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Code Shifter is a weird crossover that works in a weird way ⊟

I like a lot of the franchises Arc System Works has collected over the years, like the Kunio-kun crew, Double Dragon, and my dude Jake Hunter, but I’ve blazed very few blues, and my gears’ reputation is unassailable. Many of the characters in the crossover platformer Code Shifter: Developed by A.R.C. don’t resonate with me at all, their names weirdly punctuated gibberish. On top of that, they’re rendered in a Kunio/River City-esque pixel style that makes them extra unrecognizable to my eyes.

Even without deep connections to all the people with equal signs in their names, I was surprised to find it easy to stick with Code Shifter to the end. Whether I knew the references or not, I liked the retro artwork and the weird way it meshed into its 3D Kim-Possible-Tron backdrop, I liked discovering new characters and trying out their abilities. I also liked the way customization and depth slowly showed itself in an otherwise simple platformer.

I even liked the other entire game in there!

I don’t know how I feel about Arc System Works’ crossover game ⊟

Code Shifter Developed by A.R.C.* is part pixel-style Smash Bros. crossover fighter featuring characters from Blazblue, Guilty Gear, River City Ransom, River City Girls, Birthdays the Beginning, my dude Jake Hunter, and more... but mostly it’s a 2.5D platformer in which you play a programmer who goes into these games’ worlds to debug them, gaining the appearance and abilities of these characters.

While I love seeing Jake Hunter drive a tiny car in a fighting game, this thing came out of nowhere and I haven’t made up my mind about the Kim Possible look mixing with these pixels! I’ll find out later in Q1 of this year, when the game comes out on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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*”Developed by A.R.C.” is part of the title. While the name of the actual developer does include the word “Arc,” it’s not an abbreviation for anything. “A.R.C.” is the fictional in-world game company, “Awesome Rainbow Corp.” I had to stare at the logo for a minute to figure out why it had those periods in it, so I’m saving you the work.