Alabaster Dawn, the follow-up to Radical Fish Games' beloved indie action RPG CrossCode, has landed on Steam early access to near-universal praise, sitting at 96% positive reviews at launch.
Here's the thing about sequels to deeply loved indie games: they carry an enormous amount of expectation. CrossCode built a reputation as one of the finest pixel art action RPGs ever made, the kind of game people recommend with a level of conviction usually reserved for FromSoftware titles or Disco Elysium. So when Radical Fish Games announced Alabaster Dawn, the pressure was real.
Based on early player feedback, they've handled it.
What players are actually saying
The Steam reviews paint a consistent picture. Player Kepler put it plainly after 4 hours in: "Picked it up immediately since I absolutely loved CrossCode. Some early access bugs are here for sure, but the foundation is so strong. Plays great on Steam Deck, feels like a natural fit. Pretty much everything good about CrossCode made the jump, plus better cinematics and less frustrating puzzles."
That last point is notable. CrossCode's puzzles were a genuine point of contention for some players, with certain sections veering into frustrating territory. If Alabaster Dawn has smoothed that out while keeping the tight combat and character writing intact, that addresses one of the predecessor's few real weaknesses.
Player Dysiode echoed the sentiment directly: "CrossCode is one of my all time favorite games and so far Alabaster Dawn is scratching the same itch but better. Everything feels smoother, the combat is just a little tighter, and just like its predecessor the characters feel like they have actual depth to them."
And BiscuitPuncher kept it short: "My only complaint is I want more."
Combat feels tighter than CrossCode
The CrossCode legacy and what it means here
CrossCode launched back in 2018 after years in early access itself, and it ended up being one of those rare indie games that punched well above its weight class. The pixel art was dense and expressive, the combat system had genuine depth, and the story committed to its characters in a way that surprised a lot of players who expected a lightweight action game.
Alabaster Dawn appears to follow protagonist Juno through a new setting and story, positioning itself as a spiritual successor rather than a direct continuation. The early access release strategy mirrors CrossCode's own path to launch, which is either reassuring or a reminder that the full vision is still months away, depending on how you look at it.
Baldur's Gate 3 did a lot to normalize the idea of single-player RPGs shipping in early access and iterating toward a definitive version. Radical Fish Games has already proven they can execute that process. The key here is that 96% positive at launch isn't just a good number, it suggests the core loop is already working before the team has had a chance to polish everything to a final state.
For players who want to follow the game's development or compare it against other recent indie standouts, our game reviews section has ongoing coverage of early access titles worth tracking.
Early access, but already worth watching
The early access framing does mean you'll want to set expectations accordingly. Bugs are present, per player reports, and some content will almost certainly be added or reworked before 1.0. That's the deal with early access, and it's a fair trade if the foundation genuinely holds up.
What's encouraging is that the praise isn't coming from players new to Radical Fish Games' work. These are CrossCode veterans, people who finished that game and came back specifically to see if the follow-up could match it. The fact that multiple reviewers are calling it an improvement, not just a worthy successor, suggests the studio has a clear understanding of what made the original work.
For anyone who bounced off CrossCode's puzzle difficulty or wanted a more polished version of that combat system, Alabaster Dawn already looks like the answer. Head over to our gaming guides hub as the game develops and community knowledge builds around its systems.
