

The CG cutscenes also retain their original look, which can be a bit jarring if you’re playing with the more modern-looking graphics option on. You also have the option to switch back to the original 32-bit graphics though, annoyingly, swapping between visual styles requires a complete restart of the game.
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(The developers used a combination of AI upscaling and manual restoration to achieve the effect.) I actually like the contrast, but it’s definitely a choice that might not appeal to everyone. The most obvious is the upgraded visuals the character models now look sharper and clearer while, in contrast, the pre-rendered backdrops now have a painterly, almost impressionistic vibe. This is all true of the remaster, but with a few tweaks. (In fact, I’m listening to it right now as I write this.) There’s a very distinct flavor to PlayStation-era RPGs that ( mostly) doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s captured perfectly in Chrono Cross. When that song starts playing on the overworld map, I always have to stop and listen for a minute or two. The game has an interesting twist on classic turn-based battles, with a stamina system that forces you to make important decisions about how you’ll use your available actions, and a take on magic that works a lot like materia in Final Fantasy VII.Īnd, my goodness, the soundtrack is one of the best of all video games, a gorgeous collection from Yasunori Mitsuda that includes one of my favorite compositions ever, “ Shore of Dreams (Another World)”. The strange world is a fascinating place to explore, an intriguing mix of fantasy and science fiction filled with beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds.

This is particularly true of the characters you’ll meet many are underdeveloped, likely due to the sheer size of the cast, but discovering and meeting new team members is one of the highlights of the game.Ĭhrono Cross has a lot else going for it. The story can be hard to follow, even by Japanese RPG standards, but it had just enough mystery to keep pushing me forward. The remastered visuals (left) versus the original (right). Serge jumps back and forth between worlds, recruiting new team members (there are an astounding 45 playable characters) in an attempt to learn the mysteries of his past and the different worlds. The story then gets extremely strange and convoluted from there, involving everything from an evil talking panther to a powerful supercomputer. At the outset, protagonist Serge finds himself in a nearly-identical version of his own world with one key difference: in this one he died at a young age. The core conceit of the game’s fantasy world is the idea of parallel worlds. And just like FFVIII, Chrono Cross is an often-disparaged follow-up that could do with a second chance.Ĭhrono Cross isn’t a direct sequel to Trigger but rather a sort of spiritual successor that takes place in the same universe. In terms of scope, it’s similar to the remaster of Final Fantasy VIII that Square Enix released a few years back.

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Dubbed Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, the release is a fairly light update to the PlayStation-era version, with upgraded visuals, some quality-of-life features, and the inclusion of a long-lost text adventure. Which brings us to the new remaster on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC, and PS4. It’s always been that weird follow-up with parallel worlds, a confusing story, and far too many characters. That all-star team didn’t continue on with the series, and though Chrono Cross was largely well-received at launch, its legacy never reached the same heights as its predecessor. It’s frequently cited as one of the greatest games ever made. Chrono Trigger was created by a superteam of developers including Final Fantasy mastermind Hironobu Sakaguchi, long-time Dragon Quest steward Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. It was billed as a follow-up to Chrono Trigger, one of the most beloved role-playing games ever created, but while the two take place in the same world, there are some big differences. Chrono Cross got off to a, let’s say, difficult start.
