscode. Thank you for recommending this masterpiece.
I've been saying for the past year: CrossCode combat is like Ys except 1000000x better. This is not only because of the Elemental system which I think you described so perfectly well, but also because of the attack patterns and design choices for the enemies. A lot of effort was put into making the enemies all super fun to fight. Most of them have a little puzzle or exploits to defeat that makes the combat never feel stale.
As someone who has played both CrossCode and a handful of the Ys games, I'd have to agree, although I don't know if I'd say it's that big a gap lol. While I do really enjoy the Ys combat, especially the skills and party swapping, the ability to switch elements on the fly as well as whether you're using melee or ranged made for an insanely fun combat system, and then they added on a combo meter that goes into a frenzy mode, rewarding efficient combat. Really good way to do it and that's just part of why CrossCode is an amazing game
It's so fitting to see a Ghost Trick profile pic under a video about unfairly obscure games. I beat it last month and despite it being a relatively smaller project by the same writer, it topped anything in Ace Attorney for me, which means A LOT.
Monstrum Nox was a satisfying experience, but I really am waiting for that big generational gap for that next Ys game. The Celceta formula holds up but I want something meatier, and definitely something that stand out more visually. I mean its been two console generations and they still look and feel like a lightly remastered PS2 game or a PSVita game really.
I know i am late, but a game i have been dying for it to get more popular Is A Space For The Unbound, for me this game is a 10/10, the pixel art is stunning, the music is mémorable, and the story is one of a few that made me cry
Before he got to the question on Crosscode I was like "The question is going to be why is no one playing this game" lol. I'm also perplexed. After finishing that game I just looked up Crosscode on youtube where I was hopefully expecting to see multiple video essays but I didn't see a single one.
Speaking of difficulty, I LOVE the difficulty sliders they offer. If the timing on a puzzle is too hard, you can just slow it down, if enemies are just a bit too difficult for you, you can nerf their damage by a small percent just to really optimize your experience
This is the video that put CrossCode on my radar, i played it 2 months or so later and damn. It's really good. Thank you for informing me of this fantastic game.
This is the first crosscode content i've seen (even if the video is about indie games generally) and im so happy CrossCode is THAT good. Story, gameplay, puzzles, characters all on par with the best of the best, and all starring a character that can only say Hi!.
I bought Crosscode during early access in 2014 and it only had maybe 1 or 2 hours worth of content so I played a bit of it and never touched it again. Just kinda forgot about it. I really need to make time for it
Crosscode is one the best games I've ever played. The music, combat system, bosses/enemies design, puzzle element, characters, worldbuilding/lore. Everything was amazing
Using lightning moves and swapping to fire so the lightning move uses fire's damage numbers was probably my favorite find in the whole game mechanics wise.
@@crumble2000 one month late but better late than never Changing elements changes your statistics. If you begin an attack with a lengthy animation (such as lv3 lightning arts) and swap to another element during the animation, it will use the stats of that new element to calculate the damage of the attack. So you can do, for example, wave moves with the full offensive fury of fire stats.
I am so so so happy to see CrossCode and Iconoclasts in the same video, both of these games deserve better, both deserve more sales and more attention, played both and only finished Iconoclasts, while getting really far in crosscode only for my laptop to be too bad at the time to finish the game, lagging too much, had a potato pc what can i say. Still didnt stop me from watching someone play the rest of the game on youtube. Both of these are experiences i wish people would check out more, and im really hoping there comes a time when both do get more popular out of nowhere. Great vid!
I discovered CrossCode back in April 2021 from a video Shyguymask made, bought it on switch the next day. I just happened to be looking for that exact kind of game for weeks prior and it scratched the itch perfectly. When the dlc came out on consoles that was another immediate purchase. One of my favorite games of all time, super excited for project Terra!
I couldn't agree more with everything you just said. Crosscode is my favourite game and nobody is taking about it, it's really a shame! Thank you for bringing it into the light!
Dude, thank you so much for covering CrossCode. One of my close friends from college recommended this to me one time just after class. He showed me the gameplay and told me it was a singleplayer game but its design is akin to an MMO. I understood that immediately because I sunk a few hundred hours into Sword Art Online games but unlike the SAO games, CrossCode has this certain kind of polish that makes it one of my favorite games of all time. Absolutely great video!
Levelhead is basically an indie Mario Maker that answers many grievances people have with those games, such as level discoverability, editor limitations, respawn times and more. It made many innovations that should have become standard for level builders, HAD PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOWN ABOUT IT. It sold so poorly the devs had to move on to another game instead of continuing to support it and make the undisputed best level maker on the market. There's still an active community and more than enough content to justify the price tag, but with nobody talking about it in the wider gaming community, all the innovations it made to the genre will fall by the wayside.
I absolutely love CrossCode. Honestly? On par with Chrono Trigger, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I played the demo far too much, and burnt myself out on the first two temples 😅. I wish that more people knew about it, so here I am, serving the algorithm lol. Here's hoping that this video reaches the people that haven't heard of it!
I'm so glad you bring up Okami--that game legit is so good and it's so slept on. I still want a sequel nearly 2 decades later. In some ways I also think back to the what-could-have-been kotor 3. Currently the game I'm in love with is Satisfactory, and I highly recommend anyone who likes games like minecraft, city builder Sims, survival builders, etc--to give it a try
I found out about crosscode on some website (it was newgrounds probably) and kinda forgot about it even if i could say that i liked the demo. Some time later shyguymask posted the no break challenge on youtube and it reminded me of it and reminded me of an interaction i had with it, so some more time later i bought it (with a bunch of other games) I'm pretty sure you will believe me if i say that i have spent ~50h on this game. I got Really invested in it. The only current regret i have is that i still haven't played chapter 11 (I need to play it someday)
@@mightbeanerd I am 100% certain it wasn't 10 years ago, also while i had fun playing the demo i came to the conclusion that it does a bit of a poor job representing the game
One of the games that came to mind while watching this video was ZeroRanger. An amazing shoot 'em up with story and amazing art, game design, and music. It all fits together So Well to make an immersive experience that I felt genuine ecstatic while playing through it. I only finished it recently, but yet it still resonates with me so badly. And it's *barely known.* It pisses me off with how much time and effort went into it. I really wish for it to get more recognition. I'd recommend for everyone to give it a try, even if you don't like shoot 'em ups. It inspires from the best parts of other medias, and builds on it well. It's approachable, challenging and fun.
ZeroRanger is my favorite shmup and one of my favorite games of all time. I love this game to pieces. It hit every note for me. The intensity and emotion in certain parts of the game resonated with me in ways no other game Ive played in the past 4 or 5 years really has. The feeling I had beating it, fighting certain bosses, game over for the first time and during TLB. Man, what a towering achievement of a game. All the inspiration and references of past developers and shooters is just icing on the cake.
Marketing is such a necessary and difficult thing nowadays that it makes or breaks games, and sometimes these games just really need our help to spread the word. You're spreading a great message, man. Keep up the good work :)
Slight correction about Okami, it *did* get a sequel in Okamiden, on the DS. Other than that, this is a great video, and I definitely get what you're saying. And speaking of CrossCode since it was a big part of this, I've been wanting to play it for a long time now, but I had to wait a while for a Switch release since I don't trust my laptop since, well, it's not great. Lol. That being said, despite it now being on Switch, I haven't gotten it yet. I should do that eventually. :P
@@kori228 I still need to play it. I've played the Switch port of Okami, but I've never played Okamiden, mostly due to never owning it (Thankfully emulation is an option, cause I imagine a real copy would be insanely expensive nowadays. Lol).
