November 9, 2019
By Ryan Porzl
In 1995, the world was introduced to the game Chrono Trigger, one of the greatest masterpieces in video game history. Telling the story of friends from different time periods traveling back and forth through time in the hopes of saving the world from an intergalactic parasite, it was one of the greatest games ever made and it begged for a sequel. Then four years later, Square released the indirect sequel Chrono Cross. Taking place 20 years after the events of Trigger, Chrono Cross saw dozens of characters travel between two nearly identical worlds and must stop the same parasite who is now stronger than ever. With the 20th Anniversary of Chrono Cross coming in November, what better way to celebrate then look back at one of the greatest sequels ever made. As is the case with these articles, don't read if you don't want to be spoiled as there are spoilers.
Characters
A special note before beginning. I'm only going to focus on the specfiic character that joins your party. For example, if a character from the home world joins you then I will only focus on the home world version and vice versa with the another world.
Serge (Home World)- The main hero. Like Crono in Chrono Trigger, Serge is a silent protagonist type as he never speaks outside of the player deciding to choose what to do. Serge is a 17 year old boy from Arni, a fishing village. His journey begins when he's swept into Another World where he finds out that he actually drowned ten years before instead of surviving like he did in the Home World and now must piece together what is happening all the while he's being pursued by a mysterious figure named Lynx who seeks Serge due to him coming into contact with a powerful artifact called the Frozen Flame when he was a child which locked it away from others. At one point during the game, Lynx uses the Dragon Tear to switch bodies and Serge is stuck in Lynx's body for a time before returning to his normal body. Serge is crucial to Belthasar's plan to finally stop the Time Devourer and free Schala with the use of the Chrono Cross. Serge's innate element is White and his weapon of choice is a swallow.
Kid (Another World)- A mysterious teenage girl and clone of Schala who was raised by Chrono Trigger's Lucca until the orphanage was burned down by Lynx which resulted in Kid having hatred for him. She meets Serge as he enters the Another World and assists him against Lynx during the first part of the game and eventually rejoins towards the end. Kid's the reason why there's two dimensions due to her going back in time to 1010 A.D. in order to save Serge from drowning which created a world he survived (Home World) and one where he drowned (Another World). Kid's innate element is Red and her weapon of choice is a dagger.
Lynx- One of the main villains of the game. Lynx is an anthropomorphic feline type creature who pursues Serge for unknown reasons while also being pursued by Kid. It turns out Lynx is really Wazuki, the father of Serge who is being controlled by a supercomputer known as FATE after coming into contact with it after stumbling to Chronopolis in 1006 A.D hoping to find medicine for Serge. After this incident, Wazuki's attitude changed and on the orders of FATE, tried to drown Serge in 1010 A.D. only for Kid to foil this and Wazuki ran off eventually becoming Lynx due to Serge's fear of cats as he was poisoned by a panther demon. The incident and Kid's intervention led to the two dimensions of Home World and Another World. In 1020 A.D., FATE has assigned Lynx to pursue Serge and switch bodies as only Serge can gain access to the Frozen Flame due to him coming into contact with it years before. In the meantime, he has history with Kid as he burned the orphanage she lived at years before. Lynx's innate element is Black and uses a swallow when Serge has his body and a scythe as himself.
Guile (Another World)- A masked magician who keeps to himself but can be laid back, Guile is a member of the Magic Guild who seeks mystery and curiosity. Because of this, the player first runs into him in Termina as he makes a bet with a fortune teller that he can enter Viper Manor despite it supposedly being impregnable. Early on during the game's development, plans were for Guile to be Magus from Chrono Trigger in disguise but this was dropped due to Chrono Cross having 45 playable characters which would result in them being unable to provide enough character development. Guile's innate element is Black and his weapon of choice is a rod.
Norris (Home World)- A military commander and member of the Porre Army while also heading the Black Wind unit, Norris is a fair but serious leader who's focus is always on the mission though his honesty isn't always liked by his soldiers. An example of his character, Norris tried to destroy Grobyc at a laboratory rather than allow it to be unleashed due to it being a killing machine but it didn't work an explosion resulted in the death of Luccia's brother while Grobyc escaped. Norris also served as a spy who was to infiltrate the Home World Acacia Dragoons after hearing from Lynx the Frozen Flame was in El Nido and General Viper sought it but nothing came of it when the Dragoons disappeared. He's an expert with electronics and computers and puts it to use during the game. He joins Serge due to his eagerness to explore the Dead Sea. An example of his stoicness is when he meets his Another World self and isn't shaken by it. Norris' innate element is Yellow and his weapon of choice is a gun.
Nikki (Another World)- A rockstar who is the front man of the Magical Dreamers band, Nikki is the son of Fargo, the nephew of Irenes, and older brother of Marcy. Originally coming from a happy family, Nikki went out on his own in 1011 A.D. after Fargo had a fallen out with General Viper which led to the death of his mother. His ambition led to him forming the Magical Dreamers and after initially struggling with people not getting his flamboyant look and deep music, a pep talk from Trigger's Lucca encouraged him on and he eventually rose to stardom. Despite leaving home, Nikki always continued to search for Fargo and Marcy, hoping to reunite with them. Nikki's innate element is Blue and his weapon of choice is a guitar pick for his guitars.
Viper (Another World)- A military general who is the lord of El Nido and former leader of the Acacia Dragoons, Viper has run El Nido since it was colonized and is the father of Riddel. Prior to becoming a general and lord, Viper may have been one the Acacia Dragoon's four Devas alongside Radius, Garai (father of Glenn), and Zappa. He assumed leadership of El Nido upon his retirement from the military where he earned praise from it's citizen for being a great leader who brought about justice and excellence though a series of unknown events lead to a fallen out with Fargo. At the beginning of the game, he was approached by Lynx who interested him with the Frozen Flame though unbeknownst to him, Lynx already had talks with the leaders of Porre thus setting up an eventual double cross. Eventually, Lynx betrays Viper at Fort Dragonia and leaves him for dead but the Dragoons eventually find him and nurse him back to health. Viper's innate element is Yellow and his weapon of choice is a sword.
Riddel (Another World)- Riddel is the kind-hearted and elegant daughter of General Viper. Quiet and reserved, Riddel was mostly close to friends and family most notably Karsh, Dario (brother of Glenn), and Glenn who, like Riddel, were children of the Four Devas of the Acacia Dragoons. She especially became close with Dario and as they grew up, fell in love and were set to be married by 1017 A.D. until Dario was killed at the Isle of the Damned. The death left Riddel broken hearted and she never got over it. She was so devastated by it that Viper hid Dario's Memento Pendant that he gave her to prevent her from being reminded of Dario's death all the while she continued to make visits to his grave where she lay bellflowers. Due to Viper's popularity, most of Termina has sympathy for her and offered condolences. Riddel's innate element is White and her weapon of choice is a rod.
