If you're interested in picking up a physical copy of Chrono Cross or it's Vinyl arranged soundtrack, consider picking it up using these affiliate links to support the show! Chrono Cross Radical Dreamers Edition for Nindendo Switch: www.play-asia.com/chrono-cross-the-radical-dreamers-edition-english/13/70fai1?tagid=3926751 Vinyl soundtrack: www.play-asia.com/chrono-cross-the-radical-dreamers-edition-vinyl/13/70fad3?tagid=3926751

@THEGREATMAX

Жыл бұрын

My guy, I will make one correction here You can get overleveled in Chrono Cross If you stop what you're doing and fight random battles for those extra bonus stats EVERY TIME, you can end up extremely OP. This does require you to run away from some bosses and backtrack to fight random battles every time, but you can easily end up with 500-600 HP with Serge on a first playthrough this way.

Wow, you've captured the essence of Chrono Cross beautifully in this video! If someone asked whether or not they should play CC, I'd direct them to this video.

@SuperDerek

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@taciolothar3794

Жыл бұрын

Nice to see you here Majuular !

@EmeraldaKasim

Жыл бұрын

Exactly what im here for

One of my all-time favorite games. I loved it from day 1 & it was the first game I went completionit on. 3 straight playthroughs to recruit every character & I was in love. Bought the OST shortly after & listened to it ever since.

I’m 39 and just really got into jrpgs about 4 years ago and now have a whole lot of games to get to and I always go to your channel for guidance, info and entertainment on the genre

This is literally my favorite game of all time. One of the few games that i can pick after years and play it casually. I'm 34 and the experience and the joy is almost the same everytime.

This is such a well written review Derek! I love reviews that don’t tell half the story.

So this game was kind of a journey for me. Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games of all time, but the fan reception (and my own love of CT) kind of poisoned the well. I had attempted to beat this game around 4 times over the course of 10+ years but never could get much farther than the Lynx moment. I did not like this game. Then I played it with some friends who helped me get a different perspective on this game. The visuals are gorgeous, the music is excellent, the atmosphere is top notch, but above all I love the theme of the butterfly effect. While I think that theme becomes under-explorer after a point, it was cool seeing my friend who was playing alongside me making different choices and seeing the game honor it. And when this game did FINALLY tie into Chrono Trigger I actually kind of loved it. It was messy but I actually found the connections kind of fascinating. The game is definitely a piece of art. Something that not everyone can enjoy, it was made for the creators first and foremost, but if you can understand what they are going for, you will love it. Which is a stark contrast to Chrono Trigger which is probably the most crowd-pleasing RPG ever made. But I like both now. I prefer Trigger but Cross is great.

@GenmaTheSamurai

Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah also I prefer this combat to Trigger now. I kind of fell off ATB over the years because I feel like by nature it nerfed combat's ability to be truly intense and tactical. In all fairness though, CT's ATB is executed way better than any other implementation of it. I like it a lot in that game. But it definitely leaves CT feeling less unique.

I don’t care what anyone says, I really enjoyed Chrono Cross unique story telling and music composition. It holds a dear place in my youth and followed suite with my adulthood. Thank you and great great review Derek. The feels are here to stay ❤️

@TronSAHeroXYZ

Жыл бұрын

I play the game when I was a kid, made some AMV's for an anime convention for it. So this game deserves more love.

@DuoBeard

Жыл бұрын

@@TronSAHeroXYZ that it does indeed *tips hat*

The atmosphere is great, loved the time when rpg’s started on exotic island like chrono cross, ffx, kingdom hearts.

One of my first PSX rpgs, I have so many good memories attached to this game! I was fascinated with the fast phased combat and visuals. What a great childhood we had!

Good to have the Super Derek back for reviews and reminding us how beloved some video games are for us 🤗

Fantastic overview of this game! It's really something special. There's a powerful almost, indescribable emotion behind it.

SuperDerek, you have one of the best review formats out of all gaming channels (and I've seen many of them). You do a great job of explaining stories without dropping spoilers, and you highlight the features that are most relevant in a game by far. In our world of lots of games and only limited funds for growing the collection, your reviews help a ton.

@SuperDerek

9 ай бұрын

Hey thank you Luke! Means a lot to hear that dude. Thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice message. :)

Great review Derek. Thanks for the time and effort.

Really enjoyed this video, Derek. I think it's definitely one of your best!

Really a great video Derek. Of particularity is how you broke down the battle system. That was my favorite part of the game, and it absolutely has never been reproduced

Excellent review, Derek. This was a real treat to see when I logged into KZread today. Chrono Cross is my favorite JRPG of all time, and arguably my favorite game of all time. The art direction, set design, and music give me goosebumps.

