As of this writing, Crosscode is still in Early Access; so many elements of the game are likely to change in the coming months.

What's there is amazing. The art is unbelievable. It's pixel-art by choice, not a needlessly restrictive throwback or cash-in. It's what I wanted the future of gaming to look like in 1994, before 3d and FMV came along and messed everything up.

The music doesn't quite hold up its end of the bargain, but there are great tunes scattered about and it's never a problem--it just doesn't quite match the perfect neo-16-bit splendor of the visuals.

Gameplay is reminiscent of underrated classics such as Terranigma, Beyond Oasis, and Landstalker; though with an interesting ricocheting ranged attack that changes things up a bit and provides for some cool puzzle-solving opportunities.

The writing and story are fun, though the tutorials are a bit wordy for my taste. Depending on the length of the finished game, this may not be an issue, but in an Early Access mode that only lasts a few hours, it's a bit of a drag.

Excellent groundwork has been laid, now let's see the follow-through.