Chrono Cross

« It wasn't quite the "Chrono Trigger" sequel most people expected, but it's a magnificent game by its own right. [Feb 2003, p.97] »

« Graphics, gameplay, sound, story, and characters are all outstanding. »

« Graphically, "Chrono Cross" is nothing short of stunning. »

« But I would pledge my undying allegiance to anyone responsible for a beautiful work of art such as this. »

« Simply, one of the best RPG's ever made, and one of the finest games for the PlayStation console. »

« Another masterpiece from Square, and one of the best RPGs of all time. [Nov 2001, p.40] »

« "Chrono Cross'" music is breathtakingly beautiful, and its sheer power makes the story even more profound and moving. »

« It's like nothing you've ever played before, and should be considered an instant classic by anyone with an appreciation for good RPG's. »

« This mostly confirms what I wrote earlier on this previous post: ****/r/JRPG/comments/1rk1o1p/first_time_playing_chrono_cross_but_not_liking_it/ . My experience with Chrono Cross stayed the same after continuing to play.I kept playing knowing it wouldn’t suddenly become a god-tier game for story or gameplay. The late-game “twists” people praise are overblown, aside from a neat mid-game “swap,” nothing really lands. The story stays bland and anonymous: important explanations are dumped at the end, and progression often depends on obscure design choices (for example, the final dungeon needs a specific secondary character but gives no real clues (a single NPC mentions it casually as if it were a secret tip, not a plot gateway). The “secret” ending is locked behind an anti–game-design code; there’s no satisfying justification like “the crystals hint at it”, "the notes they make" or “the boss before him uses those elements in order.” It’s just a poor choice.Mechanically, summons requiring an entire field of one color are annoying, I never managed to use a single one because enemies and bosses died before I could set it up. I only used them at the end because I enabled an emulator cheat that removed the field requirement. The summon animations are nice, and moves generally look good, but I never felt challenged: most enemies died quickly and without stress. Miguel was the only slightly tough fight because of a combo that can reliably kill a party member; I only reloaded a couple of times because I wanted to beat him with all three characters to give them equal experience (another odd, annoying design decision), but otherwise I could beat him just fine with two remaining characters.Everything else holds: too many shallow characters, a plot that effectively “starts” only at the end so you lack motivation to continue, and numerous objective writing, design, and logic errors. Altogether, these mostly anonymous and unremarkable elements make this game, for me, a 5/10. In my scale that’s a neutral/mediocre score. I’m not saying the game is complete trash, it’s somewhat enjoyable, but it never stands out and remains too anonymous. The music is good, well composed and pleasant, but music alone isn’t enough. “Vibes” alone don’t save a game, unlike what some people seem to believe.Regarding the “sequel” aspect, I don’t even consider it here. Everything I’ve said is criticism of the game taken on its own. I’m not bothered by how it treats the previous story, I’m not that kind of purist, especially since you can simply view it as an alternate dimension. The flaws would be the same even if the game didn’t have “Chrono” in the title, so there are no excuses.Another factor is probably that I played it as an adult. I wasn’t a kid in 1999, so I don’t have nostalgia bias and I could look at it with a more mature perspective. The fact that it’s old doesn’t bother me, I like many older games, and when I evaluate them I consider both the historical context and how much I enjoy them **** course, like anything else, this game has fans. As review sites like Metacritic show, there will always be something that someone rates a 10 while someone else rates it a 0. The only explanation I can give myself is that the small group of people who really love it were lucky enough to play it under the most favorable circumstances, whether that means playing it first, playing it as kids, or having a smaller gaming background at the time. Some issues go well beyond simple personal taste. »

« Tengo 37 años y ningún titulo de la infinidad que he podido jugar, me ha dejado tan contento y con ganas de re jugarlo como Chrono Cross. Para mi el mejor juego de la historia.- »

« This game is part of what made me a gamer, and still going at 33. Perfect story, perfect gameplay still not outdated, and everything that an RPG needs. I'd still recommend to play it, even in 2025 »

« What can a say most people who played this are probably older bt me no I am a 14 year old who says that this is probably one of the greatest video games ever that amazing soundtract and beautiful art style. i dont mind turn based fighting that is because i have played ff 6,7,8,9,and 10 its amazing nothing more. »

« They don't make games like they used to anymore. Great story, A lot charismatic characters, beautiful graphics, and an beautiful soundtrack. »

« A masterpiece in its own way, and a great legacy to Chrono Trigger. The amount of characters allow a diverse experience to each gamer. Story is intriguing, soundtrack is phenomenal and gameplay is pretty innovative. »

« Mi primera impresión no fue tan buena, porque el sistema de combate basado en colores elementales no me convencía mucho, pero le di una oportunidad y la historia me enganchó por completo, y no me soltó hasta el final. No estoy de acuerdo con las críticas de los fans de trigger, de que deja mal a los personajes del primer juego, y tampoco estoy de acuerdo con la crítica de que tiene demasiados personajes y no profundiza en ellos, son secundarios que puedes reclutar para el combate y te cuentan lo necesario sobre ellos, los principales están bien desarrollados y son muy carismáticos, sobre todo Kid, que arrasa a todos en carisma, si tengo alguna pega es que Serge no debería ser mudo. La historia es fascinante, profunda, reflexiva,con giros de guión que te vuelan la cabeza, y en mi opinión, más compleja, y superior a la de Chrono trigger. El combate no me apasiona, pero está bien, correcto. Y el mapa no es muy extenso, y es algo simple, muy inferior a los de los mejores final fantasy en exploración, secretos, variedad de enemigos. A pesar de eso, lo considero uno de los más grandes jrpg de la historia y una obra maestra en la historia, no en la jugabilidad. »

« Los personajes, la trama y el gameplay es espectacular, la mecánica de juegos muy pulidas para la época, lo recomiendo al 100% »