Cross Blitz
- November 29, 2023
- Tako Boy Studios LLC
- 49h median play time
Roadmap About the Game Cross Blitz is a unique deckbuilder where heartfelt adventure meets fierce, strategic battles. Whether you explore its rich story or its challenging roguelite mode, Cross Blitz will test your tactical mind as you venture forth and build the perfect decks - utilizing clever card combos and synergies as you fight against the many colorful foes scattered throughout Crossdawn…
Reviews
- Incredibly charming presentation with beautiful pixel art and a fantastic soundtrack.
- Offers a unique blend of deck-building mechanics and engaging storylines, providing hours of content.
- The roguelike mode is fun and encourages experimentation with different deck archetypes.
- Balance issues exist, with some decks and bosses feeling overpowered or underwhelming.
- Bugs and glitches can disrupt gameplay, including soft locks and visual bugs.
- The user interface can be confusing and lacks some quality of life features, making navigation and deck building cumbersome.
- story482 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story mode of Cross Blitz is generally well-received for its charming characters, engaging writing, and whimsical atmosphere, providing a solid narrative experience alongside deck-building mechanics. However, many players find the difficulty to be overly easy, with some expressing a desire for more challenging gameplay and deeper story integration. While the narrative isn't groundbreaking, it effectively fleshes out the game world and characters, making it a worthwhile aspect for those who enjoy story-driven card games.
“The story mode is solid, my main concern being sometimes it feels like the animations drag some times.”
“The atmosphere and story are great, definitely the strong suit of the game.”
“The story isn't groundbreaking, but it is certainly interesting enough to keep me invested in what happens next and wanting to reach the final conclusion.”
“The whole campaign/story mode is terrible.”
“Right now the game, especially the story mode, which is why I got the game, is incredibly easy and they keep making it easier.”
“My biggest issue with the story mode is that you never really encounter a challenge.”
- gameplay286 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this card-based roguelike is generally praised for its engaging mechanics, unique card interactions, and charming presentation, drawing comparisons to popular titles like Hearthstone and Slay the Spire. While many players find the deck-building and battle mechanics fun and addictive, some express concerns about balance issues, repetitiveness, and certain mechanics not functioning as intended. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with a variety of modes and content, though it still requires refinement and balancing to enhance the gameplay experience further.
“Great mechanics and a satisfying deckbuilder, the roguelike mode is very engaging with a fun story mode.”
“The gameplay is welcoming enough for a newcomer, but also introduces solid challenges for more experienced players, with plans to add even harder modifiers down the line, specifically for the campaigns.”
“Gorgeous visuals, fantastic writing, immaculate music, and fun and engaging gameplay.”
“Right now the gameplay feels unrefined, loose, and just not that fun.”
“Even though the visuals and music are great, the gameplay is yet tedious and shallow.”
“Further, the roguelite mode doesn't seem to reward 'fair' gameplay where you try to create a broad strategy or synergistic game plan, but instead wants you to just cut your deck down to a small number of greatly enhanced cards with a lot of duplicates, which leads to a lot of the battles becoming both easy and repetitive.”
- music164 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its variety, thematic relevance, and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. Tracks are described as catchy, engaging, and fitting perfectly with the game's charming aesthetics and gameplay, contributing to a fun and immersive experience. While a few critiques mention inconsistencies, the overwhelming consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature, elevating the game's appeal significantly.
“I don't usually play with in-game music, but the soundtrack here is incredible—it fits perfectly.”
“Excellent music, and the theme of the chapter overall - rival battling bard bands - really exemplifies the game's sense of fun.”
“The pixel art is beautiful, the soundtrack is phenomenal, and the level design is extremely memorable.”
“The art style is mediocre, the animations are adequate, the music is poor, the sound effects are good, the writing is awful.”
“Even though the visuals and music are great, the gameplay is yet tedious and shallow.”
“Regarding bugs: I did not have music my first day of playing, do not know why.”
- graphics142 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and vibrant art style, particularly the pixel art, which many players find stunning and full of character. The visuals are complemented by excellent animations and a lively aesthetic that enhances the overall gameplay experience. However, some critiques mention minor graphical bugs and a few mixed opinions on the music, but overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
“The aesthetics are lively and you can tell they put a lot of love into the game.”
“It's clear from the get-go that this game is a labor of love, packed with a wealth of content, stunning visuals, and a diverse range of playstyles and formats that showcase its passion-project vibes.”
“Incredibly fun, gorgeous graphics, and every character feels unique to play.”
“The art style is mediocre, the animations are adequate, the music is poor, the sound effects are good, the writing is awful.”
“If you try to use 1080p, it will work, but a bunch of graphical elements will be in the wrong spot.”
“Don't let this cartoony and cute graphics fool you.”
- stability28 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is currently experiencing a range of bugs and glitches, which is expected given its early access status. While some players report significant issues, others have had smooth experiences without encountering major problems. Overall, while stability is a concern, most agree that the game remains enjoyable despite its imperfections.
“For example, a flying unit getting blocked freezes the game.”
“A buggy mess to be sure.”
“However, there are some bugs and glitches, both small and significant.”
