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Topic: In defense of Chrono Cross (minor spoilers for those who haven't played the game)

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PixelViking64

I've seen a lot of hate directed towards Chrono Cross both on Youtube videos as well as on a lot of forums as I've been listening to the Chrono Cross OST the last couple of days. I feel like this hate mostly stems from the fact that the cast from Chrono Trigger is implied to have died in between the two games.
As someone who played Trigger first I didn't actually mind this. To me it just seems like people have a hard time handling the melancholic feel of Cross, which in my case actually might be the reason I like it so much. I'd go as far as to say that I actually prefer Cross by quite a large margin. Most of the environments in the game are unlike anything I've seen in any other game and the music is straight up godly. I realize that the plot gets kind of convoluted as you progress through the game, and that this is one of the other complaints most people have, but I actually really enjoy this. It's like a really hard puzzle that, once you figure it out, gives you such a satisfying feeling, besides it's just has this mysterious atmosphere to it with its blend of sci-fi and fantasy.

I realize this ended up more as a collection of thoughts than anything else, but I kind of just wanted to throw my opinion about this, sadly, much criticized game out there.

I'd be interested to hear your opinions on Cross and why you love/hate it

PixelViking64

Dezzy

I haven't seen any hate. I've seen a lot of not-caring about it, and plenty of forgetting it exists.

I don't really understand why Trigger has so much larger a fanbase. I far preferred Cross.
Not having a european release probably helped it becoming overlooked. The first chance I got to play it was on an emulator. I'd love to see a modern port though, in the vein of the recent FF9 port which improved the models and added some new features.

It's dangerous to go alone! Stay at home.

jtmnm

I enjoyed Cross, though I prefer Trigger for its art direction, story-line, combat, and focus on a smaller cast. Cross felt cluttered to me. Cross does hold on an edge on Trigger, though. While Trigger's soundtrack is brilliant, Cross's is downright magical. Some of those tracks captured me so much I immediately raced to my PC to hunt down transcriptions so I could learn them myself. "Lost Fragments" and "A Light For Lost Hopes" are two of my favorite rainy day jams.

jtmnm

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Tasuki

The main reason why Chrono Cross is not held in such high regard is because it didn't do anything special to the RPG genre.

Chrono Trigger was the first RPG that had multiple endings for one thing. The time traveling element was a new twist in which stuff you did in one the period could effect something in another. Also the fact that you have such a large group of characters to choose from and switch out any time you want was a freash idea at the time as well.

Chrono Cross really didn't do anything to stand it out from other RPGs at the time. When it was released there were so many RPGs on the PS that it just felt average. Add that there was no really connection to Chrono Trigger and you got a game that just felt like it was capitalizing on the Chrono Trigger name.

It's sad that it didn't do better cause I would have loved to play Chrono Break even though I didn't like Cross.

RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.

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PixelViking64

@Dezzy Well, Trigger, I think, didn't get a release in Europe before the release of the DS port. That being said it did get released here. They didn't even bother to release Cross on the european Playstation store, so I actually had to change my VPN so I could buy it from the American one.

PixelViking64

PixelViking64

@JTMnM I have to agree that the cast in Cross was far too big. I think that's probably the biggest problem the game has. I only really cared for a couple of characters, mainly Kid.
Regarding the music, I don't think I have a favorite track; they're all so great. However, I feel like Ancient Dragon's Stronghold is very underrated, as is Dimensional Rift. Terra Towers bell music somehow manages to sound even more depressing than Last Hours from Majora's Mask, which is quite the achievement.

PixelViking64

Cynas

I've never owned a PlayStation console until the PS4 so I haven't played Chrono Cross myself but I have heard a lot about it. I haven't heard a lot of hate for the game itself, but I've heard a lot of people disregard it as a true sequel to Chrono Trigger. I think a lot of people just disliked what they did with the original cast characters. It probably would have been better off if they cut all ties from the first game rather than having a few confusing/strange references.

Cynas

Switch Friend Code: SW-5466-6715-6498

PixelViking64

@Tasuki I disagree that Cross wasn't really connected to Trigger. There are lots of connections well hidden in the game, for example the Prometheus Circuit is actually Robo and the another dimension is actually the timeline from the original game. Besides that Belthasar, as you know an important character in Trigger, is in the game and is the one responsible for Project Kid. He travels from the future he was sent to in Trigger to oversee the aforementioned project while the actual events play out.
I know I haven't mentioned a whole lot of examples, but as I'm sure you're aware of, it's difficult to understand the plot, let alone explain it, haha.

PixelViking64

PixelViking64

@Xaldin It's kind of strange, because I felt how most people feel about Chrono Cross, but in regards to Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I guess it has to do with some kind of expectation you build up over time. After all I already had an idea that Cross, plot wise, would move a bit away from the ideas seen in Trigger.

PixelViking64

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