Chrono Cross Physical Edition Coming To Asia With English Language Support

Yes got it on pre-order now.

A must-have for any RPG-loving Switch collector.

This is what I was waiting for.

Same thing happened with Final Fantasy IX. Digital-only release in most territories, but a physical Asian release with English support. I wonder why Square Enix keeps doing this.

@moodycat plus shipping, tax.. it ends up three times the price of the digital. I'll get the digital one, albeit I understand the collector's point of view

2022 and you can buy a hard copy of Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers. LOVE IT!

On Switch, I usually go for digital games. This will probably be an exception. It's so nice to see Radical Dreamers finally get a physical release after all these years.

@moodycat Launching a physical game is significantly more costly than a digital release. It's not, "taking advantage of collectors." There's a reason you don't see any physical games whatsoever launching for less than 30 or 40USD.

@CactusMan That's the anniversary version of FFIX, the anniversary version is just the regular version but available as a code in a box or a digital release only. There's no differences from the anniversary version compare to the regular version.

So... is this game actually worth getting? From what I've read about it, the soundtrack is excellent, but other than that, it's nowhere near the high standards set by Chrono Trigger.

@EarthboundBenjy Educated guess, something to do with maintaining a relationship with brick and mortar businesses. Game pricing is hamstrung by the cost of manufacturing (which is notoriously expensive for Switch games) and the fact that stores want to see price parity for digital and physical releases. Releasing a 40 dollar physical version at GameStop/Bestbuy/Walmart would force them to release the EShop version at the same price.

Releasing only on Play-Asia, a site that caters pretty heavily towards collectors and importers, allows them to charge what they need to in order to make a profit on physical sales while also not potentially pricing themselves out of the digital market.

@Kochambra That's the gist. Personally, I view the soundtrack as the best ever for a game, but the gane itself was a big mehh for me. I never got far into it and didn't care much for the premise. It's no Chrono Trigger 2. I might still get it, to see if I would like it now, and to support these types of releases.

Go into it with zero expectations and you could be pleasantly surprised.

@Daniel36 People didn't like this game cause in a way it almost had nothing to do with the original other than some few name drop and revelation at the end but the fact that Square even bother to connect both games is a good thing. Why people even hate on this game is anyone's guess but lets face facts here, unlike other Square sequels that actually had next to nothing with the original and was so beloved but the fact that Chrono Cross did had connection to the original and was hated show why Square doesn't make any mainline game in the franchise that would connect to the original anymore. This is why every Final Fantasy is its own game, every Mana is its own game, and every SaGa is its own game.

@Specter_of-the_OLED the product description from the link states that it's X/X2 and both games are on the cartridge, not a code.

@Indielink hmm. Kirby £49. digital from Nintendo, physical £38 from Currys.

@Specter_of-the_OLED Yo bro spoilers. I know you want to rant about the story, which is fair, but this is a brand new game for many Nintendo fans. As far as connections to Trigger go they are fantastic connections that do continue the Belthasar story as since Trigger deals with time travel the way Back to the Future does it creates a bootstrap paradox after Lavos is defeated. The entire point is Serge's fate is the trigger that creates two separate universes because this timeline should have never existed in the first place (that also includes Kid). We are following Serge's story and how the events of Trigger have basically created this archipelago that is drawn into two separate realities and how the Dragon Gods and Chronopolis are both battling for control of this new reality. The story is exceptionally connected to Trigger's but in smart ways that allow it to function as its own story or as a continuation of Trigger. I think Trigger fanboys get their knickers in a twist because Cross does not follow the same formula and dares to be different from Trigger. This is not Chrono Trigger 2, this is Chrono Cross and while the game does take the disregarded story threads Trigger left behind it is still its own story.

EDIT I also think you do not actually understand the plot to Chrono Cross (warning MAJOR SPOILERS) Also the Time Devourer and Dream Devourer are the same being and defeating them and saving Schala actually merges the two realities and restores the correct peaceful timeline. As since Schala exists in a place outside of time removing her will keep Balthasar from ever discovering her and as such Serge would never come in contact with the Frozen Flame and F.A.T.E. That and the Frozen Flame is the remnants of Lavos which is separate from the Devourer. o the reason the Frozen Flame brings you to Schala is that it is returning to the remnants of Lavos the Devourer. The Chrono Cross is actually made from the Tears of Love & Hate and in conjunction with the elements made from the Dragon Gods is able to separate Schala from Lavos. I know the story can get a bit complicated. My biggest issue with Chrono Cross is how all this information is shoved in the last third of the game so it can be a bit of information overload.

@zool What an individual retailer decides to do once the game is on their shelves is a totally different matter. If Curry's decided to knock 10£ off the MSRP off the game three days after it comes out that's up to them.

A handful of developers have actually discussed this before. Most notably Grey Box/Tequila Works with the release of Rime on Switch.

If Play Asia does free shipping again I will pick it up, but the cheapest shipping is still $10 while taking a month to show up.

Can’t seem to add it to cart.

@Don had the same issue, but its probably best I go digital. Not sure I want to spend $60 on it.

@Kochambra Depends on who you ask. I actually think it's better than Chrono Trigger.

@Dr_Corndog I think I'm in the camp that prefers Cross from Trigger too. But, the two games really are apples and oranges. Trigger is a bit more traditional fantasy-SciFi and is a more fast-paced lighthearted adventure (for the most part), while Cross is a slow build and more cerebral and odd. It just comes down to taste and expectations on which one you prefer.

Love this game, will buy that physical copy. Also looking forward to a whole new round of people struggling with it being a walking simulator with superficial jrpg elements grafted on, and dealing with that horribly rushed and nonsensical third act.

@Coalescence That third act is so weird. When you actually think about the story the third act makes a lot of sense. But, at the time it is such information overload. They really needed to spread that out more throughout the game

Preordered it myself along with SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions Switch which is finally getting a physical release with English.

On top of waiting for my Switch copies of Romancing SaGa 2 and Dungeon Encounters to arrive.

@moodycat Physical copies have resale value and you can often sell them on ebay/pricecharting for more than you originally paid for them, that makes the premium worth it for me.

@accc
Yeah, that was my thinking when I ultimately decided to go ahead and pre-order this. I prefer physical copies, but wasn't thrilled about paying twice the price in this case. However, once this inevitably becomes unavailable at some point, I could likely sell it for a profit - and maybe even use that to buy the digital version to replace it. Or, I might end up wanting to keep it. Either way, there's not really a big down side to getting it.

@moodycat 1st time collecting something? As a collector you will always be exploited by people selling on the aftermarket. That's what you sign up for. Also how do you not understand the logistics of why a physical version costs more than a digital version?

So no actual release in Europe? Do I have to order it via Play-asia to get a physical copy?

I just preordered and it automatically applied a $10 discount via PayPal. Not sure why but final total was $36.

@Specter_of-the_OLED do you live in the same world as us with FFXIII trilogy and X/X-2