- grinding24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game minimizes grinding for card unlocks and metaprogression, players still find aspects of gameplay tedious, particularly in the story mode where respecing and deck adjustments can be cumbersome. The roguelite mode has improved by reducing grind, allowing for more focus on deck-building strategies, but some players still feel that the overall gameplay can be shallow and repetitive. Additionally, traveling between maps and backtracking for resources is noted as a tedious experience.
“I spent hours grinding points into the monk character in the roguelite mode and got her to level 12, where even when I trimmed a deck to the bare bones synergy of two factions, I still could not outpace basic fights where certain factions get basically free revives on death or damage to my hero on death effects.”
“The story mode is tedious, and often you have to respec all of your level-up points just to proceed to beat the specific deck.”
“Combined with the earlier feedback about how switching level builds is tedious, this was probably the most annoying aspect of the campaign for me.”
- humor22 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a lighthearted, Saturday morning cartoon vibe, complemented by adorable characters and a funny, engaging story. Players appreciate the whimsical writing and visuals, which enhance the overall experience, despite some humorous bugs due to the beta status. The game successfully combines nostalgia with clever humor, making it enjoyable and accessible for a wide audience.
“The characters and humor give it a bit of a Saturday morning cartoon vibe, but the story gets a bit deeper than your standard kids' show.”
“Great visuals, funny story, silly little characters, and so much to discover.”
“The stories are adorable and humorous, with a lot of focus put into characters and their intertwining stories.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptionally high replayability, driven by its diverse modes, including story, roguelite ("tusk tales"), and PvP, each offering unique experiences. Players can unlock various characters, cards, and upgrades, enhancing the gameplay and encouraging repeated playthroughs. The roguelite mode, in particular, stands out for its meta progression and the ability to build different decks around unique heroes, making it infinitely engaging.
“The Tusk Tales rogue-like deck building mode is amazingly replayable because of the several different 'heroes' you can build decks around, each with their own ultimate ability.”
“Lastly, the differing modes for this game (story, 'Tusk Tales' (roguelite), and PvP) will give this game a ton of replayability.”
“So first off, the roguelite mode is extremely heavy on meta progression - not that you will need it to clear content, but to encourage replayability.”
“Great as is, and I have high hopes for the future of the game, hoping they add some features for more replayability in story mode and tweaks to roguelite mode to make deck choices more granular rather than getting two huge batches of cards.”
“For an early access game, this game has high value in terms of replayability with loads of cards, special abilities, and keywords to mess around with.”
- character development18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted as a heartwarming aspect, particularly through the gradual growth of the scaleskin guard, which adds depth to the narrative. Players appreciate the charming graphics and unique character designs, noting that the story mode enhances their understanding of the game's factions. Overall, the combination of engaging character arcs and appealing art style contributes to a rich gaming experience.
“It has an amazing art style, great character designs, and two incredibly deep and entertaining primary modes.”
“I love this game, it is an incredibly solid deck-builder; the character design and card balance are impeccable.”
“The corniness factor is pretty high, but the gradual character development of your scaleskin guard is heartwarming.”
“There was even some character development.”
“The graphics and character design are really charming and the story mode has given me a lot of insight into the world and the different factions.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game suffers from notable optimization issues, including performance hiccups, occasional bugs, and frustratingly long load times, particularly when navigating menus. While the overall content is solid and enjoyable, significant improvements in optimization are necessary to enhance the user experience.
“Minus an occasional bug and a few layout and performance hiccups, the game is very solid.”
“Despite some balancing and performance issues (understandable during early access), there is plenty of content already, and many more to come.”
“The game could be optimized.”
“In addition to all of the balance issues, there are some performance issues and bugs that pop up occasionally, and the load times on the map are brutal.”
“Like when you edit your deck and get back to the main menu, there is a moment of stuttering which is annoying.”
“It needs a lot of optimization.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its lack of predatory monetization, offering a cozy single-player experience reminiscent of Hearthstone without microtransactions. Reviewers highlight that this absence significantly enhances gameplay, allowing for enjoyable deck building and roguelike elements without the financial barriers often found in similar titles.
“Cozy single player Hearthstone (without the predatory monetization) with amazing visuals and interesting deck building.”
“No microtransactions, incredible roguelike goodness, unlocks galore, and there are hints of Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering to boot?”
“Like Hearthstone without the crippling monetization.”
“Not having microtransactions makes a huge difference in that regard.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the heartwarming character development of the scaleskin guard, despite the overall corny presentation. However, the narrative is criticized for being poorly balanced and lacking depth, which detracts from the emotional engagement.
“The gradual character development of your scaleskin guard is heartwarming.”
“Entertaining but very poorly balanced, boring story mode where you play with a gimped deck the whole time and a fake roguelike mode that has challenge runs that force you to use a specific deck, some of which suck.”
“So fake roguelike mode, boring story and it's missing tons of content.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging musical tracks that enhance the overall experience, contributing significantly to the storytelling and immersion. Reviewers consistently highlight the atmosphere as one of the game's strongest elements.
“The atmosphere and story are great, definitely the strong suit of the game.”
“Fun music, I really liked the different musical tracks played as backgrounds to help the atmosphere.”