Get a flashcart at least. Okamiden is amazing, but is definitely designed with the original hardware in mind. You have a 15 second limit to paint in-battle, and 30 out of battle. With the DS stylus is more than enough, but I don't want to think what using a mouse would be like.
Was about to say this myself. And it's a great game too. Limited a bit by the hardware of course, but for folks that wanted to experience more, it was fantastic.
One of my best friends keeps telling me about Cross Code and how good it is and suggested me to stream it... I never really felt like I'd wanna play it until recently... Now with your video added on top of that it's definitely in my backlog. So thanks for the video. ^^
I've actually got Okami HD in my Steam library, and I've been *enjoying* it, so I *totally* get what you're saying about what Indie games can do! As for your *first* point on how a game can blend genres you normally don't care for in a way that makes them *enjoyable* , I actually experienced that *myself* ; I don't normally like first-person shooters, *pure* sci-fi, or *horror* , but *somehow* , the Metroid Prime trilogy managed to take all those gaming genres I normally don't like, and blend them all together in a way I actually *enjoyed* ; even the *horror* aspect was enjoyable, and I normally *hate* horror with a *passion* . I think it's because all the threats Samus faces are *legit* threats to her in *spite* of her being neither *helpless* to fight them, *nor* stupid, which makes them *legit* scary (too much horror media makes the baddies victims both helpless *and* stupid, giving the impression that the baddies are *only* a threat because of that, and wouldn't be such against a *smart* person who could actually *fight back* ).
Whenever I see someone ask for metroidvania, my go to are a duo of fairly niche, but incredible ones; phoenotopia awakening and unsighted. Unsighted is a top down metroidvania that blends together ideas from Zelda, Metroid, and crosscode. Just like metroid dread, with a little tinkering and knowledge, you can break the game wide open and throw any sense of sequence out of the window. The thing that makes it niche however is that outside of menus, the game has a timer constantly ticking down. Phoenotopia awakening is more on the Zelda side, with a lot of Zelda 2 influence. What makes it more a metroidvania, is all of it's optional content. It's got an almost elden ring like quality where going off the beaten path and exploring every inch will make you so much stronger than you would be otherwise. What didn't help is that there's no map, as well as the game being balanced around a very specific defensive play style. Both games are very much with a shot. Their worlds are engrossing, fantastic to explore, and on just about every modern platform. I highly recommend people check them out
I love Phoenotopia. I wholeheartedly recommend it. I picked it up after I saw a review from the channel SwitchUp and I really wish people would talk about it more.
Great video and thanks for showcasing indie games made with passion! I made a cozy game called Button City that was inspired by animal crossing, Majoras mask, Yakuza, and our love of the arcade. It fulfilled my childhood dream of making a game that released on console and I’m so happy about it. It’s on Steam, Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S
I'm so glad you brought up Okami as an example. It's seriously my favorite game of all time and it kills me that a sequel was never made. I'm glad that all of these years later it's getting the love it deserves. I still have my original PS2 copy and I love it to death.
I've been looking for this video for a while, I wanted to get crosscode but forgot the name of it and this video was the only clue I had for it, thank you for showing me the game
The only reason I gave crosscode a shot is because it was bundled with a game I already wanted in a steam sale... It has become, far and away, one of my all time favorite games I truly agree that its downright criminal how unknown this game is
Incredibly well written video! A quick and informative glance at some of the best games I've played. May the algorithm bless you with the views you rightfully deserve.
I've never seen or heard of Crosscode before this video, but the gameplay does look like a shiny gem: Smoothe and clear. Being in development of the game I've been working on for the past 6 years, there's a lot that can be said about inspiration I've had from Zelda 2, Dark Souls 2 and Elder Scrolls series.
Thanks for reminding me of Cross Code. I was struggling to find something to play live, and I got this game in a bundle. That's my next game, whenever I get around to it.
Also recommend: Phoenotopia Awakening Awesome game, fun combat, cool puzzles, funny dialogue, fun mini games… Whole thing is fun. Crosscode is awesome, too.
Man, I just a couple of days ago I got crosscode reccomended on steam looking for some pixel rpgs and added it to my "may buy" list, and this just convinced me of it. Thanks!
The message in this video is spot-on, but honestly I never wanted a sequel to Okami. Mind you, I LOVE Okami. I frequently joke that it's "The only zelda game I Really enjoyed". But it didn't need a sequel. What needed to happen, was Clover to remain as a studio. Okami did, and Indie Games are doing what should have been the norm all along: Spiritual Successors. Not continuations or sequels. I HATE how Brand-focused our industry is right now. It only leads to studios that squeeze every bit of life out of characters as they're turned into perpetual quip-machines, or have to have key developments of their characters put off into another entry, or worst of all: How activists will latch onto a brand to use it as a mouthpiece for their politics and wear it like a skinsuit. Let titles die, their stories end, and their spirit be inherited.
Thank you for spreading the word. CrossCode is one of my favourite games of the previous decade and I am aggravated at how unpopular it is relative to other top notch indie games. I would consider it the most polished indie game I ever played with only two others I know that come close - Shovel Knight and Celeste. When I played it back in 2018 and later again in 2020 I was absolutely astonished that this game was not a product of a 30 people studio.
I know it's not an indie game, but Gravity Rush is one of my favorite PlayStation exclusives of all time. It was originally released on PS Vita, but later got an HD port and a sequel on PS4. Unfortunately poor marketing and initial sales led to GR2's servers being shut down in July 2018. ABSOLUTELY give it a try, because it deserves to get a revival in some form.
CrossCode was amazing. And not even just for the combat, which I was admittedly horrible at (I barely switched elements and kinda brute forced my way through the boss fights with healing items). It was a great concept and created an amazing world. For me the highlight was the puzzles. It's crazy how few people know about the game.
You might want to check out the mainline Devil May Cry series (3 through 5) -> Dante plays a lot like you describe CrossCode combat, with ability to switch both styles and weapons mid-combo. There's plenty of examples on youtube of just how much creative freedom the game gives you with its combos.
I actually did try out DMC5 back in may I think (sometime around then). I wasn't able to finish it due to just being too busy, but I loved what I did play!
Uh... Didn't okami actually get a sequel, okamiden on the ds? And didn't it come before any rereleases? Am I the only one who remembers that? Good video still and great point in general, just wanted to point this out.
Yeah, now it's basically the time to close out on your missing DS/3DS games. In a few more years (2030+) it'll be prohibitively expensive to own the physical copies.
Wow, pretty awesome video. As a small indie developer trying to make a living, I really appreciate the love you give indies in this video. Encouraging people to share them if they enjoy them is an awesome thing. I have barely seen any information on Cross Code before, but I want to say I might have seen a physical release copy sitting in my local gamestop. I will definitely have to check it out!
