Even in Another World, Chrono Cross shines bright.
During an era where RPG's were played by taking turns and polygons ruled the world, a very well-renowned classic would see its epic story continue in three-dimensions. Chrono Cross is a game developed by a then Squaresoft, who had just brought the gaming world to its knees with the releases of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. Chrono Cross, is a quasi-sequel to the original Chrono Trigger that received tremendous success and response from the Nintendo community. Chrono Cross utilizes some of the well developed characters from the original Chrono Trigger although they assume different forms as the games are set in contrasting time-periods (i.e. Glenn and Frog).
The game follows Serge, a seventeen year old boy, who stumbles from his Home World into an alternate universe known as Another World. In this plane of existence, Serge has been dead for 10 years. He is determined to discover the finite details behind his death by embarking on a lengthy journey that spans the time-space continuum.
Throughout the course of this game you will have the opportunity to play as 45-characters, each with a unique set of techs (special abilities). Each character is lovable and fits in to the story (or sub-story) in a different way. A wide variety of characters are available: ranging from your typical heroic knight in Glenn, to your cute little blue alien friend, Starky and everything else in between. There's something for everyone, take Funguy for example, a talking mushroom man who, if the name is any indication of his character, is a real FUN-GUY (yeah I know, what a knee-slapper). Although you may find yourself gravitating to specific characters and not wanting to change your party members it's fun just to watch each individuals set of moves and smirk at the detail put into each character, from the way they attack to the way their text-based speech differs from the rest. (i.e Zoah, one of the four Acacian Dragoons who looks like he came out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and TALKS LIKE THIS like he has VOICE MODULATION PROBLEMS). The first major thing that comes into mind while playing Chrono Cross is just the sheer scope and vastness of this universe. This game takes a long time to finish and if you love this game like I do, you can easily sink 80-hours into this story. Also the game features something called New Game + which is essentially the ability to start the game again with your original characters at the same levels you left them at. So much detail was placed into the story, characters and setting that you would feel guilty just breezing through this game without soaking in all of the intricacies laced into the disc.
Graphically this game is similar to the other Final Fantasy games of the Playstation but certainly plays well and is fluent enough to enjoy. The environments are lush and vivid. The lands of Home and Another World range from the prehistoric land of dinosaurs and giant mosquitoes to the sweaty and uncomfortable heat of a live volcano. Chrono Cross, like most other Square (Soft/Enix) produced games, uses pre-rendered CG cut scenes which are intensely colourful and smooth. The CG's will make your eyes pop and at the time leave you in awe with their beauty (If only the game played like this, you would ask yourself).
At the time of this games release I was quick to discount Chrono Cross as I thought it was just a lame attempt at a Final Fantasy game, but while playing it, there is a very sudden and abrupt moment early in the adventure that shows you just how unique the Chrono experience is. This game is vastly different than its Final Fantasy counterparts and if given the right opportunity is much better (which is a bold claim for me to make seeing as I am a huge Final Fantasy fan). This game is more grown up than Final Fantasy and is also more confusing, which is why most children at the time were too young to grip the concepts of FATE and trans-dimensional travel. Honestly, the game still gets me at times but is always something to question and hypothesize about. This story remains the only game in my expansive library that I wish gets the sequel it rightfully deserves. From the game-play to the story line this is by-far superior to any other Final Fantasy chapter and in my mind is the greatest game ever made. I am no Playstation fanboy, trust me I don't even own a Playstation 3, but this is the one game that would compel me to purchase one at a moments notice. Sony needs to commission Square-Enix to produce a sequel or a remade version of Chrono Cross that remains exclusive. A sequel or remade version would not only convert some of the lost RPG players of the 90's back to their platform but would also attract new players with this stellar piece of video game art.