Your channel is such a breath of (fire) fresh air, SuperDerek. I have been watching for several years now and have loved seeing how you have evolved the channel. HitPoint is one of my favorite podcasts now and it's always great seeing a new SuperDerek video pop up. Also, your RPG Tavern/Den (or whatever you call it) is probably the coziest place on earth with how well it encapsulates the RPGs that you cover. Keep up the great work, man. I am always looking forward to your next video.

Love your reviews Derek. I watch em all.

The soundtrack for this game is my all time favorite and I own multiple copies and the orchestral version. Great review!

This is a great video. Nice work.

About time you did another review!!!

It's alright, I haven't replayed it since I first beat it. I adore the art and settings more than the story. My relationship with the game is mainly with Mitsuda's composing.

@GeorgeZimmermen

Жыл бұрын

Same. The story is trash basically and a convoluted mess but the world and music are so nostalgic to me

Chrono cross is absolutely my number 1 favorite game. It inspired the music I write on my KZread channel!

Thank you so much!! Chrono Cross was one of my earliest experiences with jrpgs. I played it before Trigger and loved it. The music was masterful, the huge roster of characters was unlike anything i'd ever seen, and i loved the story.

I am actually pretty psyched about this review. Good game. And yes please talk about the Switch port. I have been liking rpg ports to switch that have enhanced or “speedy” battle options as I have less time to grind in old school RPGs these days.

Nice opening scene! Awesome recreation!

A great game, appreciate your work and review Chrono Cross is a unique game and has a place in my heart. I could memorize the whole soundtrack it’s just sooooo goood

Chrono Cross is by far the most unique and beautiful game I had a joy to play as a kid. It is my favorite in the series, and doesn’t deserve the hate it gets. Great video. One day we will get the sequel to finish the series.

Great video!

wow man that room looks amazing!!

Man......I just realized that opening was a recreation of that book scene from the game. Great job!

@SuperDerek

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Stew! :D

@StewTube

Жыл бұрын

@@SuperDerek no problem dude. Super proud of you for whate your at these days. Production quality is through the roof. Also good job on the keto side me and the girlfriend were talking about you the other day! Keep up the good work. Your boi stew finally hit 1k btw! Yeet!

Btw have you seen this Ghost Song game that came out. Dam it has been decades since I've been so excited by how a game LOOKS! This may be the best Metroidvania of all time! Potentially. I haven't played it yet but I did install it just now!

Chrono Cross brought to the forefront the themes and ideas I was thinking when playing Chrono Trigger. Feels like such a great extension. I thank it for it. The ending is almost enlightening.

The two Chrono games are so special. A lot of people say that Cross doesn't follow up Trigger very well, but I'd like to point out that both games deal with themes of time travel and changing history in their unique ways.

Another great review

Love the review. I’ve been preaching for years for people to take a step back and objectively judge this game as it’s own thing, detached from their disappointment tied to expectations of a Trigger sequel that they didn’t get, and had hoped the re-release would spur more people to give it a fresh look. Sadly it seems more people just obsessed over the frame rate. Cross is one of my favorite PS1 RPGs which is saying a lot. Maybe since I played it before Trigger it was easier for me, but if you look at it objectively you’ll find an RPG that actually tried new things with it’s combat, experience & magic systems- something not enough games (especially from Square) did in that era. An all-time soundtrack. And fun, varied character designs. Some people say so many characters is a detriment as they are less fleshed out & tied to the story as a necessity, but I always loved the variety. And of course the soundtrack is an all-timer. In a vacuum, without the weight of Trigger, I feel like this would be remembered as one of the greats of that era.

I played this game for the first time this year with the remaster on switch. I absolutely fell in love. This game will remain in my top 5 forever. Remaster was awesome. Imported me a physical from playasia. This game doesn't get enough respect or coverage.

I've owned this game and guide for PS1 for a while. Played it briefly a couple times. I think I'll fire it up after I finish Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. One thing I don't like about some rpgs is too many characters. So that may bother me when I play this game. I also don't like complicated combat systems lol. Another great vid Super D!

I bought that same vinyl at TGS!!

Was never able to finish it whenever I started it back in PS1, definitely need to get it next time I order from PlayAsia.

Nice combat explanations.

You enjoy this much more than i did growing up. It may be time for me to give this another chance

Was waiting for the book to open by itself in the intro then I would’ve been super impressed 😂 but still looked really cool

I already have a physical copy of this game's soundtrack on a 3 CD set shipped in from Japan that I have had for nearly 20 years.