Man you mention CrossCode and it blows my mind because I’ve tried telling multiple people how amazing the combat and the gameplay is in the story in the characters and just because it’s an older style so many people younger do not want to play it. But I mentioned it to some more experienced players players who are older and they ate it off like it was their last meal. They love that I personally bought it multiple times on different platforms. Then when you mentioned Okami. I felt nostalgia and a great admiration for capcom at that time. So much so that throughout my years of playing video games with user names and where you can name your character I always made a play of Okami or shiranui strictly based off of that game alone and I was so upset that there was no proper sequel except for that DS game. When the HD version came out I went crazy getting it. I’m a huge fan of games that have admiration and love built into them as one of their main focuses. Sure games these days can come out and have love in them but games that start off as a love letter to your childhood or your past or what you grew up on just go on a whole Nother level for me.
I am shocked and almost appalled Crosscode hasn't had nearly as much attention as it should have. The game is incredible. It's combat and mechanics are incredibly robust, ost is great, story is also really good. Crosscode should get the attention that it deserves. The dev team are now hard at work on their next game called Project Juno and I would love to see more people play it and enjoy it so that hopefully they continue to make more games and maybe even an eventual Crosscode sequel (without spoiling too much, the game does end on a high note but with the potential of the story continuing).
Thank you for making this video. I'm making a game called Scholar of the Arcane Arts because it's a game I've always wanted to play myself. My fear is it will be lost in the void. But hopefully enough ppl will connect with it and spread the word!
1. Cripes. I know Okamiden wasn't that popular but it does exist. 2. More people need to play ZeroRanger. It's another passion project that blends elements from other genres and iss criminally underplayed.
Okay, I got another indie for you all to try out: *Circus Electrique* If you liked Darkest Dungeon 1 and 2, then you may be even more impressed with this game.
I’m hyped that someone is giving this game the praise it finally deserves. I bought it on Switch when I saw it on the Shop, and I’ve been following it since its Alpha days on Steam and this game HITS for me(still haven’t finished it but I have an entire backlog of games I haven’t finished yet, I’ll get to it in time). This game is fun and I cant wait for it to finally build up the community more
This is the most frustrating video essay I have ever sat through. It is very well edited, and well narrated. But if you're going to present an argument, please open with some kind of thesis statement.
I learned about the existence of Blossom Tales from your video and I am just so grateful for that. The story is, that I bought a beutiful, new game on Steam and didn’t have fun with it, so i refunded it. I was sad, that maybe i lost my spirit to enjoy video games. Then thanks to you, i bought Blossom Tales for 5€ and i am just in love with this little game! It’s criminal, that I have never heard about it’s existence until now. Also, really interesting how the shiny new games sometimes forget to be actually fun.
Supergiant never disappoints. Even their game that didn't really resonate with me, Pyre, you can still tell was made with a lot of passion and effort which at the very least I can respect. Also doesn't hurt that they have Darren Korb who is easily one of the greatest video game musicians that I know of.
Pyre isn't for everyone maybe but it's still such a fucking cool game. It's one of the rare few examples of a game I say you can't understand or appreciate without playing yourself, like Outer Wilds.
I'm happy to see a video on cross code with this many views. It's one of my favorite games of all time and it's a shame that barely anyone knows about it.
Hey man you might wanna check out Northern Journey. Playing it right now and the game is amazing in many ways. The level design is so well done it hits me with that feeling of amazement I haven't felt ever since I've played my first dark souls. Thing is, Northern Journey is known by almost no one. There are barely videos about it online, mainly a playthrough by lobos and videos by the dev. It is an actual hidden gem imo and I recommend anyone interested in unique games to give it a try
Thanks for this, was searching for an overview after Linus from LMG mentioned it as one of the greatest games he's played. This video hits the spot. Small nitpick: you said "more often than not, these great indie games weren't made to turn a profit (@6:09), yet at the end you say it's poor ROIs that doom these same games. Kind of contradictory, but I get it. At the end of the day, it's still a sad state of affairs when we keep losing these great games-which honestly the industry currently is sorely in need of-to lackluster sales (man, Okami. Why? How? That def should've been a stellar hit).
thank you for telling me about crosscode! the description and gameplay you showed of its combat showed me that its one of the things ive been looking for, for a long time
Please please please. I’m begging more more people to play CITIZEN SLEEPER!!! Genuinely life changing game. Amazing in every way. My as well have been the origin of the phrase criminally underrated.
I actually noticed crosscode on Steam the other day and added it to my wishlist, but this video definitely is pushing me to nab it earlier than I otherwise would have. I agree though, promoting indie games that you love and are super promising is a fantastic idea, as the ones that blow up, while deserving of their praise, are a rarity to be sure.
Yes! I love the passion in indie games. So, creative, unique and inspiring. We gotta support them. Also, thanks for showing Kamiko here, I didn't know it and it looks really up my alley. I'm gonna play it!
CrossCode just came up in my recommendation list on Steam. I saw some mixed reviews and skipped it. Then this video showed up later today. Not sure it is still what I'm looking for but interesting to see some perspective on it.
I'm so happy I got this on my homepage. CrossCode is legitimately my favourite game ever made and I love seeing it being talked about. But besides that, this video actually explains why indie games are so special to me and I couldn't put into words until now. Take for example Stardew Valley, taking the spirit of all the classic Harvest Moon and other farmsim games, made by just one person and which has received a lot of updates since launch, even a multiplayer mode, for free. I think the indie scene of videogames is worth checking out and while we can't know every game that gets released, I think there's actually something fit for each one of us
touching on why people make games: would like to point out that of the characters are crossworlds developers (crossworlds is the game within crosscode), each of them have their own reason to work on the game, from just loving some part of game-development, to the simple fact that they´re just good at their job, which i just find charming
Played a demo for Crosscode quite a few years ago on Gamejolt when I couldn't afford to buy video games. This video helped me remember to play it! tysm :)
I've started playing crosscode about a month ago give or take and the fact that it's not talked about much is a crime, it's an underrated gem dare I say a masterpiece
I agree in principle, but in practice, if everyone starts shouting out their favorite games, it'll create so much noise people will ignore it, and we'll be back at square one. It's a difficult problem, for sure. The worst thing is when you find a hidden gem and no matter how much you try to convince people you know (or not) to give it a chance, they just don't, for better or worse reasons. Watching such game and the studio behind it disintegrate while you can just helplessly scream is really painful. This actually almost happened to me with Bastion by Supergiant. As their first game, I just randomly bought it on Steam, and fell in love with it. I convinced another friend to give it a try, who also fell in love, but when we came to a third one, they just never got around to it. Thankfully, the studio did well enough on its own that it ended well, but the feeling when others just refuse to give something a try is heartbreaking. And that's not to say I don't understand it, I've been on the other side too, for good reasons (at least in my head). It's just painful.
In the last couple years since getting my Switch, I've been buying and being gifted physical copies of games I've had my eye on, and CrossCode is one I got MONTHS ago. But I haven't even started it. Seeing how beloved it is in spite of how little exposure it's been given is definitely a shock to me, and now I'm kicking myself for not starting it earlier. Granted, I started college this year, so I haven't had nearly as much time for gaming as of late. But if you ask me, that's hardly an excuse to miss out on an experience as one-of-a-kind as CrossCode. Due to this, I'm officially making it my New Year's resolution to play this damn game already.
First and foremost, thank you for the support, I really appreciate it and I'm glad you guys enjoyed the video so much! On a more serious note, I think there might be a bot impersonating me in the comments asking you to click a link or something. That ain't me boss, don't listen to it. Oh and regarding okamiden, a lot of you have pointed it out, I should have made this more clear in the video but when I said "sequel" I was referring to a console sequel. I think that's it, thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one!
