Support NeoGAF

[Draugoth]

Game Information


Game Title: Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Apr 7, 2022)
• PlayStation 5 (Apr 7, 2022)
• Xbox One (Apr 7, 2022)
• PlayStation 4 (Apr 7, 2022)
• Nintendo Switch (Apr 7, 2022)
• PC (Apr 7, 2022)

Trailer: Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition Announce Trailer

Developer: Square Enix

Review Aggregator:

Metacritic - 77/100:

Opencritic - 75% Average - 58% Critics Recommend:

Critic Reviews:

Chicas Gamers - Álvaro Bustío - Spanish - Unscored

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition may remind us of remasters that Square-Enix has offered us in the past, such as Final Fantasy VIII or Final Fantasy IX, with almost the same extra options (speed up combat or have certain advantages) and an improvement renders/graphics, and being for the first time arrived to Europe, making it a must have whether you are a fan of the saga or not (especially if you like JRPGs). Apart from enjoying it with such a good facelift and with the extras it brings, you will be able to enjoy "Radical Dreamers" for the first time and get to know that prequel that never left Japan, in addition to the fact that both have been fully translated into Spanish.

---

Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition includes quality of life upgrades making this the definitive version, bringing a game that was firmly stuck in the past to a new generation.

---

Eurogamer - Edwin Evans-Thirlwell - No Recommendation

Cross often feels like a visitor from a parallel dimension itself - sequel to an acclaimed RPG that's in practice more of a companion piece, reminiscent of the PS1 Final Fantasies but a very different beast on the battlefield. It's an engrossing epic, mixing sadness, whimsy and a touch of cosmic dread without, somehow, disintegrating into farce, and if the battle system can be a touch infuriating, coming to terms with it is part of the adventure. The remaster isn't a dazzling effort, but the game's revival in any form is something to celebrate. I am eager to read reactions to it from players who got into RPGs after the Chrono series went under.

---

GameGrin - Alana Dunitz - 9 / 10

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is a great game for anyone who loves JRPGs or wants to check out Chrono Cross for the first time, or again. The updated graphics and battle mechanics make this worth the lower price tag!

---

GamesHub - Edmond Tran - 3 / 5

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition represents two examples of game preservation with varying results. The sharper, more accessible, but poorer-performing Chrono Cross is both a blessing and a curse. But the debut of an official English translation of Radical Dreamers is a moment to celebrate as a Chrono and video game history fan.

---

God is a Geek - Lyle Carr - 9.5 / 10

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition brings possibly the best PS1 JRPG to Europe for the first time, and it simply must be played.

---

Hardcore Gamer - Chris Shive - 4 / 5

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition takes one of the great PlayStation RPGs and makes it available to new and returning fans on modern hardware.

---

Nintendo Life - Lowell Bell - 6 / 10

It's a shame that, with the release of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, we likely won't see a comprehensive remaster or even a full remake of this underrated gem for a long while, leaving us with a somewhat underwhelming version on Switch that isn't much beyond a port. Regardless, the portability of the Nintendo's console and the inclusion of Radical Dreamers still makes this the best and most convenient way for fans and newcomers alike to play the 22-year-old classic and its pseudo-prequel. It's a good game and having easy access to it is a boon - just don't go in with more than modest expectations when it comes to the remaster effort.

---

NintendoWorldReport - Neal Ronaghan - 9.5 / 10

The speed-up and toggles for enemy encounters and battle boosts were welcome in this playthrough, mostly because I could toy with elements and characters more than I did in the past. While Radical Dreamers isn't much more than an alternate history curiosity, the fact it is actually localized and legitimately available outside of Nintendo's long inactive downloadable Satellaview network is incredible. Chrono Cross is a wonderful game - hands down my favorite PlayStation RPG - and the Radical Dreamers Edition is the best and friendliest way to play it.

---

PlayStation Universe - Timothy Nunes - 7.5 / 10

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition brings a beloved classic to the PlayStation 4, complete with its old pros and cons. Some of the limitations of the first game get washed away with the enhancements and features that come with this release, but they also create a couple of their own. Like a true classic, this edition is not without its issues, but classics have a way of outlasting their criticisms through the eyes of those who experience them.

---

Press Start - Kieron Verbrugge - 8 / 10

It's far from a best-case port, but Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition serves up a cult classic JRPG that deserves to be appreciated by everyone that hasn't had the legal means before now. The Radical Dreamers part is a very welcome bit of history given some genuine love from Square Enix, too. If you've already smashed out a Chrono Cross replay in the recent past though, you might be okay to skip this package for now.

