I like Chrono Cross, but it hasn't aged as well as I thought. Just in time for the game's 20th anniversary, join me as I look back and what it did well and what what it did not so well.
Nice video man. You definitely understand the story better than I. I can understand your opinions on it, and I do agree that the amount of boss fights is nutty. But it'll always be one of my favorite games of all time. Keep up the good work!
Solid video, especially the part about having heroes fail. It was also necessary, as having a fate like this for the series mainstays echoes back to the darker elements of Trigger; Belthasar is fairly innocent in Cross (but only from what you see in the main game) yet he was responsible for much of the technology of Zeal like the Blackbird. Surely he knew what he was doing in past timelines and how that reflects on the more sordid elements of humanity as Cross delves into as well. After all, how much of his machinations essentially played fast and loose with entire civilizations and timelines, merely as a means to the end, be it in Trigger or in Cross?
I actually beat Chrono Cross before I was able to go through Chrono Trigger. However, I'd seen enough of Chrono Trigger beforehand to know who Lavos, Chrono and his friends were. I have a fondness for Chrono Cross. The music is memorable, I love how the game begins, and the combat has a bit more depth than Chrono Trigger's did. That isn't to say it's a better game though, despite all that I'd probably choose Trigger if I had to pick between the two. By the way, I loooooved going to the Dead Sea. It was such a fantastically done area. The frozen waves, the eerie music, the oddly futuristic setting. It's like, you walk into this place that something obviously went horribly wrong at, and get to see it frozen in it's final moments. The first time I went into that area I was just in awe. I also liked the Isle of the Damned, and how when you get the end, there is this strange mirage of a beautiful meadow in the distance.
I like how Chrono Cross begins, as well. I think it should've just tried to be its own game, instead of chasing Chrono Trigger. I also forgot to even mention the Isle of the Damned in my video, but I always felt like there was just one more mystery to that place. It was a neat area. The art is cool too if you actually look at all the bones and stuff that are there.
And the creepy, bone-crunching noise that plays with each step. When I first got to that island and was walking around, my first thoughts were "I feel like I'm going to get some weird disease just being here."@@BrockShake
Excellent video. This was well thought out and put together. I can’t recall having such introspection on the game when I played through it as a kid and I’m now very interested to revisit Chrono Cross through the lens that you’ve provided. I’ve played many, many RPGs and video games in general and what you said about boss fights struck a major chord. I always accepted them as a staple of game design but never reflected on why the fights were occurring. I’m playing through FF IX on Switch right now and each area has at least one boss fight, the majority of them occurring without practical reasoning. They exist only because the developer thought that each area needed to be punctuated with a challenge. It’s lazy game design at best. I also relate to your opinion on exposition. Many games commit two major sins: 1) Explaining things to the player rather than having the player experience them, as you mentioned. 2) Feeling the need to explain everything. Like you mention in your video, Chrono Cross should only have had minor nods to Chrono Trigger if any links at all. That would have left more mystery for the player to ponder. I think the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a great example of this. As the characters journey through Middle-Earth there are locations and nods to past civilizations and major events that have shaped the world. As the viewer, we experience Middle-Earth through their eyes and only receive hints of what transpired before the story that we’re seeing. This type of storytelling draws the viewer into the larger universe. The more the storyteller tries to explain, the less interesting it becomes for the audience. When a game tries to explain everything to the player the story generally becomes convoluted and uninteresting. Most storytellers aren’t as capable or relatable as the imagination of the player. The Dead Sea is a perfect example of this. The player is introduced to a unique environment with an air of mystery that you’re excited to explore. The main word to describe it is atmosphere. This is what draws me in to games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. They make me feel like I’ve really been transported to a foreign world. Exploration becomes one of the main gameplay elements.
I feel like the boss fights this time around reminded me of having to re-fight all the bosses at the end of each Mega Man. As you say, areas of just about every game always had a boss. I guess it's probably how the word became associated with the biggest hurdle to overcome in each area. I feel like, in its day, it worked, but nowadays I feel like re-fighting all the bosses in Mega Man annoys me - and I understand that these games are very old. I think, even for its time, Chrono Cross had too many boss battles. Playing it again in 2019, I couldn't believe I had forgotten how many you fight. I had so much to say about CC, that I forgot to mention that I like how the game begins, but then it just comes off the rails. Still, it isn't so bad that I wanted to stop playing or not finish my video. Who knows, maybe in another decade I'll play it again.
I appreciate the fact that most of the story happens to others than you. With regular RPG's I feel like the spotlight is forced; with Chrono Cross I know that my character is a small part in a large story, which mirrors regular life. There's also the point that Cross thrives on thought, and "what if?"'s. Allowing the focus to be away from the character helps facilitate that view and lets you relax into the worldview, if you will. I guess that has a negative impact on some people's bond with the characters. I get what you said about Magus, but I personally feel the "heart" in Trigger comes from events, rather than actual character. What is Leena like? Lucca? It's like HP, where it's all about plot and relationships, but not about actual character development. Skelly's story made me stop for a second, as weird as that sounds. I think the depressed fisherman who wanted another life had more heart than any of the original gang. Definitely agree with you though on the other points - I wasn't too keen about the CT story pushed. Like another commentor, I knew enough about them but only played CT after CC.
Thanks for taking the time to watch. Yes, Skelly would be just one bit where the game slows down to present something sad and mysterious, a guy who stopped writing home, because he had died. The fisherman in Arni is really unlike any other character in the game in that he's almost like a tutorial, giving you insight into the way the dimensional stuff in CC will work, but unfortunately the game doesn't really ever feel like that again. It was as if CC started out as one thing, but ended up being something else in the end. At any rate, there is still stuff to love. CC is at least unique in that when you sort of split the fan base it means for a lot of interesting stuff to talk about.
@@BrockShake I think there were timing issues for the second half... the 'show, don't tell' and peaceful slow outlook it had in the beginning didn't hold through. I wish one day someone would go and flesh out the rest, with all the characters getting good treatment :)
@@avitron142 I totally agree. It's as though they set out with a different goal then changed course partway through. It feels disjointed, made apparent by the need to lay the story in your lap by the end.
I would, but only if Square-Enix takes it seriously. I'd love to see a different take on Chrono Trigger (perhaps a 3D one). I think all CC would need for me is a tune up, similar to what Final Fantasy VIII is getting. Either way, I'd buy them up in a heartbeat.
