Story & Characters

Nearly a year before it's US release back in 1999, I managed to find a copy of the Japanese Chrono Cross just weeks after it's JP launch. In fact, I was the first person on the net to post a code or it(when playing roulette on the Zelbess, you hold down the confirm button during the pause screen) and the credit I was given is still at gamewinners.com (thechronocross@aol.com...which is now just an AIM name). At the time, I was a year experienced in the language, so I was able to make out important parts of the game and at least understand where I had to go next. I think pretty much everyone knows the story behind this, about how the Chrono Cross universe is the aftermath left from all the time traveling that Crono and Co. did in their adventure, creating alternate worlds. Radical Dreamers for the SNES also gives more back story into how Chrono Cross came to be. The main character this time around is Serge, who is yet another silent protaganist. The story itself is top notch, blowing away the story-telling done in Chrono Trigger. Unlike Trigger, the story here stays consistent and is truly what shines the most in the entire game itself. Interestingly enough, many characters personalities and names were absolutely different in the JP version when compared to the US version. I found it quite hilarious that Kidd was translated as an Aussie, although she was actually just an ill-mannered, dirty mouthed brat. haha

Rating: 9

Art

I'm reviewing the graphics from how I remember it when I first played it, since it's just unfair to compare it to today's standards. It was a proven fact that Chrono Cross pushed the PS1 to it's limits as far as it's graphical ability went. I remember being stunned by the title screen and just the effects in-battle and the detail put into each individual character. Even the low leveled spells and skills were delicious eye candy. The big turn-off to most people in this game was the fact that Akira Toriyama wasn't used for the character art and design this time around. Due to this fact, a lot of people don't really see the "sequal" in this game, although regardless of being Toriyama-less, the character design and artwork is great nonetheless. The towns, caves, castles and everywhere else you can travel were beautiful and it was just a delight to see where you were off to next. FMVs were also some of the best witnessed on the console. Even though it all adds up wonderfully, there were a few other games that looked more impressive visually.

Rating: 8

Sound

This almost doesn't need an explanation. Yasunori Mitsuda, the music composer of Trigger and Xenogears, returns to Chrono Cross and creates what I personally feel is the greatest video game soundtrack next to SaGa Frontier 2 and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. The music captures the entire feel of the game, from very sad melodies, to to a remixed Chrono Trigger theme. I found myself having goosebumps during some of the songs and that's saying a lot. I'm really anal about game music, but this definitely surpassed my expectations...although I already assumed I'd like the music before actually playing the game. Even if you don't like RPGs or the Chrono series in general, I highly recommend the soundtrack itself.

Rating: 10

Presentation

This is definitely one of the games that took a huge amount of my time, considering I had to stop to translate text pretty damn often. It took me about 6-7 months (just shy of the US release) to fully complete the game on my own with the good ending. I know my final play time was around 100 something hours. For a game to hold my interest for that long, it HAS to be something special, because I can honestly say that I have a short attention span when it comes to games I don't find interesting. Like most RPGs though, it does have it's really boring "I never wanna play through this part again" points. The fighting doesn't get tedious, since it's not random encounters. The amount of side quests and character recruitment also adds to the enjoyment of the game, since it keeps the game from feeling linear. The difficulty of it is just moderate at best. There's nothing exceptionally hard about it, but it would prove a little difficult for the novice RPG gamer (especially the element system). Best of all, the story flows all the way into the end and the ending wraps the game up perfectly and doesn't leave anything to be desired. This is a must play for anyone who truly calls themselves an RPG fan.

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

8.67 (very good)

Reviewed by JiZames, Oct 25, 2005

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