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Chrono Cross: Love it or hate it?

Posted: 7th June 2014 22:20

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Black Mage
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This article may contain spoilers, I'll do my best to edit them, but otherwise, don't read it if this bothers you.


First of all, let me start by thanking everyone I've spoken to since I've started on this site. You've all been very respectful (for the most part) along with being passionate about the subjects that are mentioned on this site.

Now, on to the subject matter: Chrono Cross. At the turn of the millennium, this game was released in America to much anticipation. As a huge fan of Chrono Trigger, I frothed at the mouth in anticipation for this upgraded sequel. What I got instead, was this game. While not exactly horrible, it was a huge letdown in terms of what I expected. I'm going to review certain aspects of the game and give specific examples of what I liked or disliked about this game as I go. As an aside, I'll use a descriptive word rather than a number rating, which seems so nonspecific to me and unexpressive. (You can use numbers for ratings and rankings, I just prefer not to)

Anyway, let's get on with it.

Graphics: Amazing!

This game's graphics and art style were breathtaking from the get-go. This was especially true for its time. The details in cut scenes, such as
Possible spoilers: highlight to view
Serge's smile as he stabs Kid in the back during the body switch halfway through
were like nothing you had seen in rpg's at the time. It seems kind of hokey now, if you think about it, it does it job very well in allowing the game to sweep you into it and practically drown in its created reality.

Concept: Excellent.

Two plausible realities based on
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whether Serge died during that tidal wave or survived
is extremely creative. This also means meeting the same people who know or don't know who you are during your trips between worlds. You also get to see just how much of an effect Serge, the main character had on these two worlds.

Story: Decent

They did a lot right by doing the story the way they did. It's fairly open ended, with minor path variations for replay ability. The overarcing story can get confusing throughout the game, and there's tons of sub stories regarding many of the characters, such as
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The Masamune, Glenn's problems with dealing with a famous parent, or Nicki and Mikki's need to be taken seriously as artists
. The worst aspect was the shoe-horned connection to Chrono Trigger. The game would have been better off without it.

Characters: Awful.

This is one of my pet peeves. You have a party of three, but you hold a reserve of a grand total of 45 characters! Unfortunately, this is an RPG, so things like character development and mechanics are absolutely necessary. Instead, we get one note characters, such as Turnip of Funguy who wind up being stunted and gimmicky compared to the more developed characters of the story. Thankfully, most of these characters are optional, but even still, the most developed characters turn into something as bland and as tasteless as cardboard soup. The worst offender being the character of Kid, the rogue with the heart of gold stereotype.

Gameplay- Awesome!

Standard attack and magic commands are rpg staples, especially for back then. What sets this game apart are the elemental tiles and spell slots. There are several elements to use, categorized by colors. Black, white, Green, Blue, Red, and Yellow are what they're called in game, and each enemy and character has an affinity or weakness to each of these elements. This leads to strategic thinking and the need to plan ahead for each trip through a dungeon or adventuring area. The enemies, for the most part, are visible and most can be avoided or run into at the player's discretion. Grinding is kept to a minimum to progress the story, which can also be a plus for many players.

Music and sound: Great

As good as the graphics are, the music to this game is top-notch. From the boss music to the overworld music, this game stands out, as many Square games did at the time, as a mood manipulator. From the peaceful tunes of the laid-back fishing village of Arni, to the pulse-pounding sounds of "Brink of Death", you'll find yourself feeling the ups and downs at the right times.

I tried to minimize spoilers, and gave my honest opinion. What do you guys think?

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Posted: 7th June 2014 23:09

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Black Waltz
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I just never liked the music, is all...it was too weird for me.

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Posted: 7th June 2014 23:58

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Treasure Hunter
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I played it early on, but for whatever reason, it didn't sit well with me. But this was also around the same time that I took issue with FFIX...and I've recently come to revisit that and love it so very much. I suspect Chrono Cross is worth a second look. Thanks for reminding me to add that to the 'revisit' list!

