Funded on Kickstarted in 2014, Crossing Souls is an action RPG that takes it’s players back to the 1980s, channeling classics like The Goonies, Stand By Me and even cartoons like G.I. Joe. Though its aesthetic is heavily inspired by film and TV, there’s quite a bit of Earthbound and Legend of Zelda shining through as well.
Right off the bat, the world of Crossing Souls comes to life through it’s small (but many) details in the environment. The demo begins with the main character Chris waking up in his room. Littered around the room are small bits of nostalgia and details that make the world feel perfectly crafted for an 80s adventure. A Ghost Busters poster adorns the wall, along with an NES attached to an old tube TV. As you venture outside the home, you meet the other characters of the game, each with their own personalities and struggles. Soon enough, the kids find themselves in a larger than life situation that has them finding a strange stone which gives them the ability to cross between the realms of life and death.
There are five main characters that you can switch between and play as on the fly, each with unique combat styles and abilities. You’ll be switching between them not only to fight, but to traverse the world and solve puzzles. One cute detail is one of the characters is Chris’ little brother. You can switch to him, but it appears he is totally useless.
One of the most unique aspects of Crossing Souls is the cutscenes. Right in line with the 80s feel, each one is animated like a Saturday morning cartoon. I saw only a few in the demo, but they nailed the look down to the slight signal fuzz.
Switching between the world of the living and the dead is one of the primary mechanics of the game. Our demo was over right as the mechanic was introduced, but it looked to bring a unique perspective to an already thriving and detailed world.
Crossing Souls will be available on PS4 and PC February 13th, 2018. You can add it to your Steam wishlist here.
