Shortly after Square's press announcement was finally made in Japan on July 14th, 1999, many long-time fans of the original Chrono, myself included, had divided opinions on the newly announced sequel; some wanted a direct sequel, while others wanted a totally new story, but all we could really do was wait and see. Nearly five years had passed since the publication of Chrono Trigger, but us fans finally got a sequel, as Chrono Cross was finally released in Japan on November 18th, 1999, followed by a North American release nine months later on August 15th, 2000. Fortunately, now that I've actually played the game, I can see that the development team was very careful to listen to both sides of the argument, because what we finally ended up with was a role-playing title that's both a direct sequel to Chrono Trigger and an all-new, self-contained storyline.

  Taking place twenty years after the events in the first game, Chrono Cross tells the story of a seemingly ordinary young man named Serge, who, in a bizarre turn of events, finds that he's been transported to Another World, one that looks and feels very much like his own, but is, in fact, quite the opposite. A multitude of unlikely events ensue due to this interdimensional mishap and, while I won't delve any further into the actual plot, as doing so would no doubt ruin it, I'll tell you that many unexpected revelations await, especially for those of you who've played through Chrono Trigger. Many people who were expecting "just another Chrono Trigger" may be a little bit disappointed, in that as Chrono Trigger's plot was based on time travel, Chrono Cross' is instead based on interdimensional travel between two somewhat similar, yet still strikingly different parallel worlds.

  Fans of the original shouldn't get discouraged though, since there is some time travel in the game; just don't expect a whole lot of it. At any rate, travel between parallel worlds seems to be quite different from traveling through time, as changing things in one world has virtually no affect on the other. Instead, one must acquire something from one world and bring it to the other, in order to make a variance occur; kind of an interdimensional give-and-take. For example, you may bump into somebody that you already know from one world but they will have no idea who you are in the other. You can even bring a party member to see their parallel self. Most will be confused, shocked or even amused to see another version of themselves, especially if they're standing right in front of them.

  The first thing you're bound to notice upon playing Chrono Cross for the first time is how different it looks when compared with recent titles. Following in its predecessor's footsteps, Chrono Cross is a refreshing change of pace, with lush environments that look truly life-like and incredibly believable. I actually had to stop playing every now and then, just to take in the views. When I envisioned a sequel to Chrono Trigger, I never thought it would look quite this good. And if I didn't know that the characters were polygonal, I could've sworn that Chrono Cross looks almost sprite-based. Not only that, but each battlefield looks exactly like its exploration screen counterpart. However, what truly came as a shock is the load time, or rather the lack thereof. In fact, the loading was so minimal at times, that I wondered whether the game was really on compact disc. I'm not quite sure how they managed to pull it off, but I'm really glad they did.

  However, the strongest aspect of Chrono Cross is truly a very surprising one. Composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, the soundtrack is not only the most beautiful I've heard from a game in years, but it's also the most fitting. I was happily humming a number of the songs long after playing and was truly moved by many of them as well. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Mitsuda's inspired compositions were done before the game was even developed, as each of the many memorable melodies conjure up vivid pictures in my mind of the locale or moment that they're set to; this says volumes about Mitsuda's musical talents. Many of the songs also contain subtle additions and remixes that'll make fans of the Chrono Trigger soundtrack take notice. Particularly worthy of praise are the opening and ending themes, "Scars of Time" and "Radical Dreamers", which work together as the brilliantly defined ends of the game's full musical spectrum.

  Of course, this would all be for nothing if the game didn't have decent control, and thankfully, Chrono Cross handles like a dream; there's just no other way to put it. For instance, running can be accomplished by holding down the Circle button while using the digital pad (sort of like Chrono Trigger's control scheme) or, with proper adjustments in the game's customization menu, by holding the left analog stick completely in the desired direction. Not only that, but pushing the left analog stick in works as a perfectly-placed alternative to using the X button, for exploring environments, talking to people, checking any objects, etc. You really have no idea how refreshing this control scheme is, especially when you want to take a drink during a rather lengthy boss battle without pausing. Of course, this is only a minor improvement to Chrono Cross' otherwise typical RPG control scheme, but it's also a very welcome one; I've come to like it a lot.

  Complementing the improved controls are the menu screens, which are crisp, defined and easily navigated. I especially like the off-screen menu that allows you to quickly access any and all of your playable characters and manage their equipment at any time, even when they're not currently in your party. This now brings us to the subject of battles and how they're fought. Chrono Cross doesn't have any random battles or encounters, as your enemies are always visible in the environments prior to battle. This, along with a bit of stealth, gives you the convenient option of avoiding minor battles if you wish. If you do run into an encounter against your will, you can simply select Run Away to leave it, since attempts to flee from minor battles always work. Surprisingly, you can even run from boss encounters, so that you can regroup and give it another go if it's not going very well; a nice change from the very reset-heavy rule of standard RPGs.

  The biggest change from the RPG norm, however, comes from the complete elimination of experience points. You see, Chrono Cross uses a unique system that allows all of your characters to be on equal ground at all times. Every time you win a boss battle, you win an additional star. Your total amount of stars, otherwise known as your Star Level, determines your characters' levels. In other words, if your Star Level is fifty, all of your characters, even the ones you aren't currently using, are at level 50. This means you have the option of using any of the 40+ characters that you may recruit at any time, without them being a burden on the rest of your party. This not only allows the battle system in Chrono Cross to be more convenient, but challenging as well, since battles are always as difficult as they should be and strategy always wins over brute force.