Please implement some form of local co-op. Cross code would benefit from drop-in, drop-out local co-op so much, even if it’s limited. Playing through with my kid would be so great. When a game is so good, you want to share the experience.
Man This is such a good video! i want to say something like this but cannot put words into it. So it always stuck in the back of my mind on how many games, hidden masterpieces are never discovered cause of poor marketing.
Your thumbnail is a masterpiece sir. You put Hades, who I know. Someone else who I don't know, but Hades was a good game so I'm associating those two already. Then the urgency inspired in the "ONLY chance" and the title. I imagine that's why this video has reached so many people
@@phenex5190 Thank you! That was the plan, and I'm really glad you noticed! I spend hours, sometimes even days on thumbnails and titles cuz I really do think they're the most important part of growing as a channel. I've also got an absolutely brilliant friend who's a wizard with photoshop who helps me out a ton!
@@mhswoocer You're absolutely right, and this was a masterpiece of a thumbnail. I only recognized it for what it was bc Ludwig and another youtuber talked about the importance of thumbnails and titles in getting views. If you put out more quality stuff like this, let's just say I'm already excited to see what I will discover in your next videos.
It drives me nuts that Crosscode is as underground as it is. It deserves so much more.
It REALLY deserves more attention. It's one of the best action-RPGs I've ever played.
It's got over 11,000 reviews on Steam and I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of it. Granted Celeste and Hollow Knight have _obscene_ numbers of reviews, but they're very much outside cases. That and they cut pretty quickly to the meat of their gameplay loop. Meanwhile the brief demonstration of CrossCode's combat system in this video looks quite interesting, but I have to say I gave the game 6 hours to catch my interest and outside of the comparatively engaging prologue and training rooms, those 6 hours were some of the most flat, repetitive (albeit pretty) drudgery I've ever played outside of a JRPG, and it didn't seem interested in shaking things up anytime soon. I can _finish_ Hollow Knight in 6 hours.
Take a handful of fetch quests, the only ones which offer any rewards of note involve items with a 1-2% drop rate. Mow grass. Give up. Have insipid one-sided "conversations" with strangers. Grind overpowered enemies with your crappy combat capability until you instead overpower them because your numbers are now higher. Do endless platforming that mostly revolves around finding the one spot on the map you can actually go "up" a level to continue. Do some mundane puzzles. Go to next area with a new level cap. Take a new handful of horrible fetch quests. Grind enemies again. Have more insipid conversations, do more of the same platforming, etc. It's gorgeous, but holy shit how long does it take to start getting interesting??
@@MediaMunkee I actually haven't heard of CrossCode until I came across this video
@@MediaMunkee It's the modern expectations of Indie games thanks to Undertale, Doki Doki, etc. that people forget not many Indie games get recognized on that level.
I feel kinda bad trying to piggyback off of a higher liked comment, but I want people to see this, the game like this for me is a game on the DS called Avalon Code, it has some of the best characters I've seen in a game and probably top 5 best storylines I've seen and I think it's a travesty that it never got more attention, I only ever found one walkthrough or guide in English, and the game has a lot of things you might want a guide for.
When I played CrossCode on it's release, I was genuinely confused on why this game isn't popping off like the other indie games. It has excellent combat, excellent story, and beautiful art. It was perfect and definitely one of the top 10 games of all time for me.
shitty marketing
Exactly tho
@@ecrosenow5194 Maybe becuase it's made in germany I guess?
@@saddogo5415 its made in germany? So like synstech? After ssethtzeeth made a review the game exploded.
All this game needs is for some one popular like dunkey to make a review, thats what happened to lisa the painfull
@@NeostormXLMAX Yeah Dunkey really should play Crosscode. Also only because there is nothing ''german'' in it dosen't mean it can be made there?
It's absolutely criminal crosscode is as unkown as it is. Obviously the gameplay is incredibly well made as you put it and the dungeons are also really great but lea is absolutley for the BEST silent protagonist I've ever seen and more people deserve to know about her.
It's funny that this (kindof) MUTE protagonist is so much more expressive then most others. Including those with actual full storyboarded voice lines.
Gonna use your comment to bandwagon off of, if you don't mind, but check out an indie game called Oddity! It's basically Earthbound but without any of the same names. Really amazing project that still doesn't have a release date. I hope it's doing ok.
@Austin I. Which is why I'm saying it deserves more attention, yes.
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
@Austin I. was bouta say smug Lea lmao
Crosscode what grabbed me was how real the characters are. The NPCs are genuinely intresting and they seem just like regular people. That's what sold it for me.
Yeah, Games with likeable or interesting characters are always a huge bonus and often key to keeping me interested.
Well... Okami did get a sequel in Okamiden, the only problem is that it came out on the DS and was even less well known than it's prior game, both leading it to never get a rerelease despite being a fun followup to Okami.
Ah good, someone mentioned Okamiden!
I was like "wait this game had a sequel, I played the shit out of it"
Thanks for mentioning it
I was thinking the same exact thing lolol
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
I was about to say!
I got such goosebumps when you brought up Okami. That game was one that convinced me as a kid that video games are art. Everything about it screamed passion. Had no idea it got that second chance.
It never got a remake but a HD remaster at least. It's still a shame. I think the creator said he'd love to do a sequel to it if Capcom ever let him
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
@@johnleneriesanroque8156 sorry to reply so late, not sure if you're still looking for the song but it's "Logic and Tricks" from professor layton vs phoenix wright
It also got a DS sorta-sequel, Okamiden.
@@johnleneriesanroque8156 also felt nostalgia from it, reminds me of a MapleStory OST, Temple of Time - Road to Oblivion
Seeing Crosscode listed makes me so happy. I knew of the game years and remember being so hyped for, and the fact that it isn't super well known is ridiculous to me. Thanks for giving it some time in a spotlight and giving a good explanation as to why the game is great.
(And if it wasn't obvious, I love the game lmao)
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
Crosscode was genuinely one of the best games I’ve ever played, and it’s a shame it didn’t receive more recognition. I’m so stoked to see you talk about it.
Judging from many comments here people absolutely despise the puzzles. I personally can't understand that, it was my favorite part but it seems like this was something people saw as a negative
It really hurts to see so many good games never getting a sequel because of inadequate advertising, financing issues or unjustified twitter hate trends. More content creators should focus on these topics like you. You've earned a sub from me.
Twitter doesn't have the power to cancel a franchise, that's ultimately up to the ones driving the game, they can thrive in the hatestorm (like Factorio guy) or surrender to it and give up (like FNaF guy).
@@Eichro What happened with Factorio?
@@bluetoadettethegoddess6104 Twitter tried to cancel the lead dev for some bullshit and he stood strong. Apparently the campaign backfired and ended up boosting sales.
It always boosts sales to go against twitter
@@Eichro That opinion he stood strong on, from what I could gather in the last half hour or so, was that he believed teachers should be allowed to have sex with their students, among other things of the sort. Not saying you were being disingenuous, but that was probably worth mentioning.
Crosscode is genuinely the single best game in any genre I have ever played, video or otherwise. It does absolutely *everything* immaculately. I consider it to be *the* masterpiece of the medium this far.
