I was a little worried giving Chrono Cross another go, somehow thinking that I may have incorrectly remembered it with rose-tinted glasses. However, my fears were quickly washed away by the beautiful scenery and wonderful music bringing life to each area. Because this was my third time revisiting the El Nido archipelago, I made sure to take it easy and treat it as a stroll through time, taking in the sites, sounds, and possibly even the lingering aromas. Is that Heckran Bone and Beeba skin I smell? Oh, what I would do for a Viper churro right about now!

While I sadly can't take part in Cross' irresistible cuisine, I can appreciate as well as scorn the nuances in certain branching paths and dialogue between characters. For example, if you choose not to bring Kid with you in the beginning to Termina, but Mojo and Poshul are there, she will marvel at your lax attitude toward walking a dog while having amnesia (which is comical). However, if you have Leena in your party, Kid interprets it differently, teasing you on your outing with your sheila on a date. I absolutely loved these small, but very different encounters that I wished happened with the whole cast. We're given over forty characters, so I would have liked more variability to spice up the characters' personalities.

As for branching paths, I absolutely loved the direction each one went, giving you different characters and events. However, I felt it very strange that players were somewhat punished for taking a certain route (save Kid), as you're locked out of one of the strongest characters (Glenn) in the game. What's worst is that there are certain cutscenes where I felt it made sense for him to be there, offering insight that would have been overlooked. This leads me to my disappointment with some of this game's story direction, as I would have liked the balance of impact for each path to be roughly the same regardless of the one you choose.

Despite this, I really enjoyed this game, reliving my younger years by playing through one of my favorite games of all time. I love the music, I love the characters, but I still don't get the story completely. That's fine, though, we're still given one of the best moms as a playable character: Macha.

And don't forget: Life is a journey to find yourself. That's how everyone grows up...

Dont'CHA know it!

I have to give Squaresoft credit: when it comes to following up on their timeless classics, they don't take the easy road. It would be easy to make a sequel to, say, the megahit Final Fantasy VII by recycling characters and gameplay concepts, but instead we got the very, very different Final Fantasy VIII. In a similar vein, one of their most beloved games of all time, Chrono Trigger, got a continuation in the form of Chrono Cross, a game which somewhat befuddled audiences upon its initial release. Going back to it for Retro Encounter, though, I think I can say with some certainty that Chrono Cross has held up almost as well as its famous predecessor.

Chrono Cross is a very special game. Released in an time where Square was at their RPG-developing peak, Cross manages to stand out as an exemplar even among its contemporaries. While its unique combat system and incredibly expansive roster of recruitable party members may at first seem inscrutable and intimidating, the lush visuals, gorgeous soundscape, and intriguing storyline do a lot to draw the player in and encourage them to engage with the intricacies of its systems. In many ways, like Trigger before it, Cross sets about making the RPG genre a tad more accessible to newcomers, although the ways it does so aren't immediately apparent: little quality of life adjustments like being able to heal after every battle and earning new level Stars after each major encounter streamlines the JRPG formula immeasurably.

That's not to say that Cross is a perfect game. The lack of direction in the latter half of the game is a bit of a bear (yes, you can usually check your save icon to get a hint as to where to go next, but that doesn't help you during the Dragon hunt!), and the aforementioned cast of characters, while lively and memorable, at times feel more like a gimmick than a fully fleshed-out party. But, then again, you can recruit a mushroom man named Funguy, so, it kind of evens out. Chrono Cross is a wonderful game, and even if a third Chrono game never sees the light of day, these titles work so well as a duology I'd almost prefer it if the journey of the Radical Dreamers ended here.

I've never really agreed with those who felt that Chrono Cross was a disappointing sequel to Chrono Trigger. While the game had a vastly different feel from its predecessor, that worked in its favor. As someone who first experienced Trigger in elementary school and Cross in middle school, it was interesting to realize that the series had grown up alongside me.

While Trigger embodied the optimistic and adventurous aspects of youth, Cross offered mature themes, viewing its world through a darker and more cynical lens. Trigger focused on the world as a whole, with many of its NPCs existing for exposition and background information. Cross managed to zoom in, not just on a single region but on the NPCs themselves, resulting in a lot more individual flavor.

I can't really say that one or the other was better, because both stood so well on their own merits that it isn't necessarily fair to judge them side by side. Cross itself stands the test of time, remaining one of the most visually appealing PS1 RPGs. Yasunori Mitsuda's soundtrack forces you to feel certain emotions that tie into the core of the plot. And on that note, the translation itself is surprisingly clean. You won't find any "This guy are sick" in Chrono Cross!

Final thought: Poshul is arguably the most hilarious dog to ever join a JRPG party, and she is super precious.

After returning to Chrono Cross for the first time since my childhood, I'm surprised I understood the game. Combining heavy science fiction topics like time travel and alternate dimensions, I'm still having trouble fully grasping my experience with the game twenty years later.

And yet, Chrono Cross turned out to be just as mesmerizing as it was all those years ago. For a late PS1 game, everything about it is still gorgeous: the amazingly well-animated character models, the vibrant 2D backgrounds, and one of Yasunori Mitsuda's best soundtracks! Though the cast is maybe a bit too large, each character feels unique thanks to their various accents and speech patterns. The battle system — which seems simple at a glance with its low, medium, and high attacks — adds a whole other layer with its satisfying element system.

The game can be a little obtuse, especially when it comes to progressing further in the story. Multiple times, I felt like Chrono Cross threw a checklist of things to do at you without so much as a "good luck" on how to achieve any of it.

With all that said, Chrono Cross is still a game worth trying. When I originally played it, I had no experience with its predecessor, Chrono Trigger. Now, having played both, I still feel as though Chrono Cross stands solidly as its own game, unshackled by the ghost of Trigger. If you can, I'd highly recommend taking a vacation to the El Nido archipelago.