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Posted: 3rd July 2014 17:51

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Dragoon
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Love it, personally, even more than Trigger. It's just so...imminently replayable, complete with a fast-forward button! (That's how you do a NG+ right!) That world-class soundtrack helps boatloads, too. To think there was a time when I didn't like anything in the game and shelved it for months...seems like forever ago.

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Posted: 3rd July 2014 21:17

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Cactuar
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I have mixed feelings about this game as well. While the music and graphics are excellent I do take some issues with the characters and the storyline. I agree that there are far too many characters, most of them either useless or just plain boring. Also, much agreed about Kid.

Possible spoilers: highlight to view
I refuse to accept you as Schala, you abomination!


The storyline was relatively 'meh' in my opinion save for various points:

Possible spoilers: highlight to view
The switching of bodies was both a shock and a joy. I was glued to the game for hours when that happened, you couldn't pull me away. The notion of the Sea of Eden and what it contains astounded me. I have always been a huge fan of the idea of places stuck in time be they futuristic or historical. I regularly use the concept of one such place in the pathfinder campaigns I run. This love for it did in fact come from playing Chrono Trigger, so you can imagine how over joyed I was when it popped up in CC. They gave the HP Lovecraft fan more drool fodder in a different format. Happy Khael. Very, very happy Khael!


The game play was phenomenal, especially in the battle sequences which is mostly what kept me going once the story and the characters lost my attention for the most part. The allocation idea honestly interested me more than the materia system in FF7 did, it forced you to pay attention to elemental strengths and weaknesses rather than just slapping anything on any one ("Here Red, clearly your tail is on fire, let's have you learn some ice magic!" -Old joke my friends and I made.-) It surprises me how such a little detail can make such a big impact on a player.

While the game is enjoyable and fantastic at points in it's own right, I felt is was a poor follow up to Chrono Trigger. But hey, we had fun with it!

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Posted: 20th July 2014 14:28

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Chimera
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Neither, but I do like it more than Trigger. The elements system was more versatile, and helped to discourage just spamming the most powerful tech available to a given party. Story was kind of convoluted, but I thought it more interesting than the way Trigger handled all the time-traveling. Both games have great soundtracks. I think Trigger has more memorable individual pieces, while Cross' soundtrack benefited from that game's technological advantage; it has an overall "faraway" vibe that's sometimes more moving that what's in Trigger.

Needless to say, Cross has its own flaws (it needed a tighter, more developed cast of playable characters, for one), but, for the most part, I liked the direction Cross took. I wasn't particularly eager for Chrono Trigger 2.

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Posted: 21st July 2014 23:11

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I think the key to remember is that CT and CC are just very different games. I know a lot of people developed prejudices from the start just because CC wasn't CT, and that's a shame.

Love:

Music & Atmosphere. When I first played, I was hooked by the soundtrack and the vibrancy of the arpeggio world. These two factors go a long way for me, and they remain my favorite parts about the game.

Premise. I think the general concept of the two different dimensions, split based on Serge's backstory, is really neat.

Alright:

Characters. I liked collecting characters, and I liked their different combat styles. I don't mind that some characters are underdeveloped: 'gimmicky' characters like that are still entertaining to find. What I didn't like was how little story development most characters received.

Plot. Don't get me wrong, there are some great aspects of the plot. But there are a couple really weak ones as well, namely the tie-in to CT and FATE. The execution is bumpy as well: you feel more like you're hearing someone else's story in spurts, rather than living through it yourself.

I don't think there is anything outright bad with the game. Given its strengths, however, it definitely is more appealing to some types of RPGers more than others. I wouldn't exactly say that I 'love' it - there are a bit too many kinks in the plot/delivery - but I am definitely a fan. To return to the age-old (eh, since the 90s) question: I'm not sure that I prefer it to CT, but I definitely don't like it less than CT.

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Posted: 19th November 2014 12:37

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Cactuar
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Yeah, I'm one of those where the graphics made the game. Unlike FFVII the threat didn't feel constantly imminent. dry.gif

Able to stock up on healing and holy healing. Battle system easy to figure out and there was hardly any tech. mad.gif

Went through the game once. Haven't done it since. eh.gif

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