Thank you for helping to give it some of the exposure it deserves
I played crosscode because of you... And you're right it is amazing. Crosscode is one of my favourite games now that I've played.
I loved the story and the combat. I always recommend it aswell now
I'm really glad you enjoyed it! And yeah, spread the word as much as you can!
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
You hit the nail on the head with this. There’s a grouping of indies that people think of as indie, the Annapurna and Devolver games but they are almost another category. Many are pushed by the big 1st parties. I say this because I remember Stray winning best indie at the game awards and Cult of the Lamb being nominated I finished Stray but neither of these break my top 15 indies for that year. There are so many gems that need more of a shine, I try to on my own channel! Definitely picking up CrossCode after this.
It surprises me that this entire video didn't include a single mention of the MOTHER franchise, which might as well be the poster child for a triple-a game franchise that did poorly in sales outside of Japan, but inspired hundreds of passion projects from devs that have made quite a name for themselves now. It really seems like MOTHER's greatest effect on the world was through how it made people feel and how they wanted to create the same feeling, and honestly that sounds perfect for someone like Shigesato Itoi :)
mother?
Mother or as the west know it as earthbound.
@@aspectofdecay007 It's the series that Earthbound is a part of and the one that has been an influence on a plethora of unique RPG's with silly dialogue. Games like Undertale/Deltarune for instance credit tons of their inspiration to the series.
@@aspectofdecay007 What James said basically, it includes MOTHER (EarthBound Beginnings), Mother 2 (EarthBound), and Mother 3-- the one that Reggie never gave us.
MOTHER wasn't released in the US until 2015 (as EBB) despite being released in Japan in 1989, EarthBound flopped upon release, and to this date the only way to play Mother 3 is using the fanmade English translation or the original game in Japanese.
Despite this however, a lot of well known games nowadays like Undertale and Deltarune, OMORI, LISA, OneShot, and more show strong influence from the MOTHER series, with some even explicitly said to be inspired by it, and the reason why the fandom is still alive and people still know and play the games is because the fandom is lifting so much weight to spread the word about it and keep the community alive.
And that's how Mother 3, a game released before I was born albeit only by a few months, released officially only in Japanese, and on the GBA (a dying console at the time), became my favorite game of all time. Also because it's a really good game so go play it please
sorry for the massive paragraph lol but I hope this tells you a bit about the franchise and maybe even gets you to consider playing it, and if so, I'm glad to hear :D
Is worth mentioning that Mother is different, is not that Nintendo decided to not make them again, but that the creator specifically wanted it to be just those three games.
You ever boot up a game, hear the title music and know that the games gonna be life changing?
The last time that happened to me was with Persona 3 Portable and it now happened again with Crosscode. Thank you for recommending this masterpiece.
I've been saying for the past year: CrossCode combat is like Ys except 1000000x better. This is not only because of the Elemental system which I think you described so perfectly well, but also because of the attack patterns and design choices for the enemies. A lot of effort was put into making the enemies all super fun to fight. Most of them have a little puzzle or exploits to defeat that makes the combat never feel stale.
As someone who has played both CrossCode and a handful of the Ys games, I'd have to agree, although I don't know if I'd say it's that big a gap lol. While I do really enjoy the Ys combat, especially the skills and party swapping, the ability to switch elements on the fly as well as whether you're using melee or ranged made for an insanely fun combat system, and then they added on a combo meter that goes into a frenzy mode, rewarding efficient combat. Really good way to do it and that's just part of why CrossCode is an amazing game
It's so fitting to see a Ghost Trick profile pic under a video about unfairly obscure games.
I beat it last month and despite it being a relatively smaller project by the same writer, it topped anything in Ace Attorney for me, which means A LOT.
Monstrum Nox was a satisfying experience, but I really am waiting for that big generational gap for that next Ys game. The Celceta formula holds up but I want something meatier, and definitely something that stand out more visually. I mean its been two console generations and they still look and feel like a lightly remastered PS2 game or a PSVita game really.
Ys, wow, I never even heard of these games. How do you even pronounce that, ees? why-s?
You're actually delusional
I know i am late, but a game i have been dying for it to get more popular Is A Space For The Unbound, for me this game is a 10/10, the pixel art is stunning, the music is mémorable, and the story is one of a few that made me cry
Before he got to the question on Crosscode I was like "The question is going to be why is no one playing this game" lol. I'm also perplexed. After finishing that game I just looked up Crosscode on youtube where I was hopefully expecting to see multiple video essays but I didn't see a single one.
Cross Code puzzles are very fun but really hard! One of the best games i've ever played.
Speaking of difficulty, I LOVE the difficulty sliders they offer. If the timing on a puzzle is too hard, you can just slow it down, if enemies are just a bit too difficult for you, you can nerf their damage by a small percent just to really optimize your experience
All fun and spheres until it's those puzzles that make you follow your own projectile
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
@@johnleneriesanroque8156 I wish I could tell you but I don't know the music :/
This is the video that put CrossCode on my radar, i played it 2 months or so later and damn. It's really good. Thank you for informing me of this fantastic game.
This is the first crosscode content i've seen (even if the video is about indie games generally) and im so happy
CrossCode is THAT good. Story, gameplay, puzzles, characters all on par with the best of the best, and all starring a character that can only say Hi!.
I bought Crosscode during early access in 2014 and it only had maybe 1 or 2 hours worth of content so I played a bit of it and never touched it again. Just kinda forgot about it. I really need to make time for it
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
Crosscode is one the best games I've ever played. The music, combat system, bosses/enemies design, puzzle element, characters, worldbuilding/lore. Everything was amazing
Using lightning moves and swapping to fire so the lightning move uses fire's damage numbers was probably my favorite find in the whole game mechanics wise.
I thought the jolt effect depended on the enemy's damage, not yours. I'm pretty sure fire is the element that depends on your damage.
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
@@crumble2000 one month late but better late than never
Changing elements changes your statistics. If you begin an attack with a lengthy animation (such as lv3 lightning arts) and swap to another element during the animation, it will use the stats of that new element to calculate the damage of the attack. So you can do, for example, wave moves with the full offensive fury of fire stats.
Crosscode: You can switch between four elements!
Dante mains( from the devil may cry series): I was made for this.
I am so so so happy to see CrossCode and Iconoclasts in the same video, both of these games deserve better, both deserve more sales and more attention, played both and only finished Iconoclasts, while getting really far in crosscode only for my laptop to be too bad at the time to finish the game, lagging too much, had a potato pc what can i say. Still didnt stop me from watching someone play the rest of the game on youtube.
Both of these are experiences i wish people would check out more, and im really hoping there comes a time when both do get more popular out of nowhere.
Great vid!
I discovered CrossCode back in April 2021 from a video Shyguymask made, bought it on switch the next day. I just happened to be looking for that exact kind of game for weeks prior and it scratched the itch perfectly. When the dlc came out on consoles that was another immediate purchase. One of my favorite games of all time, super excited for project Terra!
I couldn't agree more with everything you just said. Crosscode is my favourite game and nobody is taking about it, it's really a shame! Thank you for bringing it into the light!
Another banger of a video. I can't even fathom how many amazing indie games must have gone under everyone's radar.
