There are certainly issues with this version of Chrono Cross to be sure, but these two are the least of its problems. When it comes to The Radical Dreamers Edition, the two earliest points of contention have been its inconsistent framerate and the inability to choose the original soundtrack. Trap Elements are still too situational and there isn't much variation among playable units, but it still holds up pretty well after all these years, and mastery of it is almost required to get through the back half of the adventure. Overseeing all of this is the 'Field Effect', which augments (or weakens) elemental types based on the last three spells cast should a single color dominate the grid, powerful summons can be used. Elements (often compared to Final Fantasy VII's Materia system by virtue of being equipped in slots) are magical spells of varying types with opposing alignments. Each party member starts with seven stamina points used for attacking and casting spells, refilling allies depleted meters in the process. The combat system in Chrono Cross remains enjoyable, eclipsing many of its PS1 contemporaries in terms of nuance. Serge's battle against FATE only grows more whimsical over time, it seems.
More than that, Cross expects players to be intimately familiar with the events of Trigger, and its absence on modern consoles echoes Cross' original release in 2000, arriving in the West before Final Fantasy Chronicles could help provide the proper background for PlayStation owners. And while the connections are there (and vital to understanding the gravity of the situation at hand), they essentially come in the form of massive text dumps at key moments in the story. From the rock concert put on by the love child of a pirate and mermaid (who presumably was visually inspired by Marilyn Manson) to harvesting alien space technology that turns a schooner into an airship, it's easy to see why people once questioned Cross' legitimacy of being the heir to Trigger's throne. I'll always believe Cross tells a stronger overall story, yet the plot itself is not only undeniably weaker – it's just plain weird. I prefer Chrono Cross over its predecessor, Chrono Trigger, but having beaten Cross twice in the past year and a half, its inconsistent narrative is more apparent to me than it used to be. Hunted by pursuers seeking to use him for their own ambitions and aided by the enigmatic Kid, Serge travels the realms in pursuit of the Frozen Flame, a legendary artifact with the power to shape desire into reality. One afternoon, silent protagonist Serge is mysteriously drawn into a parallel reality where historical events have unfolded differently than in his world – chiefly Serge's untimely demise.
The convoluted story of Chrono Cross has been well-documented by the old-school RPG community, standing second only to Xenogears in terms of obscure depth. The Radical Dreamers Edition doesn't have me waxing nostalgic like it should, but it's not the complete disaster everyone is making it out to be. Rambling on about characters and battle mechanics I guarantee he had no interest in, I would spend the remainder of the year absorbing its soundtrack and story like a sponge, completing multiple playthroughs and cherishing what I still look back on as the favorite era of my life. The day my father took me to buy Chrono Cross is one of fondest memories I have.
By Issa Maki, posted on 19 April 2022 / 3,502 Views
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