Karsh (Home World)- Karsh is one of the current Devas of the Acacia Dragoons and the son of former Deva Zappa. Like his father, Karsh has a tough personality but cares deeply for his friends, specifically his childhood friends like Riddel, Dario, and Glenn. Throughout the game, Karsh also shows his ability as a leader be it leading Solt and Peppor during his first appearance in the game to leading the other Devas in Zoah and Marcy. Though close, Karsh has feelings for Riddel while having looked at Dario and Glenn as friendly rivals especially in competition. Karsh also held a dark secret as he was forced to kill Dario after the latter requested it due to being corrupted by the Masamune, the bloodstained sword of evil. However, he kept it a secret at the suggestion of Lynx, who told him to say it was demons, which damaged his reputation due to some believing he killed Dario out of jealousy due to Dario's engagement to Riddel. Karsh's innate element is Green and his weapon of choice is an axe
Zoah (Another World)- Zoah is one of the current Devas of the Acacia Dragoons and is the biggest and strongest of the three. Zoah is a complete enigma as no one seems to know much about his past and he conceals his face with a knight helmet. The only thing known is he was perfect for the Acacia Dragoons given both his hulking body and mindset. He also may either have a deep voice or his voice may sound different because of his helmet seeing as how his dialogue is all caps. Zoah's innate element is Yellow and his weapon of choice is a glove.
Marcy (Another World)- Marcy is the one of the current Devas of the Acacia Dragoons and is the smallest and possibly youngest of the three. Marcy is the daughter of Fargo and younger sister of Nikki but was raised by Luccia after her mother Zelbess passed away and the family broke apart. While raised by Luccia, she had a lot of freedom which led to a bratty personality and was eventually introduced to the Acacia Dragoons after Luccia went to work at Viper Manor at 1017 A.D. As part of the Acacia Dragoons, one of her assignments is to guard Belthasar at Viper Manor. Despite her child-like appearance, Marcy makes up for it for her viciousness and element skills specifically with blue elements. Marcy's innate element is Blue and her weapon of choice is a glove.
Luccia (Another World)- A scientific genius who works for the Acacia Dragoons at Viper Manor, Luccia has the ability of taken old Dragonian technology and craft them into innovative creations. It's possible she came from Porre as she worked there with her genius brother who later created Grobyc. While at the mainland, she befriended Trigger's Lucca with the two having exchanged notes and dialogue. From 1010 to 1017 A.D., she went through several tragic moments including the death of her brother in an explosion caused by Norris, Lynx and Harle burned down Lucca's orphanage though she sent a letter and instructions to Luccia to later give to Kid, and she was part of the fallen out between Viper and Fargo which led to Luccia trying to save Fargo's wife Zelbess and daughter Marcy but was only able to save Marcy. After the latter happened, she watched over Marcy from afar which led to Marcy eventually joining the Acacia Dragoons. After moving to Viper Manor, Luccia created many defensive creations including Cybots and Bulbs. Luccia's innate element is Black and her weapon of choice is a card deck.
Poshul (Home World)- Poshul is the happy dog of Leena. She resides at Arni Village where she has her own doghouse at Leena's hut along with a warning sign. She usually enjoys running and playing with the children of Arni in front of the Chief's hut. Poshul's innate element is Yellow and her weapon of choice is a glove.
Razzly (Home World)- A whimsy and whimsical fairy who resides at the Water Dragon Isle alongside her sister Rosetta and other fairies. Unlike other Demi-Humans, Razzly and the fairies love all lifeforms including humans. She eventually left the Isle in 1020 A.D. to venture to the hydra marshes in search of the last hydra but was captured by the dwaves there, caged, and sent to the lair of the pentapus to be eaten but she was saved by Serge upon his arrival to the marshes as he too sought the hydra as it contained a cure for Kid's poison. Razzly's innate element is Green and her choice of weapon is a rod.
Zappa (Home World)- Zappa is a former Deva of the Acacia Dragoons, the father of Karsh, and the official blacksmith of the Dragoons. At one point, Zappa and his wife Zippa had searched for rainbow shells knowing the potential weapons and armor that could be made. However, they never found it, gave up and settled down to raise Karsh which led to Zappa starting his own shop in Termina. Like his son, Zappa can also show a rough and tough personality. In the Home World, Zappa's life changed forever when Karsh was lost in the Dead Sea which broke his spirit and affected his motivation to work eventually shutting his shop down by 1020 A.D. During his journey, he comes to accept his son's death, acquires the rainbow shell, and resumes his blacksmith shop after meeting his Another World counterpart. Zappa's innate element is Red and his choice of weapon is an axe or a hammer.
Orcha (Another World)- Orcha is a tough chef from Guldove who becomes the main cook at the Viper Manor for the Acacia Dragoons. Outside of coming from Guldove, not much is known about his origins. Orcha is known to have a dark side and can be arrogant by bragging at times. Orcha's innate element is Red and his weapon of choice is kitchen utensils.
Radius (Home World)- Radius was once a Deva of the Acacia Dragoons when he was younger before becoming the current chief of Arni Village. Years before the game, Radius originally was a member of the Acacia Dragoons before raising the ranks and reaching Deva alongside Viper, Zappa, and Garai where they earned a reputation as a powerful combination. Unfortunately, tragedy would occur and their team would come to an end at 1005 A.D. when he and Garai stumbled onto the Masamune. Taking advantage of his jealousy, the sword drove Radius to insanity and into murdering Garai. While the other Devas looked at it as an accident, Radius retired from the dragoons after burying Garai and decided to change his life into a more spiritual one. By 1016 A.D., he resided to Arni where he became a chief who hoped to led with kindness and knowledge all the while giving up his sword. Radius' innate element is Green and his weapon of choice is a staff.
Fargo (Another World)- A fierce pirate who is captain of the S.S. Invincible, Fargo is the father of Nikki and Marcy and brother-in-law of Irenes. His origin isn't known but he came to El Nido where he ran into Demi-Humans and eventually married a mermaid Zelbess with the two having a son Nikki and daughter Marcy. Fargo eventually came to contact with the Acacia Dragoons but it ended disastrously as Fargo thought his kids were killed while his wife shortly afterwards passed away. Having lost his family, he turned to piracy and used the S.S. Invincible as a pirate ship that raided Acacia Dragoon ships until Lynx befriended General Viper. Upon Lynx's arrival, Fargo and his crew took advantage of a legend of a ghost ship by passing themselves as the ghost ship in order to prevent detection. Fargo's innate element is Blue and his weapon of choice is a sword.
Macha (Another World)- A native of Guldove, Macha is the biological mother of Korcha and the adopted mother of Mel. She decides to live her life bravely to set an example of Korcha. She meets Serge and his party after Kid is poisoned. Macha's innate element is Red and her weapon of choice is kitchen utensils.
