PSX 2017 First Impressions - Crossing Souls

Published: December 20, 2017 9:00 AM /

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Crossing Souls_PS4

If you are a fan of The Goonies, Stranger Things, or the IT remake, Crossing Souls will definitely scratch that itch of wanting an 80s style summertime adventure.  As cliche as that might sound, Crossing Souls from developer Fourattic manages to pull off the aesthetic tone and vibe of the previously mentioned movies without screaming "hey remember the 80's?!" like so many other games, movies, and TV shows have done recently.

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At least it's not a white bronco

Crossing Souls is an adventure RPG, where you can switch your characters at the tap of a button but unlike other RPGs, the game never seems to slow down.  In the short demo we played at PSX, this was highlighted by having to traverse the map and switch characters simultaneously using their strength and weaknesses.  One character in particular is interesting because he does not contribute to the group whatsoever, but as the developer said "it gives you the feeling of looking out for you younger brother," which gives the player an emotional connection to the group dynamic unlike most games in the genre.  Crossing Souls is dripping with aesthetic and style that absolutely shines through its hand drawn cut scenes.  The cut scenes aren't everything, the games environment, while seeming like an open world, is actually linear and doesn't feel like you are running from point A to point B.  I found myself talking to NPCs even though I didn't have too. This is a breath of fresh air since every modern game feels like it has to include an open world to be immersive.

I liked how diverse the main group of characters was, because every character's strength played off another character's weakness, making you want to cycle through them.  Because the game is so balanced, no one outshines anyone else, allowing the player to give every kid a fair shake learning which one is their favorite through story line and character development.  It is always nice to see games do this in a creative and interesting way.

Crossing Souls stood out to us at PSX because of its stylized throwback presentation, hand drawn cut scenes, and fun character control. Because of this it's definitely a game I will be looking out for upon release next February 13th on the PS4, PC, and Mac.

In the video below Nick and I talk about Crossing Souls a little more in-depth after playing the demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=556ZHFLfEKA

What do you think about this game?  Are you sick of the 80's genre?  What is your favorite "summertime" game?  Let us know in the comment section below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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