On the eve of Chrono Cross’ twenty fifth anniversary, it’s a very good time to dive again into Sq. Enix’s weirdest direct sequel ever, and one of many extra underappreciated RPGs from the PS1 period. The remastered model can be 50 p.c off proper now on PSN, making it a straightforward retro pickup for the PlayStation 5 or PS4.
A sequel to Chrono Set off on the SNES, which comfortably sits close to the highest of many individuals’s best-games-of-all-time lists, Chrono Cross took one nook of the world established within the first recreation and blew it out right into a sprawling, mind-bending journey that goes to unimaginable locations, from the goofy and cliche to the unnerving and emotionally profound. Its wonderful artwork fashion and evocative musical rating are first-class, even when it’s much more uneven and esoteric than the crowd-pleasing authentic. Plus there are 45 playable characters to recruit, together with magicians, pirates, rockstars, and a literal human mushroom (he’s referred to as “Funguy” for all you sickos who get pleasure from puns on the market).
I wasn’t a giant fan of the remaster, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Version, when it launched again in April 2022. The port felt fairly barebones, and mileage on the standard of higher-resolution backgrounds and the framerate efficiency different rather a lot. It felt like a missed alternative to present the sport the comeback it deserved. A 12 months later, nevertheless, Sq. Enix launched an replace that considerably improved efficiency, and now the sport is at the moment simply $10 till June 6 on the PlayStation Retailer. That’s about how a lot the PS1 basic model was earlier than it was ripped from the PS Vita and PS3 shops.
That makes it a no brainer when you’re searching for a dense retro RPG to move these nostalgic Saturday morning and sizzling summer season nights. Some quality-of-life choices like turning off enemy encounters or dashing up the sport additionally go an extended method to chopping down on the occasional tedium of repetitive turn-based battles and dungeon backtracking. Plus, the Radical Dreamers version contains the never-before-localized visible novel that connects Chrono Cross and Chrono Set off collectively. Beating each reveals a quick new ending to the saga. And the Platinum trophy is fairly enjoyable and simple to get.
For all its flaws, Chrono Cross nonetheless lives in my head hire free prefer it does for therefore many different followers who first performed it again within the day. The Useless Sea will ceaselessly hang-out my goals.