Korcha (Another World)- Korcha is the son of Macha and the adopted older brother of Mel. Originally raised without a father, Korcha found his way in life as he started his own ferry business. He was not popular with the citizens of Termina due to being a troublemaker and his crude attitude but he is a good person who hopes to see humans and demi-humans live together. Korcha originally meets Serge and his party when he takes them to Viper Manor and eventually to Guldove after Kid is poison by Lynx. He eventually joins and offers his boat in exchange for the Dragon Tear and Kid's hand in marriage after the journey was completed. Korcha's innate element is Blue and his weapon of choice is a fishing lure.
Glenn (Another World)- Glenn is a member of the Acacia Dragoon and comes from a long line as both his father Garai and older brother Dario were Devas of the Dragoons. Likely due to his heritage, he and Dario grew up with Riddel and Karsh who were also children of Four Devas. Originally, Glenn was hotheaded and many thought was doomed to be stuck in the shadow of Dario and a good example was when he placed runner up at the Viper Tournament of Swords while Dario won. Following Dario's death in 1017 A.D., Glenn became a brave and strong swordsman and three years later became a junior Acacia Dragoon. Glenn's innate element is Green and his weapon of choice is a sword.
Leena (Another World)- A native of Arni Village, Leena is a strong willed and cheery girl. Like her Home World counterpoint, Leena lost her father Miguel at a young age when he was lost and befriended Another World Serge until his drowning at 1010 A.D. which devastated her and the rest of the village along with her continually regretting what happened. Serge first meets her when he ventures to Another World for the first time and while she obviously doesn't recognize him or believe him, she feels like she has known him for a long time and eventually decides to join him. Leena's innate element is Blue and her weapon of choice is kitchen utensils.
Miki (Home World)- Miki is a dancer who tours with Nikki in Another World while she's stuck performing on the S.S. Zelbess in Home World. When the Zelbess eventually goes to Marbule, she takes part in the performance where Nikki plays the Song of Marbule which makes the monsters vulnerable and allows Serge and his party to beat them. Miki's innate element is Red and her weapon of choice is a glove.
Harle (Unknown)- Harle is an enigmatic harlequin who originally works for Lynx. Unbeknownst to anyone, Harle was actually created at 1006 A.D. as a seventh dragon while a magnetic storm flatlined the power source of Chronopolis so she could go undetected and act as an agent for the Dragon God. Her mission is to retrieve the Frozen Flame for the Dragon God. To that end, she aligned with Lynx posing as an ally for him when she really had other motives. The two eventually burn Lucca's orphanage and kidnap her in 1015 A.D. in the hopes she could deactivate the Prometheus Circuit which protects the Flame. After that failed, she and Lynx waited five years for Serge to arrive at Another World. After meeting Serge, she eventually develops genuine emotions for him and decides to help him after he and Lynx swap bodies. Harle's inante element is Black and her weapon of choice is a shot.
Janice (Home World)- Janice is a demi-human who is highly competitive and a monster trainer with her monsters competing at the Grand Slam at the S.S. Zelbess. She had a happier life than most demi-humans and as a sign of her competitive nature, she loves to get caught up in the heat of battle. Janice's innate element is Red and her weapon of choice is a carrot.
Draggy (Another World)- Draggy is a baby dragon and possibly the last one of the Dragonian race. Draggy's egg was laid before other dragons went extinct and was taken care of by a dodo until Serge found it and took it with him. He eventually hatches when Serge places it in a dragon egg incubation system at Fort Dragonia. Draggy's innate element is Red and his weapon of choice is a glove.
Starky (Home World)- An alien from an unknown planet, Starky crashed landed at the El Nido Triangle and took up residence at the Sky Dragon Isle in a giant form of himself. While there, he would attack anyone on the Isle with star fragments which he later explains are pieces of his ship. Starky first meets Serge by attacking him due to holding a star fragment and joins him after he's defeated. During their journey, Starky eventually starts to learn more about human life. Starky's innate element is White and his weapon of choice is a gun.
Sprigg (Dimensional Vortex)- An old troll who Serge encounters in the Dimensional Vortex after he and Lynx switched bodies and Lynx sent him there. Sprigg is over 200 years old, during which she learned the ability to shapeshift into monsters she defeated and was probably the one who gave Sneff a berry that allowed him to transform people into cats. She decides to join Serge after the two meet and accompanies him out of the Vortex. Because of her age and it not being known when she went into the Vortex, it's likely she isn't from a specific dimension as she likely went to the Vortex before the dimensions split. Sprigg's innate element is green and her weapon of choice is a staff.
Mojo (Another World)- Mojo is a cursed doll that was made to hurt others. Originally made in the far east, Mojo found his way to Arni where he was worshiped as a lucky charm. Mojo was inanimate at first but came to life with the arrival of Serge after becoming aware of Serge's weird position in Another World. He does admit later on that he was a creation of hate but decided on his own to be a messenger of love as it's what he wants. Mojo's innate element is Black and his weapon of choice is a glove.
Turnup (Home World)- A sword wielding Turnip who had an odd background as he grew in a dimensional weak spot at Hermit's Hideway until Lynx set the place on fire while in Another World. Eventually, Serge is able to cool the ground either with the Water Dragon's ice breath or the ice gun in Another World allowing him to finish growing. Then back in the Home World, Poshul dug him up. During the journey, Turnup questions his existence while talking about dreaming of being a man. Because of this, he wonders if he is real or a dream that will cease to exist once the man in his dream wakes up. His innate element color is Green and his weapon of choice is a sword.
Neofio (Another World)- A moody plant that was created by Luccia. Neofio was originally planted at Viper Manor in 1015 A.D. and brought to life five years later after Serge gave it life sparkle. She exhibited intelligence and ability to speak upon awakening and thanked Luccia for creating her. To no surprise, she formed a friendship with Turnup due to both being plants. Her innate element color is Green and her weapon of choice is a glove.
Greco (Another World)- A former professional wrestler with an "appetite for destruction", Greco originated in the Zenan Mainland where he worked as a wrestler until the sacrifice of a man named Ghetz awaken Greco and left him so horrified that he took Ghetz's sister Romana under his wing and moved to Termina where he tended to the local graveyard. While in Termina, he became a priest that performed services for the deceased as well as gaining a reputation as a psychic. Upon meeting Serge, he immediately figures out Serge's scenario which is he is "dead" in Another World. He joins Serge in the hopes of protecting him from the darkness. His innate element is Red and his weapon of choice is a glove.
Skelly (Another World)- A deceased circus performer, Skelly came from a wealthy home only to leave it and join the circus. After he was killed, his bones were scattered throughout El Nido with his spirit still inhabiting his skull. He eventually joins the party after all five of his bones are found. His death and scattering of bones also may have affected his memory since he regains more of it as the party finds more bones. His innate element is Black and his weapon of choice is a glove.
