Okay I know this is in early access and only really 2/7ths released, but trust me this game is so fun to play and well worth.
So first off, if you liked CrossCode, then no point in continuing, just get this game right now, it’s just CrossCode but arguably Juno is more fun as a playable character than Lea or any CrossWorlds Avatar could be, but unfortunately it’s too early to know if the jumping puzzles in this game will ever reach the point of complexity (and arguably depravity) that CrossCode ever did, as like I mentioned, only the first chapter and a half out of what seems like 7 are actually available to play.
What I do know for sure though is that for the jumping puzzles that are here, they are being a lot more liberal with checkpoints, adding vines to walls that you can climb back up if you fall.
Aesthetically this is a very different game though. While Shadoon is mostly a light and airy place filled with critters and creatures of all levels of adorable, a glass playground, well, Instant Matter if you wanna get technical about it, the world of Alabaster Dawn is a far darker locale. Previously a beautiful world filled with magic and civilisation and trade, an alien scourge dubbed the Nyx has meteored its way onto the planet and caused a bunch of problems. Most of humanity is safe, sealed away in shelters maintained by the gods, with the initial plan to push back against the Nyx failing.
Almost…
Anyway, so here is Valor Juno, a Chosen recently released from her shelter, and granted powers by the now silent gods. And by powers, of course I mean a cool-ass sword. Time to kick some ass, kill a whole lot of Nuemera, and clense the land of the infection that befell it. Perhaps the gods will show you their voice again eventually too.
Radical Fish really amped up Juno’s combat prowess compared to Lea, which is very much a welcome change. This is genuinely the first game that made me feel like it is worth using the delay combos. Lets do a compare
Lea can do a super basic attack combo, shoot normal or charged projectiles, dash, block, perfect block, and use special “Combat Arts”. She can heal by leaving combat, and switch into elements for a short time before overheating.
Juno can do multiple different attack combos, including charge and delay attacks, fire aimed, homing, and charged projectiles, dash, sprint (super useful I wish Lea could do that), block, parry, and also use Combat Arts (though Juno doesn’t get a dash art, but I honestly think this is a good change). Since Alabaster Dawn is a real world, and not just an MMO, she instead heals by resting at waypoints, or eating food.
The biggest difference in all of this though, is that Juno can have currently up to 5, but eventually up to 8 different weapons, and can equip two of them into each of her elements, as well as swap between two different loadouts. This is a super important mechanic, because unlike CrossCode where enemies have elemental resistances and weaknesses, Alabaster Dawn has enemies who are weak/resistant to specific attack types. The sword and chacrams are Slash types, the crossbow is Pierce type, the hammer is Blunt. This doesn’t diminish from the elemental combat though as while Lea has Heat, Cold, Shock, and Wave, Juno has a similar Physis, Aether, Ignis, and Cryo. Unlike Lea however, there is no sense of Balance or Overheat, you are always in one of your elements, and which one depends on which is best for the job.
Another feature carried over from CrossCode is material collection. Juno can collect food and seasonings from various plants and shops dotted around the world, and then cook them into dishes, as well as collecting essences from enemies to craft into gems. Dishes are a limited resource that you can create at a rest area such as a waypoint or camp fire, and provide a number of heals as well as buffs based on the dish you cook. Every dish has an experience potential that makes you a better cook, but to unlock that potential you have to defeat enemies and use your buffs. It’s certainly an interesting mechanic, as it rewards you for engaging with the system and using your buffs, without encouraging cooking spam. Levelling up your cooking skill means that your heals become stronger and your buffs get stronger and last for longer, so it’s well worth doing.
Gems replace Lea’s equipment. Since weapons are an entire different mechanic here, there is no value in having a system where you trade your level 10 Core Drill and some mob drops for a level 30 Spiral Drill, so instead you trade your mob drops at a divine blacksmith for Gems. Each gem has a specific shape, and that shape corresponds to what slot that gem will fit in. Square edged gems tend to go into one of your character’s Core slots, which are always active, while rhombus and teardrop gems slot into melee and ranged weapons respectively, and only become active when that weapon is equipped. This lets you augment your weapons and tune them to best suit your playstyle. Combine that with the fact that your weapons are also equipped into one of your elements, and you’ll have a lot of flexibility to work with.
I spoke a lot about combat mechanics, but I just have to take a moment to praise the art direction this time. All the sprite work is stunning and so fluidly animated, to the point it seems puppeted rather than traditionally sprited, and it is such a pleasure on the eyes. The environment is a little easier to read in terms of platform height and depth perception as well. I found myself jumping into walls considerably less this time around.
All things said, get this game. It’s well worth the price, and will continue to be well worth the price as more of the content releases.
Finally, a funny Early Access item you might stumble into that gave me a chuckle: Todo Token A blue crystal that shimmers when touched. This inert relic seemingly has no use. The “Gods” must have placed it to remind themselves of their failure to properly reward a chosen for their effort. Perhaps in the future it will serve a bigger purpose.
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3110760 £22.49 (Demo Available)
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