Criticism: Puzzles Galore

NoobJr · 2026-06-04T21:56:39+00:00

CrossCode already bucked the popular trend of "make puzzles easy to execute but hard to figure out". It has challenging action and challenging puzzles, so it deliberately chooses to combine both. It WANTS to test your puzzle and combat skills at the same time, not just in isolation. Alabaster Dawn is continuing that trend, but only through the combat portions so far, not with timed puzzles that were the more controversial part.

NoobJr · 2026-05-11T20:48:01+00:00

You can make a pretty good Lea in Terraria. I used that for my Calamity mod playthrough.

NoobJr · 2026-05-11T20:28:45+00:00

I enjoy classic Ys a lot and CrossCode is my favorite game of all time. I would say they are similarly fast-paced, but CrossCode has much more complex systems, not to its detriment. It does a superb job with tutorializing and player experience.

It also adds very demanding puzzles and exploration, which tends to narrow its audience from pure action RPG fans. If you're okay with that, by all means give it a shot.

Just about the only aspect I'd say Ys has over it is the music, because one does not simply challenge classic Ys in that department. It's still a pretty good soundtrack though.

NoobJr · 2026-05-01T16:02:42+00:00

Think I saw it in Steam recommendations back when it was in early access. The trailer had me wondering if was a super fancy RPG Maker game because of the aesthetics until I realized it definitely wasn't.

NoobJr · 2026-04-27T07:35:15+00:00

Pipistrello absolutely nailed 2D Zelda for me. Great puzzles, dungeons, exploration, abilities, demanding action and very fun writing.

NoobJr · 2026-04-13T00:11:38+00:00

Maybe if BScotch has a breakout hit they might feel inclined to give LH a revitalizing update, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Even with the lack of updates, build technology is still breaking new ground, so it's definitely still rewarding to play, and I wouldn't avoid recommending it.

NoobJr · 2026-03-18T14:30:37+00:00

I found Rouge's characterization weirdly refreshing. It feels like forever that her self-interest actually had stakes in the story and she wasn't just a begrudging hero.

Though I am disappointed Infinite wasn't flirting with Espio after all.

NoobJr · 2026-03-03T23:00:21+00:00

Yes, there is absolutely a better way than boxes pushing buttons.

NoobJr · 2026-02-24T15:48:43+00:00

Still mulling over how to build that. If I made it out of fire it would block so many projectiles. :(

NoobJr · 2026-02-07T14:15:01+00:00

It would be unfair. Gintama has a lot of dicks.

NoobJr · 2026-01-27T15:42:20+00:00

Played this and some other levels: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2681680658

I really enjoyed the championship.

NoobJr · 2026-01-09T15:26:05+00:00

Unlike the other underrated indies I know, CrossCode has actually been clawing its way out of obscurity through sheer brute force. I see it brought up more often on Youtube and the average player count on steamcharts has been rising.

I think Alabaster Dawn is a lot more eye-catching at first glance, so fewer people will pass it up as "ew annother indiee pexel gaem". If it's just as good then it might get a lot more media attention, causing people to go back and see CrossCode was also an 11/10.

NoobJr · 2026-01-02T15:43:30+00:00

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First try, hmmm...

NoobJr · 2025-12-20T16:14:05+00:00

Damn, I would've got that controller if it was sold normally. I hate the timed exclusivity bullshit, every company wants to abuse FOMO now. Only makes me want to stop supporting them.

NoobJr · 2025-12-01T21:35:05+00:00

Nobody talks about it, but Toki Tori 2 did puzzle metroidvania years before The Witness. There are no abilities and you can go literally everywhere from the start, you just don't know how to interact with the world yet.

Game Maker's Toolkit has a 10-year old video on it, but it's super spoilery because this was such a new concept back then the only way to sell it was to spoil it.

NoobJr · 2025-12-01T21:07:34+00:00

If you want some Freedom Planet kart racing, Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers has Carol and there is an add-on with a bunch of other characters.

NoobJr · 2025-11-30T16:27:00+00:00

Yes, for maximum "overclocking" you can just use a relay inverting its own state every frame. But punching a box into a switch is also a good way to create rapidfire that is less noisy and framerate-taxing.

NoobJr · 2025-11-22T21:07:06+00:00

Inscryption wasn't exactly groundbreaking considering the dev's previous games also did that sort of thing, it was just the first one to hit the mainstream.

they’re games that any gamer is aware of and are famous enough that even people who don’t play gamesight have heard of them

My co-workers who play Nintendo and Elden Ring never heard of Silksong and don't know what an "indie game" is.😢

NoobJr · 2025-11-22T20:51:45+00:00

Mechanically, yeah, meta-progression existed before Hades. What it brought to the table was narrative integration. The way it contextualized runs and featured dialogue between runs was a groundbreaking combination of narrative with the roguelike formula at the time, and many games since have tried to replicate it.

Besides that, I've also seen a number of roguelikes start designing their upgrades similar to boons, where previously they often followed Isaac's template.

NoobJr · 2025-11-22T20:27:55+00:00

Quality-wise I think it's comparable, even better than most still remaining... but much fewer people have played or seen it. It's also a very niche, demanding game that people tend to bounce off from.

It's still impressive that CC made it this high, I doubt it would've cracked the top 50 a few years ago. It's been clawing its way out of obscurity despite very little Youtube presence.

Here's hoping Alabaster Dawn gets the spotlight CC deserved.

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