Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers Edition, Review

Among the most famous JRPGs of the PlayStation era, there is undoubtedly Chrono Cross, which, at least from our side, became famous by word of mouth: at that time – it was 2000 – it was one of the Japanese games that Square localized only for the American market And that only got here through expensive or cheaper imports…Side streets, let’s call it that. Nicknames like Chrono Cross, mana legend or Xenogears, in the words of another success, were shrouded in an aura of mystery and reverence; They were the games many wanted but couldn’t get, and over time we ended up remembering their advantages more than their disadvantages. Now that JRPG has cleared customs to the block, it was only a matter of time before that Square Enix I decided to rework the pearl of the past, too.

But what are these radical dreamers that they chose as a subtitle? And what does the legendary Chrono Trigger have to do with it? Keep reading for us Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition review If you want to know more, and above all, whether this modified version is worth buying.

The Chrono Trigger is not suitable

Chrono Cross has a very peculiar genesis that we can only fully understand now that Square Enix has translated – in Italian, moreover – also Radical Dreamers. It can be accessed from the main menu by selecting the item Radical Dreamers – Le Tresor Interdit, this interactive text adventure dates back to 1996 and the will of Masato Kato, who wrote the story of Chrono Trigger, to solve some of the subplots left open in the legendary JRPG of SNES. just came out satelliteview (SNES Minor Limited to Japan Only) This bizarre narrative experience tells a darker and more mature story associated with the Chrono Trigger as the player is called upon to make some choices to continue reading on Yasunori Mitsuda’s notes.

like never before Italian translationFluent and modern, he translates original Japanese prose that tells of the adventures of a trio of thieves struggling with an artifact linked to the Chrono Trigger narrative. The Kato-themed script Radical Dreamers has prompted Square to fund a new title set in the Chrono Trigger universe. There was one problem, however, which was that most of the original creators—including Yoshinori Kitase, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii, and Nobuo Uematsu—were not interested in the project. So it was decided to proceed from a different perspective, that is, as a cross-sectional sequel: the story is connected with Chrono Trigger, but it stands on its own two legs and focuses on a completely new team of heroes. The new script contrasts Radical Dreamers on several points, which is why Cato succumbs to labeling the Satellaview title as a sort of “what if,” a story set in an alternate universe.

Indeed, Radical Dreamers – Le Trésor Interdit is pointless. It’s a gem that Square Enix has come up with but adds nothing practical to the package, and would probably be better off replacing it with a Chrono Trigger in a potential compilation. Does this mean you have to play Chrono Trigger to understand the story of Chrono Cross? Absolutely not, but it helps. Kato, in fact, takes the heroes of Radical Dreamers – Serge and Kid – and builds a longer and more complex story around them which, while remaining deeply connected to the story of Chrono Trigger, maintains its independence. Only this time it’s not about time travel, it’s about travel Alternative facts.

Unfortunately, not everything is going in the right direction, because Chrono Cross builds its narrative on gameplay that allows you to recruit more than Forty playable characters. It follows that only some find enough space for characterization: the narration highlights the main characters, who also do not shine for charisma, sacrifice many supporting actors.

Chrono Cross is a title above all else poorly balanced In terms of tones and ambiance. The Chrono Trigger was definitely more comfortable, thanks also to the character design entrusted to Dragon Ball’s Akira Toriyama, who was replaced in Chrono Cross by Nobuteru Yuki. In Chrono Cross, gags often appear coercive and do not help build a bond with the many characters. Fortunately, the story reaches very high peaks in unforgettable scenes, but even there the credit is primarily given to Yasunori Mitsuda’s exceptional soundtrack, beautifully rearranged in The Radical Dreamers Edition. The Italian translation, going directly from the Japanese, greatly improved the text which, in the 2000 English translation, might have been too cold and detached, but it certainly could not solve the upstream problems.

Anomalies and provinces

Chrono Cross is a JRPG that is fairly casual in structure, alternating between exploration and interaction with NPCs with Final Fantasy turn-based combat. The combat system is somewhat special and not entirely intuitive. Basically, each letter is associated with a color that represents the natural elements, but elements They are also spells and fighting styles, and skills that must be found or learned and then offered in individual networks. The composition of these networks determines the inclinations of each character and the synergy between the strength of the element and the position we ascribe to it in the network ensures an interesting diversity that prompts us to experiment with different personalities without becoming fossilized in a particular team.

It’s an interesting system, but it’s a bit complicated, and it doesn’t get as quickly as it should, also because a series of variables get involved – likefield effectaffecting the strength of skills, or normal attacks, determined by intensity and accuracy – to complicate everything.

So it’s no surprise that Square Enix offers a series of benefits in The Radical Dreamers Edition. First of all, it is possible to completely defuse the battles: enemies appear on the screen, but by enabling this function, you will not turn into combat even when you come into contact with them. It feels weird, because Chrono Cross doesn’t actually follow the traditional progression pattern; I’m not here experience points Or levels, and the parameters are randomly increased at the end of the battles, but within certain limits that are unlocked by defeating different bosses. In this way, it is the progression itself that contains the players, who can reach difficult clashes more or less prepared, but never with clear superiority.

For a good measure, the remastered version also offers a feature that makes the battles easier for those who just want to enjoy the story without wasting too much time behind the combat system.

These are the benefits that players who have already purchased Square Enix replays should know well. In this sense, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is a fairly ordinary function: we have a decent variety of display options, autosave, a feature that speeds up or slows down the game as you like, as well as the ability to restore the original graphics. We have to admit that Square Enix worked better than some previous converters – it wouldn’t just tweak a definition polygonal modelsbut also its structure and animation, somewhat similar to what happened with it Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.

The characters and monsters are now much more pleasing to the eye, though liquidity They remain virtually unchanged, and you can even choose between the original and completely new photos, which are softer and better defined. The problems are the usual ones: a secret gap between high-resolution 3D models and beautiful scenarios – which, however, is largely solved by using a filter that smudges colors, making the effect less jarring – and the unfortunate solution to old-fashioned kinetics in computer graphics.