Chrono Cross (review)
Undoubtedly by now, you have heard or read the mountains of praise that had been heaped upon Chrono Cross by Squaresoft. This sequel to the legendary 16-bit classic Chrono Trigger has been dubbed the best RPG of the year by many critics. Others have gone so far as to call it the best role-playing game ever made.
In truth, it is neither. But it is a fine game with just a handful of flaws.
Gameplay is this game's strongest point. The battle system in this Playstation RPG is one of the most innovative and technically sound I have ever seen. While combat is basically turn-based, each character is given seven stamina points per round. They can attack in any order as long as they have one point left. Also, the attacks vary in strength depending on how many points are used in the combat. The plus side is that you can better plan your strategy and allow your party to work together better.
Magic is another great innovation as well. Spells are divided into six different color groups called Elements. Each spell has a range of effectiveness and is placed in a slot on a character's grid. The spell becomes stronger and weaker depending upon where in the grid it is placed. Each time a spell is cast, its element color is placed in a three-tier field system, meaning attacks of that color will be stronger. If the field becomes completely awash in one color, then a summon spell can be cast. Of course, that's not an easy task to accomplish, but it is well worth it.
However, there is far more to battle than just that. In Chrono Cross, all opponents are visible onscreen, completely eliminating annoying random encounters and making battles easy to avoid. However, if you do get into a battle and find that you're in over your head, you shouldn't worry. Each and every battle, including major conflicts, can be escaped from with a 100-percent success rate.
Characters also each have their own series of special attacks, which can sometimes be combined into Dual Techs (combination attacks made famous in Chrono Trigger). Best of all, though, the game gives you the opportunity to auto-heal after each fight, saving you immense amounts of playtime by searching through your inventory and selecting the best recovery items for each character.
In addition to these innovations, Chrono Cross also manages to flawlessly mix in some elements from other games. The 'New Game+' and multiple endings that were so vital to Chrono Trigger's mystique make a welcome return. The game's rich musical score also has its roots firmly in the sequel, although composer Yasunori Mitsuda managed to infuse enough originality to make this one of the best game soundtracks in years. The game contains over 40 characters, many of whom are hidden ala. Suikoden. Combined, the package makes Chrono Cross one of the most technically sound games ever created.
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