The Arcade Crew have specialized in publishing modern indie games that still evoke a certain retro spirit in one way or another, such asInfernax,Young Souls,orBlazing Chrome.But while all of those games are based more around classic action, titles like this year’sThe Last Spellhave shown that they’re more than willing to help out with other genres as well. And today they’ve announced yet another venture into the world of more strategy-based games, this time in the form of a deckbuilder from developers Tako Boy Studios. Dubbed Cross Blitz, this new title is certainly a departure from Tako’s previous title, the mobile arcade platformerCandies ‘n Curses,but judging by the trailer below, it looks like this new direction might just pay off. At the very least, it certainly promises to bring over the same stylish cartoon charm.
Cross Blitz sees you playing as a variety of zany heroes brimming wirth personality, each with their different story to discover, from the pirate Redcroft who’s trying to win back his freeedom, to a pop star named Violet trying to stop an evil doppelganger from ruining their career. As you explore the land, you’ll also unlock over two hundred cards along the way, all used to help craft the perfect deck needed to win various turn-based card battles. Using minions, spells, and traps, you’ll engage each opponent in a fierce duel, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to finish them off with a match-finishing Blitz Burst.
All of that just covers Cross Blitz’s story campaign, though (a meaty one that clocks in at over thirty hours as you explore with each hero). For those still looking for more replayability, there’s also the separately-structured Tusk Tales mode, a roguelike adventure with randomly-generated maps, unique battles to fight, mercenaries to choose from, and various choices to make, plus several trinkets and tools to collect for future runs as you come across unique landmarks.
Cross Blitz is set to come out later this year for the PC (via Steam) in Early Access, where it will naturally evolve through a series of updates that players before a full release sometime later, with players being able to join along on this evolutionary journey. The market for deckbuilding games is quite crowded, but with Tako Boy’s eye-catching pixel art style and what looks to be some rather enjoyable gameplay in a fun world, it should hopefully be easy for Cross Blitz to stand out, and we’ll see if it does as more is revealed about the game over time, so stay tuned.