THE CROSSCODE
THE CROSSCODE IS REAL
(Can we get much higher)
@@lukedelameter7961 SOOOO HIGH
@@alphatoomega7949 Oh oh oh
hey do you know what music did he use in the beginning, somehow i felt a bliss of nostalgia on it
Dude, thank you so much for covering CrossCode. One of my close friends from college recommended this to me one time just after class. He showed me the gameplay and told me it was a singleplayer game but its design is akin to an MMO. I understood that immediately because I sunk a few hundred hours into Sword Art Online games but unlike the SAO games, CrossCode has this certain kind of polish that makes it one of my favorite games of all time. Absolutely great video!
Crosscode needs much more love. Absolutely beautiful story, art, and tight gameplay. With side content its over 80 hours and it's only like $20
Levelhead is basically an indie Mario Maker that answers many grievances people have with those games, such as level discoverability, editor limitations, respawn times and more. It made many innovations that should have become standard for level builders, HAD PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOWN ABOUT IT.
It sold so poorly the devs had to move on to another game instead of continuing to support it and make the undisputed best level maker on the market. There's still an active community and more than enough content to justify the price tag, but with nobody talking about it in the wider gaming community, all the innovations it made to the genre will fall by the wayside.
Well, you've sold me, looking it up now.
I absolutely love CrossCode. Honestly? On par with Chrono Trigger, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I played the demo far too much, and burnt myself out on the first two temples 😅. I wish that more people knew about it, so here I am, serving the algorithm lol. Here's hoping that this video reaches the people that haven't heard of it!
I'm so glad you bring up Okami--that game legit is so good and it's so slept on. I still want a sequel nearly 2 decades later. In some ways I also think back to the what-could-have-been kotor 3.
Currently the game I'm in love with is Satisfactory, and I highly recommend anyone who likes games like minecraft, city builder Sims, survival builders, etc--to give it a try
I found out about crosscode on some website (it was newgrounds probably) and kinda forgot about it even if i could say that i liked the demo. Some time later shyguymask posted the no break challenge on youtube and it reminded me of it and reminded me of an interaction i had with it, so some more time later i bought it (with a bunch of other games)
I'm pretty sure you will believe me if i say that i have spent ~50h on this game. I got Really invested in it. The only current regret i have is that i still haven't played chapter 11 (I need to play it someday)
I played a demo of it like 10 years ago or something like that on gamejolt, you could be thinking of that
@@mightbeanerd I am 100% certain it wasn't 10 years ago, also while i had fun playing the demo i came to the conclusion that it does a bit of a poor job representing the game
@@duckers3240 first demo came out in 2014 apparently just looked it up
@@mightbeanerd oh yeah, but i have played the current demo
heard of it from linus tech tips of all people.
I still haven't finished CrossCode, but it is easily one of my all time favorites. You are doing god's work bringing it to more people's attention.
One of the games that came to mind while watching this video was ZeroRanger. An amazing shoot 'em up with story and amazing art, game design, and music. It all fits together So Well to make an immersive experience that I felt genuine ecstatic while playing through it. I only finished it recently, but yet it still resonates with me so badly. And it's *barely known.* It pisses me off with how much time and effort went into it. I really wish for it to get more recognition.
I'd recommend for everyone to give it a try, even if you don't like shoot 'em ups. It inspires from the best parts of other medias, and builds on it well. It's approachable, challenging and fun.
ZeroRanger is my favorite shmup and one of my favorite games of all time. I love this game to pieces. It hit every note for me. The intensity and emotion in certain parts of the game resonated with me in ways no other game Ive played in the past 4 or 5 years really has. The feeling I had beating it, fighting certain bosses, game over for the first time and during TLB. Man, what a towering achievement of a game.
All the inspiration and references of past developers and shooters is just icing on the cake.
Marketing is such a necessary and difficult thing nowadays that it makes or breaks games, and sometimes these games just really need our help to spread the word. You're spreading a great message, man. Keep up the good work :)
Slight correction about Okami, it *did* get a sequel in Okamiden, on the DS. Other than that, this is a great video, and I definitely get what you're saying.
And speaking of CrossCode since it was a big part of this, I've been wanting to play it for a long time now, but I had to wait a while for a Switch release since I don't trust my laptop since, well, it's not great. Lol.
That being said, despite it now being on Switch, I haven't gotten it yet. I should do that eventually. :P
I actually played a bit of Okamiden back on the DS, was great but I was too young to figure out how to finish it lol.
@@kori228 I still need to play it. I've played the Switch port of Okami, but I've never played Okamiden, mostly due to never owning it (Thankfully emulation is an option, cause I imagine a real copy would be insanely expensive nowadays. Lol).
Get a flashcart at least. Okamiden is amazing, but is definitely designed with the original hardware in mind. You have a 15 second limit to paint in-battle, and 30 out of battle. With the DS stylus is more than enough, but I don't want to think what using a mouse would be like.
@@tentaclesmod I already have one, I just haven't gotten around to getting the ROM n' stuff. :P
Was about to say this myself. And it's a great game too. Limited a bit by the hardware of course, but for folks that wanted to experience more, it was fantastic.
One of my best friends keeps telling me about Cross Code and how good it is and suggested me to stream it... I never really felt like I'd wanna play it until recently... Now with your video added on top of that it's definitely in my backlog. So thanks for the video. ^^
I've actually got Okami HD in my Steam library, and I've been *enjoying* it, so I *totally* get what you're saying about what Indie games can do!
As for your *first* point on how a game can blend genres you normally don't care for in a way that makes them *enjoyable* , I actually experienced that *myself* ; I don't normally like first-person shooters, *pure* sci-fi, or *horror* , but *somehow* , the Metroid Prime trilogy managed to take all those gaming genres I normally don't like, and blend them all together in a way I actually *enjoyed* ; even the *horror* aspect was enjoyable, and I normally *hate* horror with a *passion* . I think it's because all the threats Samus faces are *legit* threats to her in *spite* of her being neither *helpless* to fight them, *nor* stupid, which makes them *legit* scary (too much horror media makes the baddies victims both helpless *and* stupid, giving the impression that the baddies are *only* a threat because of that, and wouldn't be such against a *smart* person who could actually *fight back* ).
You write bold words like in Mickey Mouse comics. Funny.
@@Flymerick the words I wrote in bold are words I'm *emphasizing* .
@@ezrafaulk3076 How do you decide which words are to emphasize? I'm genuinely curious.
@@Flymerick they're the ones I'd emphasize with a pitch change if I was *speaking* it; it's essentially the typing equivalent of doing *exactly* that.
@@ezrafaulk3076 cool! Would the pitch change be light or heavy?
Just finished crosscode
My god , what an experience
Despite you not liking roguelikes (my favorite genre), you make amazing videos. Thanks for another awesome one :)
Thank you! And yeah genre's just not for me, but there are a few that I do like! (Hades and Gungeon)
I have this game and never really gave it chance out of the backlog and back to the mainstream thank you for this awesome video.
Whenever I see someone ask for metroidvania, my go to are a duo of fairly niche, but incredible ones; phoenotopia awakening and unsighted.
Unsighted is a top down metroidvania that blends together ideas from Zelda, Metroid, and crosscode. Just like metroid dread, with a little tinkering and knowledge, you can break the game wide open and throw any sense of sequence out of the window. The thing that makes it niche however is that outside of menus, the game has a timer constantly ticking down.
