Chrono Cross

Time travel like in Chrono Trigger? No, this time it's a journey in two different worlds that are connected. It has some connections with Chrono Trigger, and you know more about Chrono Cross if you have played Chrono Trigger. So grab your SNES controller or an emulator, play Chrono Trigger, and then venture into the world of Chrono Cross.

Story

Like I said just now, the Chrono Cross' story has much to do with Chrono Trigger's. So it helps to play Chrono Trigger first. Chrono Trigger is available all over the internet. No, I'm not encouraging anyone to play the ROMs if you don't own CT yourself. That's illegal, you know. I'm just saying that you should play Chrono Trigger first and then Chrono Cross. But you can play Chrono Cross even if you've never played CT.

Ok, let's get back to the story. It's about a teenage boy called Serge who is able to travel from his world to a different version of his world. Complicated? Well, it's actually quite simple.

Serge soon meets Kid, a traveling girl about his age. Together they go after Kid's enemy, and after a while they find themselves in all kinds of situations. The story is simple and logical when you start the game. You do a few quests, and that's that. But later on, you have to save the two worlds, get your identity back and more stuff.

A whole bunch of important information is thrown in just before the ending. I think Squaresoft could've divided the info throughout the game. But then again, maybe that wasn't possible......or something like that.

Gameplay

Oh, man. There are just sooooo many things that are different from the standard RPG. Well, here I go...

You have a small menu that can be used to offer characters the special items you have collected. These items will not disappear, and a reaction only comes when it's the right character.

The weapons, armor and other equipment is made by blacksmiths. You'll have to gather materials for the blacksmiths for them to make the equipment. Those materials come from monsters when you win a battle, or you can find them as you play. For example, in a treasure chest.

The attack system is much like Xenogears. It goes with weak, medium and strong attacks. But your stamina is restored by the actions of your team members. You can even let your characters defend for a quick stamina boost. There are no combos or Deathblows.

The magic system is called the Element Grid. Basically you equip Elements on a character's Grid, and then use them in battle. There are a lot of magic Elements, but you also have consumable Elements and Techs. Consumables can be used more than once because you equip 5 or so on 1 spot in the Element Grid. Techs are unique Elements and cannot be removed. Each character has their own Techs.

When you attack and hit the enemy, you fill your Element Grid. You can use the Elements that are highlighted. An Element can only be used once in a battle, so make sure you equip lots of them.

Travel between the two worlds is very easy. You'll have to do it many times, for example when you're searching for something. If you can't find it in 1 world, try searching in the other.

Graphics

The graphics are nice, and they remind me of FFVIII. They could be a bit better, but not much. The FMV's are of good quality and they're not too long. There's a function in the game which allows you to view your party members from different angles. It's fun to just watch and study them. As last comment, I want to say that I think that the portraits also look good.

Sound

Music....Chrono Cross has some interesting tracks. In my opinion, it's not as good as Xenogears' or FFVII's, but it's still good. For me there were just a few tracks that I really liked. Like FATE or Chronopolis. What irritated me was the music that plays during a normal battle. The track isn't cool and it got on my nerves. But other than that, Yasunori Mitsuda has made a good soundtrack for a great game.

Characters

There are many characters in Chrono Cross, and only some of them play a big role. Others play no real role, or just a small one for a time. Most characters who have a portrait will join you during the game. Some characters are strong, while others are rather weak. They all have different stats each time you play the game. So a character who was really strong in your last game could be a lot weaker in your new game, or vice versa. This bothers me a little, because I can't decide who to take with me before I start the game (habit of mine, hehe). Most of the time, the characters in your party don't have a real personality. They just say the text that's in the game, only some of them might say it in their own way. Like an Australian or Scottish accent. They only show their personalities in certain scenes and situations. Oh yeah, you can get about 40 characters in your party. At some points, you'll have to choose between several characters.