Square’s controversial classic is finally back from the past! Chrono Cross, which originally released in Japan in 1999 for the original Playstation, has been cleaned up and restored for modern-day gamers. If you missed it the first time, don’t make the same mistake twice!
It’s been over twenty years since CC’s original release, and it hasn’t been made available since in any form beyond an emulated version. What took the game so long, you ask? The usual problems were in the way: lost source code and assets. The code had to be untangled from scratch and the backgrounds had to be upscaled from standard definition. They used some AI algorithms this time, with mixed results (better than how Final Fantasy IX looks, but it still wouldn’t fool anyone). I would like to think Square has learned from all these reverse-engineered reconstructions and now saves all their work, but…this is modern-day Square we’re talking about so probably not.
This is one I’ve been impatiently waiting for, so I took it for a spin last night the second it became playable at midnight. The backgrounds definitely look Vaseline-y, but you can still see all the care that went into creating such a colorful, tropical world. There is slowdown, but only in the places where it was originally there (it’s not a dealbreaker for me). The music, thankfully, remains untouched (there were rumors of a redone soundtrack, but this was for a separate product). Chrono Cross has the best soundtrack of any video game ever made — I’m not gonna tell you the game is perfect, but you need to play it just for that.
*The 3D models, illustrations, font and background filter cannot be toggled separately. They will all be switched together.
Chrono Cross has gone from nowhere to everywhere: if you have a game-playing device, you can experience it now. The newfangled HD version is out now for Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, XBox One and PC via Steam.
Copy and paste this URL into your WordPress site to embed
Copy and paste this code into your site to embed
