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CrossCode developer shares the many classic inspirations behind the game
CrossCode certainly looks like a retro experience, but the retro tribute goes deeper than just looks. In an interview with Siliconera, Felix Klein of Radical Fish Games talks about great games of the past that have inspired this title.
CrossCode is inspired by a lot of different games we played in the past.
The graphics style is obviously a throwback to SNES classics like Terranigma, Secret/Trials of Mana and Chrono Trigger.
The overall exploration-aspect and questing is heavily inspired by Xenoblade, whereas the combat is a (maybe more simplified) mix of Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, and others.
The puzzle aspects are obviously inspired by old Zelda games, while the focus on depth and jumping might seem similar to Alundra. Mixed to that is the whole ball-throwing mechanic which is sort of like the egg throwing of Yoshi’s Island.
The MMO setting might seem similar to anime such as Sword Art Online, but was in fact mostly inspired by the older .hack series. Otherwise the plot was inspired by a number of JRPGs (Final Fantasy or Xenogears) but also movies and series.
There are more games that had a smaller impact, like Valkyrie Profile and Chrono Cross.