Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross is a PlayStation RPG created by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) as a sequel to Chrono Trigger. Chrono Trigger had a "sequel" released in Japan called Radical Dreamers for the Satellaview add-on for the Super Famicom, but it was text-based only. Radical dreamers was completely redone for the Playstation as Chrono Cross, and was released in the United States in the year 2000. Therefore, Chrono Cross is a revision of Radical Dreamers. The music was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda.

The game has over 40 possible party members to acquire, although only about 10 of them have strong subplots, relate much to the overall game plot, or have distinctive abilities of their own.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The story of Chrono Cross revolves around the character Serge, who, as a small child, is supposed to drown, but is saved by a powerful force. The resulting shift in the world's history creates two distinct parallel dimensions. In one dimension, he survives and lives for 10 years before the game begins. In the alternate dimension, he drowns in a beach near his home.

Chrono Cross's story also revolves around resolving the paradox of Chrono Trigger. In Chrono Trigger, the main characters discover a disaster when they teleport to the future, and then later teleport back to the past to prevent it. Because preventing the disaster prevents them from ever learning about it, it causes several different timelines to appear. In total, Chrono Cross revolves around 7 timelines. This fact, combined with a rather confusing translation, leads to many fans of the original Chrono Trigger being quite confused with Chrono Cross's story.

The story of Radical Dreamers is used unchanged in Chrono Cross, as a parallel dimension. This can be found by reading one of the computer consoles in Chronopolis, a city which was pulled back in time due to a failed experiment. Chronopolis now monitors the El Nido Archipelago, in an attempt to prevent a paradox from occurring which would prevent its existence in the future.

Squaresoft trademarked the name Chrono Break in late 2001, resulting in speculation by fans of the possibility of a sequel. However, Squaresoft dropped the trademark in the United States on November 13, 2003, confirmed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This is possibly due to series creator Masato Kato leaving Square Enix for Monolith Soft in 2003.

See also

Chrono Cross Timeline