Phoenotopia awakening is more on the Zelda side, with a lot of Zelda 2 influence. What makes it more a metroidvania, is all of it's optional content. It's got an almost elden ring like quality where going off the beaten path and exploring every inch will make you so much stronger than you would be otherwise. What didn't help is that there's no map, as well as the game being balanced around a very specific defensive play style.
Both games are very much with a shot. Their worlds are engrossing, fantastic to explore, and on just about every modern platform. I highly recommend people check them out
Unsighted is absolutely awesome!
I love Phoenotopia. I wholeheartedly recommend it. I picked it up after I saw a review from the channel SwitchUp and I really wish people would talk about it more.
Great video and thanks for showcasing indie games made with passion! I made a cozy game called Button City that was inspired by animal crossing, Majoras mask, Yakuza, and our love of the arcade. It fulfilled my childhood dream of making a game that released on console and I’m so happy about it. It’s on Steam, Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S
I'm so glad you brought up Okami as an example. It's seriously my favorite game of all time and it kills me that a sequel was never made.
I'm glad that all of these years later it's getting the love it deserves.
I still have my original PS2 copy and I love it to death.
Dude, there IS a sequel: Okamiden for the ds. I do recommend it.
@@tentaclesmod Is it a true sequel or just some spinoff made for the DS?
I always wanted an official Okami 2 or something made in the same world
@@nicholashildenbrand8632 true sequel, considering it does take place after the original.
I've been looking for this video for a while, I wanted to get crosscode but forgot the name of it and this video was the only clue I had for it, thank you for showing me the game
The only reason I gave crosscode a shot is because it was bundled with a game I already wanted in a steam sale... It has become, far and away, one of my all time favorite games
I truly agree that its downright criminal how unknown this game is
love your message and im glad yt algo recommended me this. off now to supporting our indie devs
Incredibly well written video! A quick and informative glance at some of the best games I've played. May the algorithm bless you with the views you rightfully deserve.
I've never seen or heard of Crosscode before this video, but the gameplay does look like a shiny gem: Smoothe and clear.
Being in development of the game I've been working on for the past 6 years, there's a lot that can be said about inspiration I've had from Zelda 2, Dark Souls 2 and Elder Scrolls series.
I was worried by the title that I might not have a chance to play crosscode, glad to see i still can
Thanks for reminding me of Cross Code. I was struggling to find something to play live, and I got this game in a bundle. That's my next game, whenever I get around to it.
>CrossCode getting knowledged
"Now this does put a smile on my face"
Also recommend:
Phoenotopia Awakening
Awesome game,
fun combat,
cool puzzles,
funny dialogue,
fun mini games…
Whole thing is fun.
Crosscode is awesome, too.
CossCode really deserves a sequel, and i really wish there were more endings on Outer Wilds, maybe even a sequel and more mysteries to solve
Man, I just a couple of days ago I got crosscode reccomended on steam looking for some pixel rpgs and added it to my "may buy" list, and this just convinced me of it. Thanks!
The message in this video is spot-on, but honestly I never wanted a sequel to Okami. Mind you, I LOVE Okami. I frequently joke that it's "The only zelda game I Really enjoyed".
But it didn't need a sequel. What needed to happen, was Clover to remain as a studio. Okami did, and Indie Games are doing what should have been the norm all along: Spiritual Successors. Not continuations or sequels. I HATE how Brand-focused our industry is right now. It only leads to studios that squeeze every bit of life out of characters as they're turned into perpetual quip-machines, or have to have key developments of their characters put off into another entry, or worst of all: How activists will latch onto a brand to use it as a mouthpiece for their politics and wear it like a skinsuit.
Let titles die, their stories end, and their spirit be inherited.
Also, Okami did get a sequel in Okamiden, for the DS.
@@dapear8264 yeah, I remember that.
@@dapear8264 Came here to see if anyone else remembered okamiden!
So fun, even if drawing paths for the companions all the time got stale
Thank you for spreading the word. CrossCode is one of my favourite games of the previous decade and I am aggravated at how unpopular it is relative to other top notch indie games.
I would consider it the most polished indie game I ever played with only two others I know that come close - Shovel Knight and Celeste. When I played it back in 2018 and later again in 2020 I was absolutely astonished that this game was not a product of a 30 people studio.
Stupendous video. Just found your channel through it and I’m subbed! Great writing, great presentation of opinion, and slick editing. 🙌🏻
Thank you!
I know it's not an indie game, but Gravity Rush is one of my favorite PlayStation exclusives of all time. It was originally released on PS Vita, but later got an HD port and a sequel on PS4. Unfortunately poor marketing and initial sales led to GR2's servers being shut down in July 2018. ABSOLUTELY give it a try, because it deserves to get a revival in some form.
Gravity rush failed because it was a vita game.
CrossCode was amazing. And not even just for the combat, which I was admittedly horrible at (I barely switched elements and kinda brute forced my way through the boss fights with healing items). It was a great concept and created an amazing world. For me the highlight was the puzzles. It's crazy how few people know about the game.
You might want to check out the mainline Devil May Cry series (3 through 5) -> Dante plays a lot like you describe CrossCode combat, with ability to switch both styles and weapons mid-combo. There's plenty of examples on youtube of just how much creative freedom the game gives you with its combos.
I actually did try out DMC5 back in may I think (sometime around then). I wasn't able to finish it due to just being too busy, but I loved what I did play!
Uh... Didn't okami actually get a sequel, okamiden on the ds? And didn't it come before any rereleases? Am I the only one who remembers that? Good video still and great point in general, just wanted to point this out.
Yeah, now it's basically the time to close out on your missing DS/3DS games. In a few more years (2030+) it'll be prohibitively expensive to own the physical copies.
Wow, pretty awesome video. As a small indie developer trying to make a living, I really appreciate the love you give indies in this video. Encouraging people to share them if they enjoy them is an awesome thing. I have barely seen any information on Cross Code before, but I want to say I might have seen a physical release copy sitting in my local gamestop. I will definitely have to check it out!
There's a REASON why I keep recommending Crosscode to people. MAN that game was incredible and it deserves SO much more attention.
This is a great video. Yeah. More exposure to Crosscode!
Man you mention CrossCode and it blows my mind because I’ve tried telling multiple people how amazing the combat and the gameplay is in the story in the characters and just because it’s an older style so many people younger do not want to play it.
But I mentioned it to some more experienced players players who are older and they ate it off like it was their last meal. They love that I personally bought it multiple times on different platforms.
Then when you mentioned Okami. I felt nostalgia and a great admiration for capcom at that time. So much so that throughout my years of playing video games with user names and where you can name your character I always made a play of Okami or shiranui strictly based off of that game alone and I was so upset that there was no proper sequel except for that DS game.
When the HD version came out I went crazy getting it. I’m a huge fan of games that have admiration and love built into them as one of their main focuses.
Sure games these days can come out and have love in them but games that start off as a love letter to your childhood or your past or what you grew up on just go on a whole Nother level for me.
I am shocked and almost appalled Crosscode hasn't had nearly as much attention as it should have. The game is incredible. It's combat and mechanics are incredibly robust, ost is great, story is also really good. Crosscode should get the attention that it deserves. The dev team are now hard at work on their next game called Project Juno and I would love to see more people play it and enjoy it so that hopefully they continue to make more games and maybe even an eventual Crosscode sequel (without spoiling too much, the game does end on a high note but with the potential of the story continuing).