I love your reviews dude. I feel like you diagnosed exactly why I could never get into Chrono Cross back in the day. Cuz I was wanting Chrono trigger 2. I really like the way you dig into why trigger is a romp and that's okay but cross is not seen that way.

It is the scene when i talked to original fisherman and another fisherman in arni village. He discussed about what if his decisison is bad or good and whats the result if he choose the other option. It was soo deep...

One of my all time favorites, it really is unique.

One of my best friends introduced me to it when 6th gen consoles were in full swing. Chrono Cross is a masterpiece and one of my best memories of PS1 as a kid.

I haven't played this game since the 90s, but I remember having a good time with it. In fact, I much prefer it over Chrono Trigger. And man, those visuals are looking crisp. I wasn't expecting the remaster to look so good. As much as I usually prefer playing games on their original hardware, I'm actually tempted to get it.

Sooo, assuming the background of your sick game room the earth isn't flat 🤔.... Thanks 4 the video Super Derek it's the last motivator I need to just order it while its still one of the cheaper rpgs- I haven't played it since it came out & we were typical kids disappointed expecting a Crono sequel, but it's time for a playthrogh & get it in ye ole collection

This is my new favorite Chrono Cross review. I'll be honest, I still maintain the game's story would be better without certain... Connections to Trigger, and instead maintained the focus on the many playable characters and their backstories, but your point about this being a "feelings" or "vibes" game, not a "how and why" game resonated with me. I'm glad to see the game get a thorough and fair review. Too many people brush it off, and many miss out on the amazing gameplay, memorable setting, unique battle system, and awesome soundtrack just because it's overblown "bad" reputation from folks who wanted Trigger 2.

@TheOnyxGemini

Жыл бұрын

I feel like it's a little unjustifiable to expect Trigger 2 out of Cross, especially at the time because there were no JRPG's that were direct sequels to the original. Other then Ys which we only got 3 games at the time, and cross came out before "kingdom hearts" and "Golden Sun". honestly if there was a Trigger 2 where would it even go without repeating Trigger? That's why I don't want a third Chrono game what would the game even be about? And most of the staff has moved on from Square.

The very first time I turned the game on and heard times scar, I was instantly mesmerized and literally felt like i was transported into the world of chrono cross mentally. I beat this game many many times but I was a teenager and didn't retain any of it lol. What I know of it now is mostly due to hearing other people's experience through videos like this. This game and ff 9 are the only two games I've played through and finished multiple times.. more than 10 times each

@ChronoMune

Жыл бұрын

That’s slightly scary that you can play a game over ten times and not retain any of it lol

@unskillfulmaster

Жыл бұрын

@ChronoMune mostly cus the nonimportant things in life will not stick. Even if I had a good time with it, I only remember what I liked about it

@unskillfulmaster

Жыл бұрын

@@ChronoMune you're trying to tell me you can remember every single line of text in every game you play? I think that kind of person is insane to memorize such useless dialogue

I loved this game's music and combat. It was a bit weird to get used to at first but it grew on me. First game I can remember too that had a fast forward feature on it's new game+, made replaying it to go on the branching paths, see other endings, and collecting every unit way easier. I would almost say I enjoyed it more than Chrono Trigger. Fun fact too, the character Guile, is supposed to be Magus, but they decided not to go into that as they did not feel they could do his story justice in the sea of other characters, so they dulled his hair color and changed a few traits and just made him Guile, this explains a lot of his other traits though and he could very well still be Magus, but they left it up to the player's imagination. You should check out the mobile game "Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space" btw. It is a gatcha game, and I get it if those are not your style, but it is a spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger. It has so many references to it. Worth a shot at the very least, and the story characters are actually decent enough to make it through a good chunk of the story. I no longer have a phone that could run it, so I stopped playing but I was a good bit in and still using a team of story units and the 1 5 star I got for free. It wasn't bad as a free to play. (turns out it is now on steam, so I might get back into it.)

My opinion on Chrono Cross has hopped back and forth over the years, but one thing that cannot be denied is that the game is an absolute work of art. Not just the transcendant OST or beautiful, vibrant visuals, but the mood, the introspection, and the wide range of reactions and responses it gets from people. I haven't finished the game as of yet (though I more or less know the basics of the story beats), and looking back, I'm glad I waited so long, because now I believe I'm finally ready to embrace CC for what it is, and not an idea I built based on my perception of what it could be

There were only a few rpg’s I’ve always wanted to play, but slipped through the cracks in the ps1,2 Dreamcast era. Chrono Cross is near the top of my list. I’m currently about 3/4 the way through Grandia 2 (which I absolutely adore), and recently finished Front Mission 3. I remember being so disappointed not to see the cast from chrono trigger in chrono cross, so much that I missed playing it in favor of breath of Fire 3 and 4 when it was new(ish) We could only afford a few games here and there back then, and I remember making the choice.

amazing video Derek, I love your show... BTW I just saw you in an old video in Happy Console Gamer's channel, the one where they were on a panel with AlphOmegaSin, you appeared in the very end on the first row of attendees :D

@SuperDerek

Жыл бұрын

We also have a video we made together called RPG Chat that was a lot of fun :)

@naiefasiry

Жыл бұрын

@@SuperDerek It was fun watching that as well. thank you both, you guys are what KZread should be all about. ❤

Loved this game!! He mentioned Suikoden... any fans?!

