Advent Crossroad

About

"Advent Crossroad" is a game set in a shopping center under lockdown due to sudden monster appearances. The player must navigate distorted spaces and fight strange creatures using mysterious devices. With hybrid navigation, fast-paced storytelling, and customizable skillsets, the game offers a tense atmosphere and challenging turn-based combat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a solid dungeon crawling experience reminiscent of classic titles like Shin Megami Tensei.
Interesting skill system that allows for character customization and strategic planning, enhancing the overall depth of combat.
The game features a nostalgic retro feel, appealing to fans of first-person dungeon crawlers and offering a fun, albeit short, adventure.

The story is basic and lacks depth, with many players forgetting character names and plot details shortly after finishing.
Performance issues, including slow loading times and occasional crashes, detract from the overall experience, especially on certain platforms like Steam Deck.
The interface is clunky and could use significant improvement, making navigation and skill management cumbersome.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The gameplay is characterized by classic dungeon crawling mechanics, featuring grid-based movement and a focus on strategy through enemy weaknesses and resource management. While enjoyable and addictive, some players find it lacks depth and polish, with certain mechanics feeling outdated or overly simplified, leading to a less challenging experience overall. Despite these criticisms, the combat system and character growth elements are praised for their engagement and fun factor, though the game may not offer significant replay value.
- “The gameplay is enjoyable, and mapping dungeons is addictive.”
- “The gameplay is a solid dungeon crawler experience with the combat taking heavy inspiration from SMT, which I really liked.”
- “I found the gameplay to be engaging and the production value is great.”
- “Conversely, this game has 'dangerous' one-time enemies (think Etrian Odyssey) in the first handful of dungeons, which is a mechanic I'm not a fan of. However, with a little strategy (weakness and bad status mitigation mostly), you can beat them as soon as you run into them, which kind of trivializes the dungeons they're in and the rest of the game.”
- “The bug is related to the water mechanics in the 'blue place', and I'm just constantly drowning on land, so that's fun.”
- “In a nutshell, Advent Crossroad is pretty easy to start and even easier to finish, so the overall simplification of game mechanics affects general expectations and impressions, giving you to understand, near the end, that the game exhausted all its features.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The game's story is simple yet engaging, centering on a group of friends fighting to liberate a mall from a mysterious threat, with each character having distinct personalities. While the initial premise is intriguing, many players feel that the narrative lacks depth and memorable character development, leading to a forgettable experience despite a well-paced plot. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, which is more focused on combat and mechanics than on rich storytelling.
- “Advent Crossroad's plot focuses on a group of friends fighting to liberate a mall from a mysterious threat, and each character has their own personality and agenda.”
- “The story is simple, but well-paced and keeps you engaged.”
- “The 'vibe' of the game is very similar to Devil Survivor; the artwork is nice, and the story starts off nice and simple and gets more involving as you go through.”
- “It does actually have a story/plot and the ending basically wraps everything up, but I just got done playing the game and I already forgot the characters' names, so don't worry about that.”
- “[b]story:[/b] narrative reveals beyond the initial plot point are unfortunately not all that interesting.”
- “Story is pretty sparse - you're a security guard suddenly stuck in a mall when it's infested by demons, and you have to fight your way through waves of demons to find the way out, rescuing survivors and teaming up with others who can fight like you can with the help of a mysterious device you've found.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for being catchy and enjoyable, enhancing the overall atmosphere with fun battle themes and pleasant ambient tracks. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack pays tribute to its influences while maintaining a solid quality throughout.
- “The music and setting vibes are great!”
- “Music is also pretty good; the standard battle and foe battle themes are suitably fun and catchy, and the ambient themes are nice enough.”
- “Combat and music are great, serving as a wonderful tribute to the games it drew its influence from.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The graphics of the game feature appealing artwork and a stylish aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Devil Survivor; however, players report poor optimization on the Steam Deck, leading to slow loading times, stuttering, and occasional crashes. While the visual vibe is generally praised, technical issues detract from the overall experience.
- “The 'vibe' of the game is very similar to Devil Survivor; the artwork is nice, and the story starts off simple and becomes more involving as you progress.”
- “A stylish and breezy dungeon crawler with great aesthetics.”
- “Poor optimization: On Steam Deck with the default backend, there are slow loading times, sluggish grid-based movement, stutters galore, and the occasional crash or missing graphical assets.”
- “The graphics look outdated and lack detail, making the game feel less immersive.”
- “Textures are low resolution and pop in frequently, which detracts from the overall visual experience.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is notably poor, particularly on the Steam Deck, where players experience slow loading times, sluggish movement, frequent stutters, and occasional crashes or missing graphical assets. These performance issues also hinder navigation through menus and saving, contributing to a disjointed gameplay experience.
- “Poor optimization: on Steam Deck with the default backend, there are slow loading times, sluggish grid-based movement, stutters galore, and the occasional crash or missing graphical assets.”
- “Moreover, the aforementioned performance woes make fumbling through the menus or even saving take more time than they really should.”
- “The dungeon layouts feel a little disjointed and there are notable performance issues.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited due to its short length, making it less suitable for extended play. However, players seeking more substantial replay value may find better options in the developer's follow-up title, which features character and party creation, significantly enhancing replay potential.
- “Conversely, the developer's follow-up work, Core Crossing, is somewhat more substantial. Since it has character and party creation, there's about 100 times more replay value if you're into that kind of thing. So if you're looking for more than a weekend from your games, check that out instead.”
- “Conversely, the developer's follow-up work, Core Crossing, is somewhat more substantial. At least since it has character and party creation, there's about 100 times more replay value if you're into that kind of thing. So if you're looking for more than a weekend from your games, check that out instead.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the quick pace of the game, noting that there is no grinding involved, which enhances the overall experience.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by clever references to classic memes, which effectively elicit laughter from players.
- “There's even a few references to classic memes, which made me laugh.”
- “The witty dialogue and clever puns kept me chuckling throughout the game.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, making every moment feel lighthearted and fun.”