Funguy (Home World)- A half man/half mushroom hybrid, Funguy was originally a man who the party meet at the Shadow Forest. While there, the party discovered a mushroom and gave it to him to eat which resulted in his half man/half mushroom look as well as techinques that belong to fungi. He eventually decides to join Serge due to the hope that the Frozen Flame can bring him back to normal. Funguy's hobby is mushroom collecting while overseeing the element shop in Termina with his daughter Lisa. His innate element is Yellow and his weapon of choice is an axe.
Irenes (Home World)- A mermaid who is the sister of Zelbess thus making her the sister-in-law to Fargo and the aunt of Nikki and Marcy. She's the supporter of the establishment of the demi-human village of Marbule and repeatedly traveled to the S.S. Zelbess to convince Home World Fargo to allow the song of Marbule to be played in order to save the village and criticized him for remembering what he wanted while ignoring Zelbess' desire for humans and demi-humans to live together. Due to these issues, Irenes tends to cry in the middle of the night in the abandoned Marbule. Eventually, her dreams are realized first when Serge arrives and convinces the Sage to teach the song to Home World Nikki while Fargo confronts his Home World counterpart and sends the ship to Marbule so the song could be played and Serge's party can defeat the monsters occupying the village. Her innate element is Blue and her weapon of choice is a guitar pick.
Mel (Another World)- The adopted sister of Korcha and adopted daughter of Macha, Mel is a young girl who resides in Guldove. She can be known for tantrums and being mechievous as seen when she took Kid's elements while Kid was recovering from poison. Her origins are not known so it's unknown who her biological parents are. Despite being difficult, she does care for Korcha. Her innate element is Yellow and her weapon of choice is a boomerang.
Leah (Home World)- A cavegirl who resides and wanders Gaea's Navel, Leah originally came from a prehistoric village of warriors and hunters. She came to El Nido after what she called a "Land Anger" (probably an earthquake) and couldn't find any sign of the villagers while she found the area was new. It's possible the earthquake saw her fall into a time gate and be sent millions of years in the future. She discovered various monsters and found out the Green Dragon resides on Gaea's Navel though she doesn't see it's form nor understand it's identity. She meets Serge and his party when they fly a wingapede to the Navel in the hopes of fighting the dragon. Leah tells them that they must defeat the other monsters before they can fight the dragon. There has been debate that she came from a time before 65,000,000 B.C. and is the future mother of Chrono Trigger's Ayla especially since she does say that's what she would name her child. Her innate element is Yellow and weapon of choice is an axe.
Van (Home World)- Born into poverty, Van lost his mother shortly before he was born and is the son of a starving artist name Gogh. Van kept his own piggy bank as he learned early on the need for income along with his father's original painting color El Nido Blue and a broken seashell that reminded him of his mother. When he meets Serge, he's nearly evicted from his own by the landlord but is able to have his father stay when he claimed he was searching for the Frozen Flame. Though he later confides to Serge and his party he really doesn't believe it exist when they say they're searching for it, he joins Serge as a travel guide at the suggestion of his father who wants Van to explore the world and broaden his horizons. Van can show a sarcastic attitude and be practically-minded. His innate element is Green and his weapon of choice is a boomerang.
Sneff (Home World)- A down on his luck old magician who works for Home World Fargo on his ship the S.S. Zelbess due to racking up a big debt after losing multiple times at Fargo's roulette wheel (unbeknownst to him, the wheel was originally rigged until your party put a stop to that). Sneff runs a magic show on the ship with his most known trick being able to turn people into cats (which becomes useful at one point) which he learned after being eating a berry given to him from a troll. Sneff's innate element is Blue and his weapon of choice is a shot or cards.
Steena (Home World)- The chief of Guldove, Steena was a shrine maiden under the Chief Direa and became Direa's successor after her passing. She's extremely knowledgable regarding on Dragonian lore and tradition to the point where she's aware of the Chrono Cross element. She understands Serge's issue while he was stuck in Lynx's body and allows him to use the Home World Dragon Tear while accompanying him to Fort Dragonia. After Serge returned to normal, she continued to consult him including helping construct the Chrono Cross. Steena's innate element is White and her weapon of choice is a sword.
Doc (Another World)- The doctor of Guldove and a surfer, Doc turned to medicine after a tragedy in his life years before the events of the game. He studied many treatments and became dedicated to his work, never wanting to lose another life ever again. When Kid gets poisoned, he loses his confidence due to his inability to get hydra humour but eventually bounces back thanks to a pep talk to Orlha and being giving the humour to cure Kid. He decides to join Serge in order to gain more knowledge. Doc's innate element is White and his weapon of choice is a shot or cards.
Grobyc (Another World)- A cyborg created by the Porre laboratories by Luccia's brother, Grobyc was constructed for killing and warfare. By 1020 A.D., he was activated for security after Porre invaded Viper Manor. Grobyc eventually confronts and fights the party after they infilitrate the Manor but helps them escape after he was defeated and then joins them as he's both fascinating with Serge and his party being against Porre as well as his belief of aligning with people that are stronger than him. Grobyc's innate element is Black and his weapon of choice is a glove.
Pierre (Another World)- A handsome and graceful man, Pierre is a knight in training with the hope of becoming a hero. His look was inspired from heroic appearances but he lacked experience as a fighter that is required for a hero. He heads to El Nido in the hopes of filling the vacant slot of the Acacia Dragoons following the death of Dario. Pierre joins Serge after Serge finds Pierre's missing Hero's Medal. He later learns that hard work and courage is what it takes to be a hero. Pierre's innate element is Blue and his weapon of choice is a sword.
Orlha (Another World)- Orlha is a skilled combatant and bartender at Guldove. Originally from El Nido, Orlha had a family including a sister before being separated in some unknown incident leaving only her and her father. As she grew up, she learned to fight and earned a reputation as being very strong which she displays in the game by driving away Porre invaders from Guldove. After becoming a bartender, she continued to wonder what became of her sister. Despite the setback, she tried to live a positive life most notably encouraging Doc to not give up after Kid was poisoned. Orlha's innate element element is Blue and her weapon of choice is a glove.
Pip (Another World)- A creature who was once an experiment of Luccia, Pip is capable of evolving through combat experience. He's intelligent and can speak while having aspirations of exploring more of the world. Originally, Pip was locked in a cage while being experimented on by Luccia until Serge unlocks his cage allowing him to escape. He meets Serge again on the S.S. Invincible which Pip was on in order to broaden his horizons. He is able to evolve depending on which elements he uses and are used against him which results in him becoming a miniature devil or miniature angel and later an archdevil or archangel. Pip's innate element is White and his weapon of choice is a glove.