Thank you for making this video. I'm making a game called Scholar of the Arcane Arts because it's a game I've always wanted to play myself. My fear is it will be lost in the void. But hopefully enough ppl will connect with it and spread the word!
I'm a simple man, I see CrossCode, I like the video
1. Cripes. I know Okamiden wasn't that popular but it does exist.
2. More people need to play ZeroRanger. It's another passion project that blends elements from other genres and iss criminally underplayed.
Okay, I got another indie for you all to try out:
*Circus Electrique*
If you liked Darkest Dungeon 1 and 2, then you may be even more impressed with this game.
I’m hyped that someone is giving this game the praise it finally deserves. I bought it on Switch when I saw it on the Shop, and I’ve been following it since its Alpha days on Steam and this game HITS for me(still haven’t finished it but I have an entire backlog of games I haven’t finished yet, I’ll get to it in time). This game is fun and I cant wait for it to finally build up the community more
CrossCode is a painfully niche product for no real reason; nevertheless, it's one of the greatest games of its genre.
100% Checkin out this crosscode situation, thanks for pointing out a solid game!
This is the most frustrating video essay I have ever sat through. It is very well edited, and well narrated. But if you're going to present an argument, please open with some kind of thesis statement.
About to go get cross code. Never heard of it before- but it looks really interesting and your video inspired me to try it out.
I'm sorry but I need to adress what you said about Okami, what about Okamiden on the ds?!
A lot of people have been pointing it out lol. I was more talking a console sequel though
I learned about the existence of Blossom Tales from your video and I am just so grateful for that.
The story is, that I bought a beutiful, new game on Steam and didn’t have fun with it, so i refunded it. I was sad, that maybe i lost my spirit to enjoy video games. Then thanks to you, i bought Blossom Tales for 5€ and i am just in love with this little game! It’s criminal, that I have never heard about it’s existence until now.
Also, really interesting how the shiny new games sometimes forget to be actually fun.
Supergiant never disappoints. Even their game that didn't really resonate with me, Pyre, you can still tell was made with a lot of passion and effort which at the very least I can respect. Also doesn't hurt that they have Darren Korb who is easily one of the greatest video game musicians that I know of.
They genuinely can't miss, it's incredible lol
Pyre isn't for everyone maybe but it's still such a fucking cool game. It's one of the rare few examples of a game I say you can't understand or appreciate without playing yourself, like Outer Wilds.
I'm happy to see a video on cross code with this many views. It's one of my favorite games of all time and it's a shame that barely anyone knows about it.
2:16 Can we get much higher?
SO HIGH!!!
Hey man you might wanna check out Northern Journey. Playing it right now and the game is amazing in many ways. The level design is so well done it hits me with that feeling of amazement I haven't felt ever since I've played my first dark souls. Thing is, Northern Journey is known by almost no one. There are barely videos about it online, mainly a playthrough by lobos and videos by the dev. It is an actual hidden gem imo and I recommend anyone interested in unique games to give it a try
Thanks for this, was searching for an overview after Linus from LMG mentioned it as one of the greatest games he's played. This video hits the spot. Small nitpick: you said "more often than not, these great indie games weren't made to turn a profit (@6:09), yet at the end you say it's poor ROIs that doom these same games. Kind of contradictory, but I get it. At the end of the day, it's still a sad state of affairs when we keep losing these great games-which honestly the industry currently is sorely in need of-to lackluster sales (man, Okami. Why? How? That def should've been a stellar hit).
thank you for telling me about crosscode! the description and gameplay you showed of its combat showed me that its one of the things ive been looking for, for a long time
Please please please. I’m begging more more people to play CITIZEN SLEEPER!!! Genuinely life changing game. Amazing in every way. My as well have been the origin of the phrase criminally underrated.
dude this video actually made me emotional, you get all i've always tought in every single way, i feel UNDERSTOOD
Thank you for that
I actually noticed crosscode on Steam the other day and added it to my wishlist, but this video definitely is pushing me to nab it earlier than I otherwise would have. I agree though, promoting indie games that you love and are super promising is a fantastic idea, as the ones that blow up, while deserving of their praise, are a rarity to be sure.
Did you play it? How did you like it?
@@nerdzone not quite yet. For financial reasons I keep my game buying light, but with the steam sale I may pick it up here.
Yes! I love the passion in indie games. So, creative, unique and inspiring. We gotta support them. Also, thanks for showing Kamiko here, I didn't know it and it looks really up my alley. I'm gonna play it!
CrossCode just came up in my recommendation list on Steam. I saw some mixed reviews and skipped it. Then this video showed up later today.
Not sure it is still what I'm looking for but interesting to see some perspective on it.
Crosscode has been on my list for a while and this video just moved it up a ton of spots
I'm so happy I got this on my homepage. CrossCode is legitimately my favourite game ever made and I love seeing it being talked about. But besides that, this video actually explains why indie games are so special to me and I couldn't put into words until now. Take for example Stardew Valley, taking the spirit of all the classic Harvest Moon and other farmsim games, made by just one person and which has received a lot of updates since launch, even a multiplayer mode, for free. I think the indie scene of videogames is worth checking out and while we can't know every game that gets released, I think there's actually something fit for each one of us
touching on why people make games: would like to point out that of the characters are crossworlds developers (crossworlds is the game within crosscode), each of them have their own reason to work on the game, from just loving some part of game-development, to the simple fact that they´re just good at their job, which i just find charming
Clicked for the Crosscode thumbnail, stayed for the relaxing voice and great content.
Played a demo for Crosscode quite a few years ago on Gamejolt when I couldn't afford to buy video games. This video helped me remember to play it! tysm :)
I've started playing crosscode about a month ago give or take and the fact that it's not talked about much is a crime, it's an underrated gem dare I say a masterpiece
I agree in principle, but in practice, if everyone starts shouting out their favorite games, it'll create so much noise people will ignore it, and we'll be back at square one. It's a difficult problem, for sure. The worst thing is when you find a hidden gem and no matter how much you try to convince people you know (or not) to give it a chance, they just don't, for better or worse reasons. Watching such game and the studio behind it disintegrate while you can just helplessly scream is really painful.
This actually almost happened to me with Bastion by Supergiant. As their first game, I just randomly bought it on Steam, and fell in love with it. I convinced another friend to give it a try, who also fell in love, but when we came to a third one, they just never got around to it. Thankfully, the studio did well enough on its own that it ended well, but the feeling when others just refuse to give something a try is heartbreaking. And that's not to say I don't understand it, I've been on the other side too, for good reasons (at least in my head). It's just painful.
Him: you can freely switch between styles while in combat which is something I've never seen before
Me: ah. I see you've never played DMC3
hope you're talking about the hd and switch one because the og dmc3 doesn't even let you do that, until dmc4 and 5 implemented this
In the last couple years since getting my Switch, I've been buying and being gifted physical copies of games I've had my eye on, and CrossCode is one I got MONTHS ago. But I haven't even started it. Seeing how beloved it is in spite of how little exposure it's been given is definitely a shock to me, and now I'm kicking myself for not starting it earlier. Granted, I started college this year, so I haven't had nearly as much time for gaming as of late. But if you ask me, that's hardly an excuse to miss out on an experience as one-of-a-kind as CrossCode. Due to this, I'm officially making it my New Year's resolution to play this damn game already.