What happens when a sequel isn’t really a sequel, but more of a thematic continuation, but only because it deviates so wildly from the source material, but ultimately in a good way, but not in a way most fans expected or wanted?
Welcome to Chrono Cross, one of the more fascinating non-sequels in the history of video gaming.
Chrono Cross
Genre: RPG
Released: 2000
Platform: Playstation
Metacritic Score: 94
If all of that sounds convoluted, well it’s nothing compared to the project’s development … or its plot.
Chrono Trigger, a Square property widely considered to be one of the greatest role-playing games ever released, debuted for the Super Nintendo in 1995 and was an instant hit. It was so immediately beloved, in fact, that questions of a sequel began right away. A text-based adventure “Radical Dreamers” was released in Japan as a continuation of the story in 1996. For even the developers, Radical Dreamers seemed a little half-done (explaining why it never made it stateside), so work on a “proper” sequel expanding on the Radical Dreamers story beats was begun soon thereafter.
An early attempt eventually morphed into the game Xenogears, which would itself become another valued Square property. But eventually, Chrono Cross began to take shape thanks to the efforts of a development team that numbered nearly 100 (source: GamePro).
Set in the same world as Chrono Trigger, but across multiple universes (the player is able to leap back and forth between two universes in which a singular event changed things dramatically), Chrono Cross very deliberately veered away from the main protagonists of the previous game, only bringing them in for brief cameos. The goal was to avoid “sullying” the legacy of the previous game, which had been held up by some as role-playing game perfection (or some such).
That’s too much to live up to.
Of course, all of that effort not to “hurt” the original game probably made matters worse. Despite earning critical acclaim, many fans of the previous game rejected this one because it deviated so completely from Trigger.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Still, the problem for all those fans who rejected this one is that it’s a really damn fine game.
Chrono Cross, on its own merits, is an absolute tour de force in design and execution, and was recognized as such by the critics. Released in 1999 for the original Playstation, it stretches the limits of that original hardware, boasting incredible artwork, sound, and depth of game play. Its story is hugely ambitious, and it features a roster of playable characters so massive (and ultimately disposable), you’d think it was a listing of drummers for Spinal Tap.
Its aforementioned story is virtually impossible to follow, so that’s fun. Actually, it kind of is, because after awhile you have no choice but to give up on understanding everything and you’re just along for the ride and don’t have to concern yourself with such trivial matters as “plot” or “story.”
I jest somewhat, but here’s a sampling of where the story goes.
You start out as “Serge,” a pretty typical “silent protagonist” who died in one reality awhile back but is alive in his own reality. That’s interesting enough. Well, he naturally gets sucked into that other reality for some reason, and then has to fight a Panther Man named Lynx who may or may not be his father (getting Darth Vader vibes here), but that fight just causes you to switch bodies with Lynx for some other reason, but then you find out that Panther Man may or may not be a creation in a giant simulation run by a super computer called FATE and that the world devourer is coming and he’s somehow related to one of your companions named Kid, and there are a bunch of dragons who seem important, and oh you get your body back, and like a million other things are going on with all those other Spinal Tap drummer characters and you think I’m making most of this up, but I’m not.
Hey, like I said, it still kind of works because you just roll with it. Having two alternate realities is actually a really interesting idea, because it allows the creators of the game to dive into a bunch of philosophical questions about the nature of life and what it means. The massive roster of characters comes in handy in this way too, because it becomes really fun to try to get them to interact with their “other” selves, which puts their own lives into sharp relief. Like maybe a guy is swimming around in his own guilt for some sin and has completely given up control of his own life; his other self may meet up with him and either call him a pathetic loser or try to motivate the guy to do better and keep going.
The other reason having so many different characters can be a good thing is the game’s battle system, which remains one of my favorite battle systems in any game ever. Each character has an innate color and each innate color is strong/weak against other colors. Casting certain spells will alter the landscape around you to make it more or less conducive to your success as well. So you’ve got a rock, paper, scissors thing going on here, similar to Mega Man, but it applies not only to you and your opponents, but your battle field as well.
Each character has his or her own special attacks, summons, and some even have combination attacks (one of the few carry-overs from Chrono Trigger), and the more you use certain characters, the more completely they’ll level up (though your entire crew levels up to largely the same degree regardless of who you use … there are incremental benefits to using some of the same characters more regularly). In addition to Serge/Lynx, you get two more teammates to take into battle/conversations with you, and those interactions will differ based on who you have in your party. So you may do a lot of swapping, especially if you’re intent on unlocking all of the playable characters.
In many RPGs, you have a simple turn, then you wait, then you take your turn again, wash, rinse, repeat. Here, you have several options available to you. Your basic attacks are weak, medium, and strong, with each level having less likelihood of connecting as they strengthen BUT connecting early in your “turn” gives you a better likelihood of connecting later in the round. Further, these attacks build up your magic meter, giving you access to more and more powerful spells/specials the more times you connect with an attack.
It’s gloriously complex. The game does a good job of holding your hand through the process early on, and once you get the hang of it, you’re left with a myriad of choices, keeping battles fresh and interesting. The game is ultimately not difficult, and most of your battles do NOT require a great deal of thought to win, but there’s a certain artistry here that appeals to the creative sort.
“I’d like to see if I can turn the entire field green so that I can summon a dragon to deal 1,000 HP of damage to this little rooster guy, just because.”
“I’m going to try to beat the game using nothing but weak attacks.”
“This psychotic robot clown guy is going to be in my party until the literal end of time.”
The diversity of options just plain rules.
So what makes it worth playing today?
Square during the Playstation era (around 1995-2000 or so) was at the top of its RPG-making game, cranking out awesome quest after awesome quest. That fact alone should spark the interest of anyone thinking of circling back. Of course, the problem with this plan is that RPGs will bleed away 50-100 hours or so of your life.
If you’ve got life to spare, great! If not, you kind of have to take your pick.
Reasons to pick this game include, but are not limited to the following:
- You loved Chrono Trigger, but you aren’t weirdly obsessed with it and want more story in that universe with a different group of characters in a different kind of game.
- You haven’t played Chrono Trigger and haven’t had a chance to get weirdly obsessed with it and just want to play a darn good RPG.
- You want to experience one of the greatest soundtracks in the history of gaming. Seriously. It’s THAT GOOD. Playing this game for the soundtrack alone isn’t the worst idea in the world. Check out this awesome-sauce: Original Soundtrack on YouTube
- You’re itching for more choices/characters in your RPGs and/or a cool battle system you’ve never experienced before.
- You like your RPGs on the easier side.
- You’re 22 and questioning the nature of reality.
- You dig on silent dudes named Serge.
Dave’s Score: 10/10
Check out the whole Retro Gaming Essentials list here!
How to play
- Original hardware (Playstation)
- Playstation Network (PS3, Vita, PSP)