FATE- A supercomputer created by Belthasar in the distant future with pieces from Chrono Trigger's Robo. FATE is self-aware and can operate alone due to it being based off of Trigger's Mother Brain. It's apparatus contains the Frozen Flame. Sent to the past via the time crash, FATE sealed off the Sea of Eden to make sure Chronopolis or the Frozen Flame isn't discovered as it could affect it's creation centuries later. FATE created El Nido thanks to terra-forming and distributed records of fate which the citizens used daily (and the player uses to save their game) and allows FATE to subconsciously control the people of El Nido. FATE would lose control of El Nido when Serge came into contact with the Frozen Flame which set off the Prometheus Circuit that prevents anyone else from gaining access to the Flame. Due to this, FATE controls Serge's father Wazuki, who becomes Lynx the living incarnation of FATE, into eventually switching bodies as it would allow FATE access to the Flame. FATE had desires to use the Flame to reincarnate itself into a new living species. FATE's innate element is Black.
Dragon God- A cybernetic organism that originally was a single beast, the Dragon God was eventually split into six species. It was originally created in Dinopolis in 2400 A.D. and had the intelligence to think and speak on it's own. Eventually, Dragon God and Dinopolis were pulled to 12,000 B.C. to counteract the presence of Chronopolis. A war broke out with Chronopolis emerging victorious and The Dragon God was defeated but eventually consumed by the Time Devourer while a physical avatar remained. With Chronopolis in control, it split the Dragon God into sex entities: White, Black, Green, Earth, Water, and Fire and scattered them throughout El Nido and eventually the two dimensions. As the centuries wore on, they grew to despise humanity likely due to influence by Lavos/Time Devourer. When Serge came into contact with the Frozen Flame in 1006 A.D., it shut down Chronopolis' defense systems which allowed the dragons to create a seventh dragon which was Harle who was assigned to steal the Frozen Flame for them. Despite being controlled by FATE, they still maintained contact with each other and waited for the opportunity to one day come back together.
Garai (Home World)- A powerful knight and father of Glenn and Dario, Garai was one of the four devas of the Acacia Dragoons along with Radius, Zappa, and Viper which was a powerful combination. During his lifetime, Garai was the best swordsman of the four and thus wielded the holy sword Einlanzer. In 1005 A.D., tragedy would strike when Garai and Radius discovered the Masamune at the Divine Dragon Falls and despite Garai warning him, Radius grabbed the sword anyway. After being led to a false sense of security, Garai was struck down from behind and killed by Radius who was possessed by the sword. He was eventually buried in the Isle of the Damned with the Einlanzer but wasn't able to rest in peace as his memories remained and became manifested into a demon that guarded the Einlanzer from people deemed unworthy. In 1020 A.D., Garai attacked Serge, Radius, and their party when they came to claim the Einlanzer in order to counter the Masamune and enter the Dead Sea but he was defeated. Garai would also appear twice more in the game when he appeared in spirit form when his son Dario became possessed by the Masamune. Garai's innate element is White.
Miguel (Home World)- The father of Leena and a friend of Serge's father Wazuki, Miguel is the guardian of the Dead Sea after he became trapped there 14 years before. Originally, Miguel accompanied Wazuki and Serge to Marbule, hoping to get medicine for Serge but they were blown off course and landed in Chronopolis where he would be trapped after the defense systems activated due to Schala's passing magnetic storm. After being held prisoner for 4 years until the dimensions split at which point his Another World version passed away while his Home World version was stationed at the Dead Sea courtesy of FATE. Serge eventually meets him and must fight him in order to restore the Dimensional Distortion. Miguel's innate element is White.
Dario (Home World)- The son of Garai and the brother of Glenn, Dario was like his father in that he was a powerful knight, a very skilled swordsman, and member of the four devas of the Acacia Dragoons along with childhood friend Karsh, Zoah, and Marcy while being engaged to Riddel. Dario was presumed dead in 1017 A.D. when he and Karsh discovered the Masamune in the Isle of the Damned and Karsh was forced to seemingly kill him when he become possessed by the sword. Dario would eventually be found on the Forbidden Island in 1020 A.D. with amnesia. When Serge, Riddel, and their party found him and presented him with his mother's memento pendant, he became possessed again by the Masamune which appeared from the sky and the party was forced to fight him. After he was defeated, the Masamune's curse was broken and Dario regained his memory. He eventually decided to return to the ruined Viper Manor and rebuild it as an orphanage. Dario's innate element is Black.
The Shaker Brothers (Another World)- Two bumbling brothers name Solt and Peppor who the party encounters various times throughout the game. Their battles are mostly tutorials on how to use elements and the outcome is usually the same with Solt screwing up and angering Peppor except during the final confrontation. Solt is tall, lanky, and a klutz who is better with elements than physical attacks while Peppor is short, stocky, and has more common sense while being better with physical attacks. They're innate element is Yellow.
Belthasar (Another World)- Originally appearing during the events of Chrono Trigger, Belthasar was the Guru of Reason in the Kingdom of Zeal in 12,000 B.C. while having created the Blackbird and The Ocean Palace. He served as an advisor for Queen Zeal until he was thrown to 2300 A.D. by Lavos where he created a time machine called "Epoch" that Crono and his friends used to travel through time during Trigger. While in the future, Belthasar studied Lavos and eventually ran "Project Kid". Due to Project Kid, Belthasar is responsible for all the events happening in the game and prior to it in order for Serge to acquire The Chrono Cross, defeat the Time Devourer, and save Schala.
Schala- A powerful girl and former princess of the Kingdom of Zeal back in 12,000 B.C. Schala originally appeared in Chrono Trigger as she was forced by her corrupt mother to control a powerful machine known as The Mammon Machine which harvested power from Lavos. Eventually, she was lost after saving Crono's friends from Lavos following the destruction of Zeal's Ocean Palace and the Kingdom of Zeal and went missing for the remainder of the game. In Cross, it was revealed Schala survived but was sent to the Darkness Beyond Time. While there, she came into contact with the defeated Lavos who absorbed her and thus became the much stronger Time Devourer. Before being corrupted, she heard Serge's cry for help after he was injured by a panther demon in 1006 A.D. and thus created a magnetic storm which shut down Chronopolis' defense systems and allow Serge to come into contact with the Frozen Flame and become it's arbitor. Around this time, she created a baby clone which would be Kid and sent her to be raised by Lucca from Trigger. Serge and his party must use the Chrono Cross during the battle with the Time Devourer to not only defeat it but free Schala.
Lavos- An alien parasite that was the antagonist in Chrono Trigger. Lavos crashed into Earth in 65,000,000 B.C. and spent centuries buried in the Earth's core absorbing the Earth's energy. Originally, Lavos emerged in 1999 A.D. and destroyed the world in an event known as "The Day of Lavos" but he would be stopped by Crono and his friends during the events of Chrono Trigger. However, Lavos wasn't fully destroyed and was sent to the Darkness Beyond Time where he found Schala and absorbed her becoming the much stronger Time Devourer. The Frozen Flame is a piece of Lavos that was splintered off of him when he crash landed on Earth centuries ago.
