Crossing Souls

COGConnectedAnthony Bacchus

85/100

Oh, the 80’s — we just can’t seem to quit you. You don’t have to look far in today’s pantheon of endless pop culture to see that the era of neon colors and synth-laden beats is in full swing. From Thor Ragnarok’s bombastic retro logo to Netflix’s hit, Stranger Things, it’s an impossible decade to ignore and as such, is wonderfully nostalgic for anyone born in the 80’s. Those influences have also crept into our video games. Crossing Souls, in particular, is dripping with it in spades, and it’s one of the best aspects of the game.

Pure NintendoKaelyn Daugherty

8/10

The 1980s was a great decade. Cool clothes, radical music, awesome cartoons and, most importantly, the arcade! Almost everyone can say that they enjoy something

Gamers HeroesJohnny Hurricane

80/100

Crossing Souls is a solid action game with a fun cast and enjoyable fights. If you are looking for some old school beat-em-up action in this day and age, check it out.

Capsule ComputersAdmir Brkic

8/10

Crossing Souls is full of charm, featuring great pixel art and a plethora of pop culture references.

TechRaptorGeorgina Young

8/10

While Crossing Souls treads the line between challenging and frustrating, there is a lot here to get excited about. Strong and varied gameplay mixes beautifully with a well written story and great music and graphics.

Nintendo LifeJon Wahlgren

7/10

Come for the wonderful presentation, stay for the baddie boppin'. Crossing Souls nails its 1980s aesthetic, no question there — the 'long-lost-cartoon' game is strong here, right down to the artfully placed VHS artifacts in the animated cutscenes playing out across a sweeping adolescent adventure. Nostalgia aside, the story and beat-em-up gameplay please and surprise in a few key ways, but come with a few too many paper cuts to prevent Crossing Souls from breaking through to that next level.

Nintendo World ReportDavid Lloyd

7/10

Ultimately the experience feel flat for me as I tried to trudge through the non-stop references to the most obvious and overused aspects of the ‘80s. Yes, I enjoyed ET and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid, but I’ve become numb to the overuse of catchphrases and plots that are continuously rehashed over and over. I’m at the point now where you either need to use these references sparingly as a complement to an original idea, or really dive deep into ‘80s culture that many probably wish would be forgotten. Unfortunately for Crossing Souls, neither of these ring true.

WellPlayedArana Judith

7/10

A love for 30-year-old film drives this game, but does it save it from indie mediocrity?

TheSixthAxisGareth Chadwick

6/10

Cartoon cutscenes come in the style of 80s cartoons which, again, is charming if you liked 80s cartoons. I didn’t watch them, but I can’t imagine there was anywhere near as many compression artefacts in them as there is in the cutscenes present in Crossing Souls. The cartoons are almost invariable very short as well, most of them less than thirty seconds, some even fewer than five, making them so short their inclusion seems inconsequential.

If only the rest of the game could live up to those visuals. Crossing Souls works just fine as a vessel for rose-tinted ’80s nostalgia, but shallow storytelling and gameplay that shifts from uninteresting to outright frustrating ensures that it never gets to be anything more than that.

Checkpoint GamingCameron Honey-Swain

Unscored

The Goonies, Losers’ Club and the kids from Stranger Things; media from or set in the 80’s certainly has an obsession with youth setting out on high adventure. Something about these misfit groups coming together to battle the authorities or the unknown while also coming of age is a narrative goldmine—which leaves me perplexed why we’ve barely seen games touch on this recently. Crossing Souls however is here to rectify this.

The VergeAndrew Webster

Unscored

Crossing Souls is a new PS4 and PC game that tackles the 1980s with sincerity and heart — and a few unfortunate stereotypes.