Another old review of mine I did a long time ago for a website that never actually made it to the web. Be warned that there are a few spoilers here, but given the game's age, this shouldn't bother anyone.
The long-awaited sequel to Chrono Trigger is here. The artwork is very different, but not a bad change, and the graphics are stunning. The plot isn’t as good as Chrono Trigger, I don’t think, and some of the side characters don’t get nearly enough character development, but that’s okay. The highlights are definately great music, thought-provoking dialogue (hey, it's better than some of the other stuff out there), and an interesting story.
Plot Overview: Serge is transported to an alternate world that’s very much like his own, with the same people and places, but everyone has different lives and the timeline is a little different. Both of the worlds’ fates have been crossed, and this chrono cross will bring about the destruction of both worlds. You have to save them, even though it’s not really clear what you’re saving them from until the end. This was kind of a downside. There’s nothing wrong with leaving some mysteries until later, but saving it until you’ve completed over half the game before finally telling you exactly who is behind this bizarre twist and why is asking the gamer to be a bit too patient. That’s probably why I stopped playing it for a year in the middle of the game and then picked it up again.
Artwork: If you’ve played Chrono Trigger, you’ll notice that the artwork is very different in this game. I think it’s better - I’m glad that the artwork wasn’t like this in Chrono Trigger (no offense, Akira Toriyama). The characters have a certain look to them that makes them not believable characters, but not cartoon-looking either. They look kind of like anime characters, but at the same time they don’t. Some of them look surreal, while there are some, like Solt and Peppor, who look very cartoon-like indeed.
The different places you can go to, and even the overworld, are all very detailed. The dragon fort has all the little cracks and details you’d expect. I was hoping to find a little bit of medieval architecture in it, but I didn’t, although it could be expected with the effort put into it. You can see strings hanging from tents, and the most meaningless things will intrigue you. It was a very beautiful game, and while you expect RPGs to be wonderful in appearance, this one surpasses it. If the in-game graphics weren’t so fuzzy, you could probably see every pebble on the ground!
Animation: The characters and animals all move smoothly. I think the panther, when it turns its head in one of the FMVs, should have been better, but when the animators really wanted to pull in emotions, they could. The scene with Serge stabbing Kid was nicely done, and the expressions on everyone’s faces were pulled off to look real. Even the in-game graphics behaved normally, except for one time when I stopped running and Lina continued to run in place; that looked abnormal.
Sound Effects: This is a hard area. Chrono Cross is one of those games that has excellent music and graphics, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff, but no sounds. I think Serge, when he’s in Lynx’s body, makes a sound, but it’s muffled, partly to bring out the effect of the character’s anguish. There are no sword-clinging sounds, but you can hear Norris’ gun shoot, which doesn’t sound too realistic. This is one area that lacks.
Music: This game has one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard! Yasunori Mitsuda has done it again, only this time implying new styles into the overall sound. Some of the music can get old every now and then, but the majority of it is really great. “Time’s Scar” is a wonderful piece, and I enjoy it very much. I also like how the style differs slightly. Sometimes it sounds Irish, others it sounds tropical, and sometimes even Native American-like! Most of the music is very nice to listen to, and I advice you to get the soundtrack. I don’t have any complaints about it at all, and there’s a reason why it’s one of the most sought-after video game soundtracks in existence!
Gameplay: This is more of a watching game than a playing one, like most RPGs, which doesn’t bother me, but it bothers others. Sometimes the game gets boring, but hardly ever frustrating. I didn’t find it to be a challenge to me at all, but I still liked it. Also, if it doesn’t affect the flow of the game, chances are you can’t interact with it, which is a let down. I like doing stupid things in a game just to see what happens. It's just a typical RPG on the same vein as Final Fantasy, so don't go looking for, say, Luigi's Mansion when you play this.
Characters: There are 75 playable characters, which, while some might not think to highly of this move, it actually is an interesting factor in this game. Yes, it doesn’t seem like much of a Chrono Trigger sequel, but it’s actually not bad in the least.
The characters all have their own beliefs and accents, which makes them all unique and interesting, and almost every characters is well-rounded. Some are rather flat, but they make up for it by having good battle tactics.
Practically every character has some wisdom to share with you, so you might feel enlightened. I don’t know. Some of them, like this one guy in Arni village, sounds like Rem from Trigun.
Character Development: There’s some for Serge and a lot for Kid, but little to none for everyone else. That’s because there’s 75 possible characters in this game, some which will lead you on a slightly different rout if you accept them, and there’s just not enough time to develop them all. However, you will be amazed at what you learn about some of the characters, especially if you’ve played Chrono Trigger.
Tone: This game isn’t dark nor is it overtly funny. It’s just a good adventure story that’s enjoyable to play. It’s not one that will grab you and force you to play it until it ends, although I've found that it has a strong cult following, but it’s still fun.
Dialogue: The dialogue is amazing in this game. Each character seems to have his or her own accent. Kid has a very strong British accent while Harle has a French one, and so on and so forth. This is a touch that makes the game, especially during those long talking moments, more interesting.
Also, every character has a lot of knowledge and wisdom and will share their philosophies with anyone at any given time. It was nice to hear all these different ways of thinking (they all kind of sounded like Rem from Trigun), but some of the characters shouldn’t have been so intellectual. When you find a poor person on the street, you don’t expect him to speak so powerfully.
Dubbing: There’s no talking, or any sounds made by the characters, with the exceptions of Lynx’s cry. I’m glad there’s nothing to be dubbed. However, there are some name changes with the translation. Kidd is now Kid, and Yamaneko is now Lynx. There's probably more, but I'm not sure who they are.
Villains: It’s not clear until the end who the real bad guy is, but when you find out, you may be disappointed. I was hoping that Lynx would end up as the main bad guy, as he seems better suited for the role.
Recommended? If you like RPGs, then you’ll like this game a lot. Even though it’s a sequel, you don’t have to play Chrono Trigger to understand it; trust me, this is a completely knew thing that just happens to have some familiar characters. Don’t get this game is you like a fast-paced game.
Well, that was my review from close to ten years ago. I am much more fond of this game now than I was then! Trust me, it's not always as bad as I make it sound. To give you an idea of what the game looks like, I'm embedding the amazing opening sequence!
Comments
Post a Comment