Time Devourer- A powerful being that came to be after Lavos was sent to the Darkness Beyond Time, found Schala, and absorbed her. The Time Devourer is the antagonist of Chrono Cross and is capable of absorbing all of space-time. Belthasar planned every event that happens in Chrono Cross so Serge can get his hands on The Chrono Cross, journey to the Darkness Beyond Time, and save Schala. Along with imprisoning Schala, the Time Devourer also consumed the Dragon God after it was defeated by FATE and used the six dragons and it's unified form to steal the Frozen Flame which served as both his eyes and ears throughout the game.
Plot
The game begins at Fort Dragonia with Serge, Kid, and a third party member (it's random in the game) venturing into the fort to confront Lynx. After fighting their way through, they are teleported to the top of the fort where Serge then gets visions of him standing over a fallen Kid while holding Kid's bloody dagger and smiling. It turns out to be a dream as Serge awakens in his home at the fishing village of Arni. Being late to meet his friend Leena, she sends him out to retrieve dragon scales that she could use for a necklace since she's stuck babysitting. After accomplishing this, Serge meets Leena on the beach and the two reminisce until Serge is sent through a dimensional distortion. Upon waking up, everything looks the same but no one recognizes him all the while saying the only Serge in Arni was a boy who drowned ten years before.
When Serge visits "his" grave, he's met by Acacia Dragoon Karsh and the Shaker Brothers but eventually fights them off with the help of Kid. The two form an alliance and recruit help along the way. After briefly going to Termina, they decide to break into Viper's Manor. While at the Manor, the party meet the other Dragoons in Zoah and Marcy along with an old prophet who seems to know more than he let's on. Eventually, they get to Viper's office where they meet Viper and Lynx and see the Dragon Tear, an artifact Lynx stole from the village of Guldove. Lynx and Viper decided to team up in order to retrieve the Frozen Flame, a powerful artifact that was a piece of the alien parasite Lavos that is capable of extraordinary magical power. After being surrounded, the party attempts to escape but Kid is poisoned by Lynx. The party is rescued and recovers at Guldove but Kid is hospitalized.
It turns out the poison she's suffering from can only be cured from hydras but they are extinct..at least in Another World. After being trusted with her Astral Amulet, Serge finds out he can use it at Opassa Beach to go back and forth between Home and Another Worlds. Returning to the Home World, Serge finds and slays a hydra in the Hydra Marshes which gives him the cure to help Kid. Upon Kid recovering, the party meets the Water Dragon who gives them ice breath to allow them safe passage to Pyra Cave and a ghost ship. They make their way to Fort Dragonia which they help activate to advance and like Serge's dream, they find themselves at the top of the fort. After entering, they do battle with General Viper and defeat him which leads to Lynx betraying him and setting his plan in motion as he uses the dragon tear to switch bodies with Serge.
After Serge as Lynx loses to his friends, Lynx as Serge encourages Kid to finish Serge off but then gives away something when he tells her to avenge Lucca despite Kid never saying Lucca's name to him. Lynx then stabs Kid, sends Serge to a vortex, and teleports out with Kid while destroying the statues in the room and the tear. As Serge finds himself in the vortex, he befriends Sprigg and Harle who assist him in escaping and heading to Home World's Hydra Marshes. Serge then finds out he has two problems. The first is he finds out his old party won't be able to unite with him until he returns to normal and second is the dimensional distortion is gone which keeps Serge trapped in the Home World.
After recruiting Radius and meeting the Sage of Marbule, Serge finds out he must venture into the Dead Sea with the Sage giving him a crab that opens a path. However, upon entering the cave to the sea, the party is blocked by the Masamune, a cursed sword dubbed "The Blood Stained Sword of Evil". Radius tells the party they can't advance without being driven insane and that they need the holy sword Einlanzer which is at the grave of the late Deva Garai who held it. After stopping to get Garai's Keepsake at the Dragoon's training area, they go to The Isle of the Damned but once they approach the grave, the ghost of Garai confronts them and insist on fighting them as he's still angered in Radius killing him while corrupted by the Masamune. Despite a hard battle, the party emerges victorious and get the Einlanzer. Using the Einlanzer, the party rids the Dead Sea of the Masamune and travel into the Dead Sea.
While there, they find out Viper, Riddel, Glenn, and the Dragoons of the Home World were killed there and they learn a little bit of Lavos. They finally reach the end which resembles Leene's Square from Guardia 1000 A.D. along with ghost children that resembled Crono, Marle, and Lucca from Chrono Trigger who accuse Serge of being a murderer. They then meet Miguel, Leena's father and Wazuki's friend who revealed he's been trapped here for 14 years to guard it by FATE. After Serge refuses to be a part of this world and wants to restore the dimensional distortion, he fights Miguel and despite his look of an innocent fisherman, is extremely powerful but Serge wins. Afterwards, FATE tries to destroy the area but the party is saved by the White Dragon. With the dimensional distortion restored, Serge and his party continue to jump back and forth between dimensions recruiting new party members along the way. When the Dragoon's joined, they revealed they collected pieces of the Dragon Tear called the Tear of Hate which was crucial. They then head to The Isle of the Damned and defeat The Shaker Brothers who accuse Karsh of murdering Dario but Karsh convinces them otherwise after defeating them and they give a memento pendant to him. When the party goes to the Home World Forbidden Island, they find the fourth Deva Dario alive but with amnesia but they then jog his memory when Riddel shows him the memento pendant that was his mother's and that he gave to her. As his memory returned, so too did the Masamune which consumed Dario years before. Dario takes it and the party is forced to fight him but they end up winning which not only frees Dario and restores his memory but awaken Masa and Mune (the beings that make up the sword) which end the curse of the sword and with their sister Doreen turn into the Mastermune swallow for Serge. When they attempt to go to Dead Sea to go after Lynx, they find out that Serge is the arbitor of the Frozen Flame and the only way to Chronopolis is for Serge to return to his normal body.
Serge then heads to Home World Guldove and meets Steena who has a Dragon Tear but will only give it if he can get the relics of the Dragons. With the Dragons scattered throughout the dimensions, Serge jumps between them, defeating each dragon one by one until being given all six relics. After receiving the Dragon Tear, Serge heads to Home World Fort Dragonia where they face Lynx (now Dark Serge) before Serge heads to the top of the tower and successfully uses the tear to return to his normal body. The shattered tear is also collected as the tear of love and Serge reunites with his former party members. Serge then heads to Chronopolis where they find an unconscious Kid and Lynx who is now FATE. Serge and his party fight and defeat FATE which also awakens Kid. Unfortunately, after Kid tries to take the Frozen Flame, they find out an ugly truth. It turns out centuries ago, FATE and Chronopolis waged war with Dinopolis and the Dragon God emerging victorious. With that, Dinopolis became an ordinary island while FATE split the Dragon God into six forms: Earth, Green, Fire, Water, Black, and White. With FATE dead, this allowed the Dragon Gods to reunite, restore Dinopolis into Terra Tower, and steal the Frozen Flame with which they hoped to use to exterminate the human race.
