Cross Blitz Demo Preview

This week marked the beginning of Steam Next Fest. With dozens of new demos available to choose from I decided to start off with Cross Blitz. Developed by Tako Boy Studios, Cross Blitz is an RPG deckbuilding title featuring in depth tactical combat and an expansive card pool of pirate-themed characters.

The full release will feature multiple characters and story modes for you to adventure throughout Crossdawn Isle. For this demo you follow the story of pirate captain, Redcroft as he strikes a deal to win back his freedom.

Each level will pit you against a new foe to defeat while you are leveling up your character and buying and crafting new cards. Card game veterans will have no trouble picking up the mechanics of Cross Blitz as it carries over many elements from Hearthstone and Yu-Gi-Oh, while still maintaining enough simplicity for new players to learn easily. Your main objective is to reduce the opposing character to zero health.

This is accomplished by playing units onto a grid and supporting them with the use of spells and traps. Where Cross Blitz differentiates is through its column-based gameplay. Units are split into three main categories melee, ranged, and arcane. As the names would suggest melee units are best at the front while ranged ones are most effective in rear columns. Arcane units, however, can be placed anywhere.

I was quite impressed with the amount of diversity and available archetypes throughout my short play time through the campaign. Though some mechanics such as battlecry and death rattle are nothing new, I encountered a few fun tribal-themed strategies focusing on pirates and dragons. I also found a trap-focused deck and one based on transforming your units into random minions.

Another fun feature is the inclusion of relics, which can be equipped to your hero and provide a powerful continuous aura that dramatically changes the gameplay. Deckbuilding is equally as nuanced as cards are scaled based on rarity and power level. For example, you can place up to eight copies of a common card in a deck while higher rarity legendary cards are all limited to one copy per deck. These restrictions force you to experiment with different cards and find hidden synergies rather than always choosing the most powerful option, which is nice.

The full game will also feature the powerful Blitz Burst cards that I wish I could have learned more about. They appear to be character-specific cards that can be unleashed late in the game for devastating finishing combos. I only saw one of these during my playtime but it’s another feature that I think will help the game to stand on its own.

By far the strongest aspect of Cross Blitz is the presentation. The pixelated cartoonish art style is charming and characters pop with color and personality. Environments are detailed but simple and provide a solid sense of immersion. The music is also fantastic with each track boasting an impressive display of instrumentals that perfectly suits the swashbuckling, fantasy aesthetic of the opening area.

Overall, there’s a lot to love about Cross Blitz. I finished this demo and instantly was craving more content. The world here is incredibly charming and the gameplay managed to be both satisfying and fun with a quick pace. Not only am I looking forward to experiencing the full story mode on release, but the full game promises an additional Rogue-lite mode called Tusk Tales for endless replay value. Cross Blitz will be available on PC but as of now, there is no confirmed release date.