The better of two recent Norse roguelites – but still not for everyone.
Roguelites continue their dominance on this generations virtual reality (VR) headsets.
With the pool of choices continuing to grow, it’s obvious that developers need to come up with fresh ideas to ensure their game can stand out among the pack.
While some do manage to succeed – offering up players a new idea, interesting mechanic, or even just a fresh setting and enemies – more often than not these games manage to find themselves sitting in relative obscurity on platform stores.
This game – while out only a month (Dec. 18, 2025) – is probably going to find itself in the latter group.
In Crossings, the latest offering by Neat Corporation (Budget Cuts, Garden of the Sea) you are dropped into the world of Norse mythology, fighting your way to some inevitable conclusion that isn’t ever fully explained. What we do know is that you’re searching for the Nornir – they’re basically the Viking’s version of the fates.
Anyway, this VR game offers physical combat and magical spells to aid you in whatever your mission is supposed to be. You’ll fight your way around varying settings which change with each new run, using a variety of swords, blunt weapons, and even a bow, as you take on creatures from the mythology.
Let’s start now by discussing graphics, because this is really the best part of the game.
Things looks very good here, with the settings and characters being about as visually appealing as you might hope for a Quest headset. It’s a real shame that this game is not on the PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2) because it would shine there – especially at the current price of $14.
Whether you’re roaming the woods or a dark and cavernous cave, if you’re buying games to play based solely on graphics alone, then this is certainly something to consider picking up.
However, if you care about more than just the aforementioned aspect when you spend any amount of hard-earned money, then things may just end up not being for you.
Weapons don’t really feel like they have any heft and fighting enemies can seem like a real chore, as even small ones early on don’t go down without a considerable amount of effort.
At least if you’re one of those players who really gets into it, you’re bound to get a good workout during your runs.
Weapons appear in hand by holding down the grip button, and you can grab your bow from behind your back. It’s important to note that weapons have a particular combo attached to each, and you can hold the ‘B’ button while holding your weapon to view this.
There’s also a lantern which apparently guides you along your path and this is grabbed from your right shoulder. You’ll find balls of yarn around each level – usually hidden in breakable objects or inside treasure chests – which seem to recharge the lantern.
Sprinting is done by holding the ‘A’ button while moving, and you can pull up a stats menu by holding down the ‘B’ button, this gives you an overview of the spells you have equipped, as well as your available health and magic. You cannot pull up this menu with a weapon in hand, however, and it must be done while holding nothing.
The same can be said for casting spells, as pushing your hands forward, upwards or inwards can cast one of three spells. While casting is very simple, it’s quite counterintuitive that you need to drop whatever weapon is in your hand in order to have both free to cast them.
Wouldn’t you want to be able to use a spell while being able to easily follow-up with a sword slash?
Aside from that there’s not much more to the mechanics of Crossings.
Though there is one final gameplay note of which players should be aware.
As you make your way through the game, following the whisps flowing from your lantern to guide your path, you’ll come across a number of ways to upgrade your character. Again, this is a roguelite, and you’ll have to improve your character to make it to the end.
Whether you want to change out your sword for an axe or use the magical power of ice instead of wind, you’ll find a number of statues along your path with these offerings. Similar to the ones that teach you early on how to use your magic, these littered along your path will hold in their hands the upgrades to embolden you along your journey.
Sadly, these things all come with a price.
Whether it’s a loss of your mana (magic) or a heart container, you’re not simply swapping out one item – or spell – for another, you must choose whether or not you want to lower your health or ability to perform magic along the way.
Overall, Neat Corporations latest VR offering gives players a different take on the Norse world – Street Gods by Soul Assembly, which released the same day, offered up a more cartoonish and arcade-styled roguelite that will severely disappoint anyone who plays it.
While Crossings is certainly better looking and less annoying than the other game, it does eventually suffer from the same fate as most games in the genre. It gets repetitive and eventually boring.
While combat can be engaging and certainly a workout, the balance just doesn’t seem to be there as you whack incessantly at a troll.
The good thing is that Crossings focuses on exploration and the combat is physics-based, trouncing Street Gods – which based its survival on Marvel nostalgia of throwing the hammer and cheesy conversations with Thor and Loki – easily.
For the price, the game is certainly worth it for a few hours of combat in a desolate world.
Crossings was reviewed on the Quest 3 after receiving a key from PressEngine.