  You'll also have many choices on how to face each enemy encounter. As is the case in most role-playing games, battles are fought using a menu, but unlike most titles, Chrono Cross includes a much deeper amount of interaction and customization. All physical attacks in Chrono Cross are based on percentages, which serve as a balance of power for both you and your enemies, as stronger physical attacks are much more prone to missing their target. Of course, since your enemies can interrupt your attacks with attacks of their own, it makes it well worth the risk of a possible miss to try a stronger hit, which causes double or even triple the damage. Players also have the option of casting a variety of Elements, which basically serve the same purpose as magic, and Techniques, or Techs, a set of powerful battle abilities unique to their respective character.

  Elements and Techs each belong to one of six unique elemental classes in the Chrono Cross world, and include Earth (Yellow), Fire (Red), Forest (Green), Water (Blue), Dark (Black) and Light (White). You may have already guessed that each element is weak to one of the others; you would be correct. Earth and Forest have an advantage against each other, as do Fire and Water, as do Light and Dark. Once Elements or Techs are cast, they cannot be used again until the end of the current battle, at which time all the expended Elements and/or Techs are recharged. Once cast, Techs and Elements also change the color, or affinity, of the battlefield, shown by the three-sectioned, oval-shaped meter in the upper-right corner of the screen. This elemental meter is called the Field Effect.

  Put simply, the current state, or elemental affinity if you will, of the battlefield will ultimately determine the effectiveness of the Elements currently being used. In other words, when a Field Effect is mostly White, then Light Elements will do more damage than any other Element and Dark Elements will, in turn, do less. However, the opposite is also true, as an all-black Field Effect will cause Dark Elements to do more and Light Elements to do less. In other words, keeping the field the opposite color of your current foe(s) will help you cause more damage and keep them from causing as much damage to you, therefore gaining you the upper hand in most conflicts. I like to refer to this process as playing the field.

  On top of the two basic principles of conflict is the Stamina Rule, which states that both Attacks and Elements are alike, in that each does damage to your foe(s) and each use up your characters' Stamina. Each character you control starts with seven Stamina Points and an Elemental Level of zero at the start of every battle. Since your Elements can't be used until you build your Element Level up high enough, you must use up some of your Stamina by selecting Attack and choosing one of the three strengths; Weak (-1 Stamina, +1 Element Level), Strong (-2 Stamina, +2 Element Level), and Fierce (-3 Stamina, +3 Element Level). In other words, the more Stamina you expend, the more Levels you can build towards the casting of Elements, which use seven Stamina each when cast.

  Of course, the amount of Element Levels currently available to you is limited by your character's level, as increasing your Star Level increases not only your characters' statistics, but the available spaces and levels on their Element Grids as well. If you expend seven stamina points, you build up seven Element Levels, so you can use any of the Elements equipped in the first seven sections of your character's Grid. You can also keep your Element Level well above zero by expending more Stamina than Element Levels; this allows you to "hold back" a few levels, in the event that you need to quickly heal one of your characters or get off another quick attack. It's also very possible to both Attack and use an Element on the exact same "turn", so to speak, except that doing so will leave that particular character's Stamina in the negative, which means a longer wait for their Stamina to build back up again, but also allows for more actions per "turn".

  However, as each character either Attacks or uses Elements, the other two characters gain back as much Stamina as the other expends, thus eliminating the need for structured turns or any unnecessary waiting. The player can also switch freely between their characters, provided the one they switch to has at least one Stamina remaining. Of course, these concepts are just the basics of the Chrono Cross battle system. There are many, many more complexities to be uncovered throughout the game, including several very well hidden Double and Triple Tech Skills, but I'll leave you to find those for yourself. One thing that you'll definitely notice after your first time through Chrono Cross is that the incredible amount of variety is not only unexpected, but downright staggering as well. Just as I said earlier, Chrono Cross contains well over 40 playable characters, and since you can only have three in your party at a time, you must then choose whom you want with you and whom you don't. Of course, you could just recruit every character you come across, but in order to find and recruit some of the more elusive characters, you must decline other characters when they offer their help.

  These factors, along with the constantly branching storyline and more than ten different endings, offers a multitude of reasons to play through the game time and time again, which is why Chrono Cross, much like its predecessor, includes the special replay mode called New Game+. This mode allows you to play through the game over and over again using your previous game's stats, and becomes available after you beat the game once. The neat thing is that I didn't even do everything the first time through, and the game still took me a little over forty-five hours to complete. I can only begin to imagine how differently the game would have ended had I chosen a different path. In closing, I now realize that Chrono Cross is, without a doubt, the best role-playing game I've played since Chrono Trigger was released five years ago. It's also the only game I've played, other than Chrono Trigger, that I haven't been able to walk away from without feeling a large sense of withdrawal. You know, there's just something really special about a game that can keep me not only captivated, but enthralled for four straight days with virtually no food or sleep; Squaresoft's Chrono Cross is one such game and, as far as I'm concerned, it's just as original as the original.
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