Serge then heads to the Another World Divine Dragon Falls where he sees two pedestals and places the tear of hate and the tear of love which creates the powerful and lost seventh element: The Chrono Cross. Serge then must save a comatose Kid by going into her nightmare either with the power of the Mastermune or the Chrono Cross. Serge is sent to Lucca's orphanage as it was set on fire by Lynx and he must fight his way through before saving child version of Kid. Thanks to this, she recovers and rejoins the party. Afterwards, the party find Starky's ship intact in Another World and use a contraption he equips on Korcha's boat to fly them to Terra Tower. The party fight their way through Terra Tower but during the quest, they find they're way back to Viper Manor or a resemblence and meet the ghost children and The Prophet once again who reveals his name as Belthasar. He reveals his past in the Kingdom of Zeal, being thrown into the future by Lavos, sending Chronopolis into 1020 A.D. thus creating the Time Crash, and then following with a portable invention called "Neo Epoch". He also reveals that Terra Tower was once Dinopolis which was sent forward to counterbalance Chronopolis. A battle ensued with Chronopolis winning and FATE sealing Dinopolis. He tells them that they were set up by the Dragons to eliminate FATE and that it was FATE, not the Dragons, that sealed the Frozen Flame. He also reveals there were actually seven dragons with the Dark Moon Dragon being none other than Harle.
After this, Serge continues to fight his way up the tower and confronts the Dragon God which results in a fierce battle that sees the Dragon God send Serge and his party to each of the six dragon's former location. Eventually, they succeed in slaying the Dragon God. After it fades to black and flies away, Belthasar returns and reveals that the Dragon God they just fought was a quasi-existence and a temporary form that the real Dragon God uses to be able to appear within this dimension. He then reveals the real Dragon God was consumed ages ago and integrated by Lavos and that the powerful Frozen Flame was a splinter from Lavos. Belthasar also says those that connect with the Frozen Flame connect with Lavos himself. Serge is given the time egg and told to go to the place "Where Time Became Divided" which is Opassa Beach. After heading to the beach in Home World, the three ghost children are there and reveal more. Lucca reveals it all began in 12,000 B.C. when Princess Schala was hurled into a dimensional vortex and became absorbed by Lavos thus making him the Time Devourer. Due to Lavos, Schala would see half her mind corrupted and desired to wipe out all of existence while the other half wanted to save the world. While this was happening, she heard a young Serge crying after he was poisoned by the panther demon which intertwined their stories. Schala then went 10,000 years in time to make contact with Serge which caused a magnetic storm that shorted out FATE's systems and led Serge to the Frozen Flame. Afterwards, Schala created a clone of herself and sent it along with her pendant to this dimension with the clone being Kid.
Lucca also brings up "Project Kid" which Belthasar planned out and that was to get Serge and his party to this exact point in time. Everything from the founding of Chronopolis to the Time Crash to the battle between FATE and The Dragon Gods were all done to get Serge to this point specifically Home World 1020 A.D. on Opassa Beach with the Chrono Cross and time egg about to travel to the Darkness Beyond Time to save Schala from the Time Devourer. She then reveals Kid goes back in time ten years before and saves Serge from drowning and to call Serge to Another World as he was on the beach with Leena. Marle brings up a new entity being created as Schala fell under the influence of Lavos and the two became one. She tells Serge that as the arbitor of the Frozen Flame, it's up to him to save Schala and stop the Time Devourer. Crono reveals that Serge did drown ten years ago and the Home World he lives in is a false reality. He says Lynx tried to drown him ten year before as FATE needed all obstacles that broke it's link to the Flame to be eliminated while the six dragons sent Harle to retrieve the Flame. He then reveals Harle then aligned with Lynx but both had the same motive which was unlock the Prometheus lock which is why they abducted Lucca and burned her orphanage but it didn't work and they then waited five years until Serge arrived. He then shockingly reveals that Lynx was actually Serge's father Wazuki all along and he became unstable when he drew closer to the Flame and then lost it at the thought of Serge dying in terror. Due to this, he lost his soul and was easily integrated into FATE who turned him into Lynx due to Serge's worst fear being cats.
Serge then uses the time egg near a purple distortion and is sent to the Darkness Beyond Time to battle The Time Devourer who has imprisoned Schala on top of it in a purple crystal. As they battled it, Serge and his party used elements of a specific color in order which is a yellow element first then a red element then a green element then a blue element then a black element and then a white element. After doing that order, Serge then used The Chrono Cross which worked as Schala was freed and The Time Devourer disintegrated. Schala tells Serge she waited an eternity for this moment and after going into a speech said everyone would return to their dimensions with no memory of their journey but that they would be able to live their lives without FATE or the dragons. As everyone said their goodbyes, she vowed she would find Serge again. Serge then woke up in Home World's Opassa Beach with Leena waking him up but as Serge tried to explain what happened, she didn't understand and said he just passed out on the beach as if the whole journey never happened. The game ends with Scala in an unknown place and time saying she will meet Serge again one day before closing the book on this story.
Gameplay
Chrono Cross plays similar to it's predecessor Chrono Trigger as the player can control up to three characters per time in their party. Like Trigger and many of Square's Role Playing Games, Cross' battle system was turn based with the player and the opponents taking turns attacking each other while having hit points. The object is to take all the opponents hit points before they do it to all the player's party members. If successful, the player will earn gil (currency) and dropped items while being able to cure their party members with any healing elements they didn't use during the battle. If all of the player's hit points go to zero then the game is over. As is the case with RPGs, players can buy or find weapons and armor throughout the game to increase strength and defense along with elements to cure hit points and any status ailments such as poison. Also, like most RPGs, each character has special techniques and can equip certain magic spells or more techniques. As the characters get stronger, they'll be able to equip or learn more techniques and spells.
Unique features in the game include the ability to hit an enemy multiple times. The player can do this when they choose a target and pick a number between 1-3 with 1 being a weak attack with a high percentage rate of succeeding, 2 being medium on both, and 3 being a powerful attack with a low percentage rate. With each successful attack, the player's percentage rate of successful attack increases so it's recommended to start with a weak attack then medium and then powerful. If a player starts with a powerful attack early then they have a good chance of missing and have fewer chances to attack during that turn. It's almost like stringing together a combo in a fighting game. Enemies can interrupt and briefly stop the attack by attacking the player. Successful attacks also increase the amount of elements and techniques that can be used. The highest is Lv. 8 and with each attack, the character's level increases based on the type of attack. So if a player is at Lv. 1 and attacks an enemy with a 1 attack, their level increases to 2. If you hit a 3 attack, it increases 3 levels. Another feature is each character has stamina. The higher the stamina, the more attacks you can do and the more powerful the attack, the more stamina is taken. Stamina gradually is regained when other party members fight but only if they don't miss. If the character doesn't regain all their stamina then they won't be able to attack as much or choose as much powerful attacks. Another feature is each character and enemy have a color or innate element. These colors represent what attacks are their strengths and weakness. There's six overall in White, Black, Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. The trick is to mostly use the colors that either your character has or the opposite color against an enemy. For example, if an enemy's color is white, you want to use a black attack be it a technique or magic. Another example is Serge is white which means white attacks do more damage from him and his defense against them are great but a black attack causes more damage against him. The colors are White/Black, Red/Blue, and Yellow/Green. The trick is to try and play to your characters strengths and enemies weakness' as much as possible. Another feature is in the upper left which shows three layers of colors which represent the last three color elements used. The object of this is the more the field is a certain color, the more powerful that color element will be. If all three layers are the same color, a summon from that color can be used.