This is great!

Trigger on snes converted me to a hardcore jrpg gamer, so when cross released, I admittedly had heavy expectations going in. I didn't hate it, but it was just so different and I ultimately shelved it for a few years. Once i finally got around to completing cross, it quickly became one of my all time favorites. The concepts and themes it presents are up there with the xeno/saga/blade games for me.

The music was great 👌

The music is so good for this game

Thinking about all of the great rpgs that came out around this time. Its crazy that this is a game I loved so much and yet I don't think it is in my top 3 PS1 rpgs.

Update since I don't see it in the comments and didn't see a thing in the video at the time. A patch was released on all systems that fixes the framerate. 3D elements on the world map are now a solid 30 FPS (UI 60), and combat is just about a solid locked 60 (system depending and the final fight is locked 30 on the switch.)

Favorite game of all time.

ill get round to this one eventually, got the ps5 version so heres hoping its fun

Absolutely agree, Chrono Cross, Dragon Quest 11s, and Octopath Traveler are probably the only Square games I have ever enjoyed. They are easily in my top 5 JRPGs.

Masterfully done, Derek. Couldn't agree more; Chrono Cross truly is one of a kind. It's always been a pipe dream of mine to make a video detailing all the various things I love and admire about the game. Now, though, I think I'll just direct people to this video as you've truly explained it better than I ever could have. I'm indebted to you for this one. Cheers!

My favorite game ever.

i havent gotten around to the switch version yet. still trying to find time and interest to start Trigger

Greatest OST of all time

It's a wonderful game that's really ambitious and despite some of the utterly bizarre story choices it is a fantastic experience!

Aside from people who either only played Chrono Trigger, or only played JRPG series where the games happen to include continuations of previous stories as well as Chrono Trigger, I've never understood why so many people hate on this game. It's one of my all time favorites, but when i originally played it, I assumed it was going to be like most JRPGs where games in the same franchise are not related at all, so if anything, I was actually incredibly surprised and delighted when I reached the point in Chrono Cross where you learn the two games had ANY form of crossover lol And definitely one of the best battle systems ever 🙂

There are many reasons, especially as a huge CT fan, why someone may not like CC… but! I think that as long as one can separate the 2 games, they will see that despite minor flaws and grievances, CC is one of the best JRPGs ever made and is a unique experience. I absolutely love it.

I KNOW you want that book to fly open like it does in the CC intro lol.

One of the best JRPGS I have played in my life the game is sooooo good !!!

best game review by far..

I think one of the things that sets it apart is literally that whole battle system never trying to copy someone else and yet not trying to be stuck in the formulaic "1 action per turn" stasis we were all used to. It's like how Super Mario RPG doesn't have anything to compare it to unless you start really stretching comparisons to things like Legend of Dragoon.

This B roll.....omg yesplz

literally my number one favorite, all-time jrpg ever. No game will ever take it's crown for me. Idgaf what anyone else says. I love it.

The non random encounters remind me of FF Mystic Quest

Many years ago I was very into playing the Chrono Trigger game on the Snes. I used to like it a lot and also the FF series back then , especially FF3 (FF6). Then, the acclaimed 32 bit era came along with S Saturn and the PS . I thought we were gonna have a Chrono Trigger 2, but I somehow got disappointed because Chrono Cross was actually a new game experience. Same thing happened to me with Valkyrie and this new game called V Elysium.

Were there any differences between the PS and Switch version ? I haven’t played it on the switch yet.

@SuperDerek

Жыл бұрын

New script, nothing major changed though. They added things like turning off encounters, speed controls from the start (instead of hiding it behind NG+) and a new, pretty "meh" ending if you finish both Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. The biggest thing they added are the higher fidelity graphics, new music on the title screen, and of course the localization of Radical Dreamers itself on the cart. Not having to switch discs was pretty nice. Autosave was also pretty handy!

The music for Chrono Cross is amazing…except for that battle theme. Hearing that over and over and over every random battle just grinds at you more than actual grinding.

