Chrono Cross’ soundtrack sports so many beautiful songs, and its pair of world map themes stand among the best of them. They showcase an interesting contrast in both execution and tone that are not only pleasant to listen to, but also do a fantastic job at defining the game’s two parallel dimensions. First is Fields of Time (Home World theme), followed by On the Beach of Dreams (Another World theme).

Fields of Time is both mellow and upbeat simultaneously. It keeps a steady, forward moving beat throughout, yet never becomes terribly loud or excitable. The instrumentation and chords do a great job at contributing to this feeling, as they’re consistently bright and happy without being brash or obnoxious. It’s a song that seems very content with life at the moment, comforted with the knowledge that all is right with the world. That seems to also go a long way towards describing the state of Serge’s life at the beginning of the game. He’s leading a simple life in a simple village, and seems to be perfectly content with that existence. Through his eyes the entire world seems like a wonderful place to be.

On the Beach of Dreams shares the same peacefulness as Fields of Time, but it loses the comforting vibe in the process. The beat that drives the song isn’t as steady as before; it’s a little more in and out, featuring more highs and lows. The instrumentation and chords also lose a lot of the brightness they once had in favor of a more dissonant feel. This all brings more uncertainty and doubt to the world than before, which is likely how Serge feels when he is first ripped from his home world and thrust into this one. The world looks like the one he knows and loves, but something about it just doesn’t feel the same. Similarly with the two songs; they share a comparable calmness, but where one feels comforting the other feels on edge. This goes perfectly in hand with one of the game’s major themes, which is that small divergences can lead to drastically different outcomes. The game’s parallel worlds constantly show such contrasting results, and it’s awesome that their themes represent that same dynamic so well.

If Time’s Scar is Chrono Cross’ pinnacle track that represents the chaos and confusion of a world distorted across different dimensions, then Fields of Time and On the Beach of Dreams represent the opposite ends of that spectrum. And yet, they are both connected by that same low key nature that makes the entire Chrono Cross soundtrack such a pleasure to listen to. Past the dichotomy that separates these two songs, I remember them more for what they have in common. Fields of Time and On the Beach of Dreams are both beautiful songs that sum up a lot of what makes Chrono Cross’ soundtrack so great, and are among my favorites as a result.

For additional information on this blog, or to view other entries, click here.