Unlike typical RPGs, characters don't gain experience and level up. Instead, the player collects a star for every boss battle they win which increases hit points and their stats like strength and defense. After beating a boss, the player can fight some regular fights as several could result in party members seeing more hit points or stats gained. The stars can be used for summon spells. However, the field has to be completely the color of the summon and the summon can only be equiped by someone with the same innate.
Like Trigger, Cross features a giant overworld the player navigates until picking an area to go to. Once inside, the player can explore it, fight enemies, and collect treasure and other items. Like Trigger, the enemies are on the screen and the battles begin when the player touches them or they touch the player so there's no random fights. Also like Trigger, Cross also has a New Game+ feature. After beating the game, the player has the chance to play the game again with the high stats, weapons, and armor they had when they finished the game though certain items and weapons that advance the story aren't included. Like Trigger, Cross' New Game+ allows the player to beat the game whenever they want thus getting different endings depending on which part of the game they were on at the time of beating it. New Game+ is also the only way to get all 45 characters at once. The only way to achieve this is to go to Sprigg's home and use the Chrono Cross towards the end of the game. This would allow characters you got in previous playthroughs to be playable.
Behind the Scenes
The director was Masato Kato who previous wrote the script for Chono Trigger and directed Radical Dreamers, Xenogears, and portions of Final Fantasy VII while later directing Final Fantasy XI. Kato also wrote the script for Cross. The game was produced and designed by Hiromichi Tanaka who previously designed for Final Fantasy II and III while being a producer for Secret of Mana and Xenogears. Yasunori Mitsuda returned to score Cross after having previous scored Trigger though unlike Trigger where he was forced to pull out towards the end due to illness, he completed work on Cross.
Plans for Chrono Cross began as early as 1996 when director Masato Kato began coming up with ideas for a sequel after the release of Radical Dreamers (a game that served as a side story to Chrono Trigger and the 1998 game Xenogears was originally conceived to be a sequel. One thing Kato and producer Hiromichi Tanaka agreed on was that they didn't want Cross to be a sequel for many reasons. One was they didn't want players who didn't play Chrono Trigger to get confused. Kato also thought there wasn't a good reason in making something as similar as before. They were also against time travel as they thought it was rehashing. Both Kato and Tanaka didn't want so much a sequel but a Chrono game with links to Trigger. Work began on Cross in mid 1998 with a team as high as 80 team members. Originally, the plan was for a short game in which the player can recruit anybody in a town for an alliance in battle before eventually deciding on a longer game with 64 playable characters that had unique endings that can vary between three different ways per character. After awhile, the playable characters were shorten to 45 and the idea of unique endings was dropped.
The development team decided to come up with a new battle system that had a stamina meter and elements which was to allow the player to avoid "grinding" to gain experience and strengthen characters. Tanaka compared the system to card games and hoped the player would feel in complete control. The concept of El Nido was Kato wanting the game to take place in an archipelago as he worried players would get confused if they travelled to bigger locations in parallel worlds though he did hope El Nido would still come off in a grand scale. Along with directing, Kato wrote the main story though he let his team come up with the sub-plots and stories for minor characters. For the music, Mitsuda was brought back by Kato himself because he wanted a "Chrono sound". Mitsuda was inspired by "Old World" cultural influences including Fado, Celtic, Mediterranean, and percussive African music. Mitsuda also wanted to have the Another World and Home World to have different sounding music with Another World's theme being more dark and Home World being more upbeat in order to compliment the theme of parallel worlds. Some of the songs were ported from Radical Dreamers.
Release
Chrono Cross was released on the Playstation on November 18, 1999 in Japan and August 15, 2000 in North America. The game received critical acclaim with Metacritic scoring it a 94/100, EGM scored it 98%, Famistu scored it 36/40, Game Revolution scored it an A-, GamePro scored it 4.5/5 stars, GameSpot scored it a perfect 10/10, IGN scored it 9.7/10, OPM also gave it a perfect score with 5/5 stars, and Next Generation scored it 4/5 stars. Cross' perfect score on GameSpot makes it 1 of only 14 games out of 40,000 listed on GameSpot to get such a score. Reviewers mostly praise for the game's complex plot, multiple characters, Mitsuda's score, the innovative battle system, vibrant graphics, and being successful in breaking convention with Trigger. EGM would label the game a "masterpiece" while IGN would later rank it #89 on it's 2008 "Top 100 Games List". Fans mostly loved the game but some did criticize the amount of playable characters, the fewer double and triple techs which were far more common in Trigger, lack of time travel, and the game not having many Trigger characters or locations. Both Kato and Tanaka did expect there to be fans who weren't happy with the change but wanted to make a different experience from Trigger. Kato did wonder what the "Chrono" title means to the fans and if his messages "got through to the fans". He considered Cross the highest quality Chrono that they could create at the time and apologized because the fans Chrono and his have taken different paths but did thank them for loving Chrono Trigger so much. Tanaka said while the fans of the original are important, he questioned what innovation they can come up with if they were continually stuck in the past and thought the gameplay should evolve along with the hardware.
Aftermath
Due to it's critical success, Chrono Cross has seen a few re-releases as it would later be released on the Playstation as part of it's "Greatest Hits" titles and later as part of Japan's "Ultimate Release" titles. It would then be re-released on the Playstation Network on July 6, 2011 in Japan and November 8, 2011 in North America but a PAL region version was never released.
Two years after Chrono Cross' release, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi revealed Square wanted to work on a sequel and were talking about scripts. It was also revealed Kato wanted to do a sequel but nothing was greenlit. Shortly afterward, Square officially trademarked the name "Chrono Break" causing speculation that a sequel was in fact coming. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it and on November 13, 2003, Square allowed the trademark to expire in North America though they still retain the rights in Japan and Europe. In the years since, various magazines including Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly called for a sequel along with fans. However, by 2009, Square Enix Senior Vice President Shinji Hashimoto squashed any talks of a sequel claiming if people wanted more then they should've bought more. In the ten years since these comments, the series continues to remain dormant with no sequel in sight as fans hope for it's return, one day someday.
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