It's not as good as chrono trigger but i love this game too The gameplay and music are some of the best for the time and it's still really good

I played "Chrono cross" for the first time recently, and I did not mined the complicated story. the way the story is told is a lot like indie RPG's like "OFF by mortis ghost" or "Anodyne", the way those games tell there story is very similar. In those games you have a very nebulous goal, and a lot of inexplicable stuff happens, and you feel like your in the dark about the greater story until the end or at all. I guess I really like vague story's like that..... Also speaking of cool details you might not see in your first play through, if you bring Luccia into the fight against the 3 dragoons in Mt. pyre you get some unique dialogue.

@SeventhheavenDK

Жыл бұрын

Both Glenn and Luccia get unique dialogue. Even better if you bring them together.

always had such a hard time getting into this one.

This is one of most favorite games when I was around 15 I had a laptop that was crappy but good enough to emulate psx games . My name is Serge so this has a sort of a special place on heart I couldn't believe it when I say it it was as If yhr game spoke to me . This was my first 3d rpg and I never played chrono trigger I didn't even care much for it cuz thr graphics were kinda crappy lol 😂 I know I regrettably fell in love with it even more . The tragedy of this game re-release . It crazy that they just used an emulator I kind of wanted a full remake or remaster . The music is angelic. I really wanted 4k textures graphics . I wanted more aloot more . I play on pc and the tearing ,stutters mess, . I can play the original on my phone without stutter that I see of the remaster on pc . It's such a shame 😞 . Who the he'll remakes these games those who are doing ate doing it wrong they have no love for the game . They just check off and publish . Total BS . U need love ❤️ isn't that what makes ART Art? Emotion?

I like to use the 1,2,1,3 combo.

@SuperDerek

Жыл бұрын

Interesting, I don't think I've tried that combo before... at least not intentionally that I remember anyway. Sounds like a handy way to maximize the accuracy of that final heavy attack! :)

Cross is my favorite video game of all time.

Chrono Cross is one of my most favorite games of my childhood, I bought it again for the PS3 and then again for the PS4 with the remaster and enjoyed it so much. My favorite characters are Serge, Riddel, Glenn, Razzly (yes, I suffer with that decision a lot), Harle and Guile. Actually, I prefer Chrono Cross way more than Chrono Trigger.

DBZ Tree of Might came out way back in 1990 (and had little involvement from him, since Toriyama didn't really work on most of the old movies outside of doing some designs for a couple), and both Dr. Slump and DBZ were long over by the time Chrono Cross was made. I think Toriyama was just tied up with helping Horii on DQVII.

@SuperDerek

Жыл бұрын

Hmm... weird. I'll need to sort out what went wrong in my research... But I think you're right. Must have been running low on energy that night. Thanks for the correction there.

@Sawngawkuh

Жыл бұрын

@@SuperDerek I assume the mix up might be attributed to the release date of the uncut English redub for the film, which came out around 1998. The Dr. Slump one might be due to there being another anime adaptation made in the late 90s (without much involvement from Toriyama, since he was done with the manga back in the early 80s).

I love this game its my favorite jrpg of all time ! ❤ but chrono trigger is a top of the pack jrpg for sure .

I know that as a sequel to Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross isn't good in that department but when you treat it as it's own game that happens to be set in the same basic universe of Chrono Trigger, one will see a beautiful and amazing adventure with a great soundtrack and colorful characters. I remember playing this so much in middle school because I was going through a rough time (let's just say I had made friends with someone who wasn't a really good friend...) and I kinda used this to escape from that for awhile lol plus my mom was dating/marrying a new guy who became my stepdad who she had a baby with and you can almost imagine how tough that would be on a kid ^^; But nowadays when I go back to play it, I go back to play it to enjoy the soundtrack and try different strategies against all the bosses.

@malik87breaker

Жыл бұрын

To me, Trigger is a mythology in Cross universe.

I replayed this game last year and... It did not hold up. At least the music was still incredible. I might actually hate this game, but I'll listen to the soundtrack until the day I die.

Chrono cross is at the same time rough and beautiful, maybe the best example of what was going on in square at the 5th gen.

Since Chrono Cross got the remaster treatment, i hope Chrono Trigger gets the remake, i would be up for either and HD2D or 3D butthe latter needs a new artist and a good graphical development team, just like how they did with trials of mana.

3:44 While the grandfather paradox at the beginning of Chrono Trigger COULD be seen as a plot hole, there is actually a very clever and thematical coherent explanation for it. There is a KZreadr called Lorerunner who digs deeper in this putative plot hole.

Mad haircut bro you remind me of zell from ff8

u gonna check out harvestella?