Chrono Cross steps out of that "Dream Project" Final Fantasy x Dragon Quest concept, and forms its own identity, and hoo boy, what a fuckin' identity that Masato Kato and his team have managed to pull off. This is without a doubt the coolest RPG on the PlayStation, at least among Square's output for the console. Not sure if I'd rank it above too many of their other PS1 titles, but it absolutely fucks thanks to that late 90s Square AAA budget mixed with those lofty and unreachable narrative and technical aspirations that only a PSX RPG can truly deliver on.
Right from the start I was a big fan of the combat system; the phrase "Pokémon if it was art" kept popping up in my head throughout my playthrough. Don't ask me what that means. Though I feel like it's simultaneously way too much and not really enough to carry a 30+ hour game's worth of combat scenarios; by the very end I was just ready to get it over with and play "normal" video games again. But Chrono Cross has this magic to it, so even when I was ready to seriously question the longevity of its systems, it manages to lend the elements system a thematic and narrative parity that most RPGs only wish they could have with their game systems -- so that's more than enough to make up for the transgression of making me a little bit bored at times for the last 10 hours or so.
The whole 40+ playable characters thing is sick as hell. It's also just not a very well-thought-out idea, probably just exacerbating a lot of the game's biggest issues, but I also don't feel the game would be the same unforgettable experience without it. I do wish there were more characters directly anchored to the thrust of the narrative or that Serge spoke or something cuz there are portions of the game that are left relatively flavorless since they're composed of cookie cutter dialogue that has to be applied to every single character. It's really clearly rushed overall, but the devs were clearly invested in getting their message conveyed even if they had to resort to less than intuitive methods of delivering said story. It's a game clearly made with love and raw ambition, and I can absolutely see why those who adore the game are so passionate about it.
As for the music, Mitsuda did an incredible job -- in fact I'd say incredible is almost an understatement -- Chrono Cross' soundtrack is transcendental. The only place it really falters is, seemingly like most soundtracks he's worked on solo, the battle music. Like, it's definitely good and I enjoy it in a vacuum, but man the main battle theme gets pretty grating after the first 15 hours or so of battles. It was a genuine relief during the sections where they'd forgo the battle theme for whatever ambient music is currently playing. But it's only a small blight, if you could even call it that, on what's easily one of the most beautiful and meaningful game OSTs of all time.
But even when you kinda aggregate the highs and the lows, I really did enjoy my time with the game. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to fully playing through it, but I'm really, really glad I impulsively just popped this on last weekend and really made myself stick to it. I feel like it's taught me new ways to engage with and even love media more effectively. I'm not sure it's the best game it could possibly be given the circumstances, but I feel what it actually is is a vastly more valuable, exceptional experience than hypothetically achieving mechanical and structural perfection.
Right from the start I was a big fan of the combat system; the phrase "Pokémon if it was art" kept popping up in my head throughout my playthrough. Don't ask me what that means. Though I feel like it's simultaneously way too much and not really enough to carry a 30+ hour game's worth of combat scenarios; by the very end I was just ready to get it over with and play "normal" video games again. But Chrono Cross has this magic to it, so even when I was ready to seriously question the longevity of its systems, it manages to lend the elements system a thematic and narrative parity that most RPGs only wish they could have with their game systems -- so that's more than enough to make up for the transgression of making me a little bit bored at times for the last 10 hours or so.
The whole 40+ playable characters thing is sick as hell. It's also just not a very well-thought-out idea, probably just exacerbating a lot of the game's biggest issues, but I also don't feel the game would be the same unforgettable experience without it. I do wish there were more characters directly anchored to the thrust of the narrative or that Serge spoke or something cuz there are portions of the game that are left relatively flavorless since they're composed of cookie cutter dialogue that has to be applied to every single character. It's really clearly rushed overall, but the devs were clearly invested in getting their message conveyed even if they had to resort to less than intuitive methods of delivering said story. It's a game clearly made with love and raw ambition, and I can absolutely see why those who adore the game are so passionate about it.
As for the music, Mitsuda did an incredible job -- in fact I'd say incredible is almost an understatement -- Chrono Cross' soundtrack is transcendental. The only place it really falters is, seemingly like most soundtracks he's worked on solo, the battle music. Like, it's definitely good and I enjoy it in a vacuum, but man the main battle theme gets pretty grating after the first 15 hours or so of battles. It was a genuine relief during the sections where they'd forgo the battle theme for whatever ambient music is currently playing. But it's only a small blight, if you could even call it that, on what's easily one of the most beautiful and meaningful game OSTs of all time.
But even when you kinda aggregate the highs and the lows, I really did enjoy my time with the game. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to fully playing through it, but I'm really, really glad I impulsively just popped this on last weekend and really made myself stick to it. I feel like it's taught me new ways to engage with and even love media more effectively. I'm not sure it's the best game it could possibly be given the circumstances, but I feel what it actually is is a vastly more valuable, exceptional experience than hypothetically achieving mechanical and structural perfection.