---

Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 4 / 10

Parts of Chrono Cross really haven't aged well, but it's still a charming, characterful JRPG that evokes feelings of the genre's golden age on PS1. It's a game that deserves better than The Radical Dreamers Edition, which, at least at launch, is a dreadfully poor remaster. Crippled by frame rate issues, it beggars belief that a title from 1999 could run this badly on modern hardware. Unless you're desperate for the nostalgia, we strongly recommend waiting to see whether Square Enix releases a patch to improve the package on PS4 and PS5 before buying.

---

RPG Fan - Izzy Parsons - 95%

One of Squaresoft’s finest classics playable on modern hardware and, despite some setbacks, it holds up wonderfully.

---

RPG Site - Cullen Black - 7 / 10

The Radical Dreamers Edition brings back two classics for the first time since their debut, but the Switch version leaves a lot to be desired.

---

Twinfinite - Rebecca Stone - 4 / 5

Chrono Cross stands the test of time, and I implore anyone who enjoyed Chrono Trigger or other 90s JRPGs to give Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition a shot.

---

Wccftech - Kai Powell - 4.5 / 10

Despite being a masterpiece of split universes and the often futile attempts to fight fate, we're living in the timeline where the original source code for Chrono Cross was lost to the scars of time and the remaster that exists in this age wasn't given the focus that one of the greatest JRPGs of all time deserves.

---

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 8 / 10

Chrono Cross is a weird little JRPG that is arguably hindered by its connection to one of the genre greats. It has a distinctive feel and style, an interesting plot, and the craziest cast of characters you'll ever see in a JRPG. Weak characters and many nagging PS1-era flaws keep it from being a hearty recommendation. If you've passed on Cross because it's not Trigger 2, it's worth a shot, and Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is probably the best way to experience it.

 

[Punished Miku]

I got this when it was announced. Haven't played it since it came out.

 

[TintoConCasera]

So that website is called "Chicas gamers" (gamer girls) but the review has been written by a guy, uh?

Anyway, glad to read it's been translated to Spanish, hope it's a good translation. Any word on those reviews about Switch performance? Some say it leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[marcincz]

From 4/10 to 9,5/10
Interesting.

 

[jshackles]

From 4/10 to 9,5/10
Interesting.

The 4/10 score is basically saying that the game deserves better than this port because apparently the port is a mess and suffers from framerate issues on the PS5. I can kinda see their point, this should not be taxing the PS5.

Most of the other reviews are for the game itself, which is excellent.

 

[Nankatsu]

The 4/10 score is basically saying that the game deserves better than this port because apparently the port is a mess and suffers from framerate issues on the PS5. I can kinda see their point, this should not be taxing the PS5.

Most of the other reviews are for the game itself, which is excellent.

Reviewers calling out graphic / performance issues after closing their eyes while reviewing Elden Ring?

What is this?

 

[UltimaKilo]

The 4/10 score is basically saying that the game deserves better than this port because apparently the port is a mess and suffers from framerate issues on the PS5. I can kinda see their point, this should not be taxing the PS5.

Most of the other reviews are for the game itself, which is excellent.

Seems like it might be worth waiting for a big patch, so that this incredible game is given justice.

I do wish it had new character models an orchestrated soundtrack.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Good enough for me. I’ll pick up a copy in PC.

 

[ethomaz]

So not a good remaster at all?
I expected something better... sadly.
The game is amazing.

It is turn based but you need to combine colors to use special combos... and there are so many characters and colors to use.
It is fucking addictive and great.

PS. I know friends that finished the games without ever know you can combo with the colors and blamed the game for not having combos like CT

 

[West Texas CEO]

Picking up a physical copy from Play-Asia, but it's not expected to ship until 4/28.

 

[ethomaz]

Reviewers calling out graphic / performance issues after closing their eyes while reviewing Elden Ring?

What is this?

Reality.

Big games get a free pass.. smaller games not.
Same happened with unfinished big games released last year... even here in GAF.

 

[wvnative]

So not a good remaster at all?
I expected something better... sadly.
The game is amazing.

It is turn based but you need to combine colors to use special combos... and there are so many characters and colors to use.
It is fucking addictive and great.

PS. I know friends that finished the games without ever know you can combo with the colors and blamed the game for not having combos like CT

All of the PS1 FF remasters were terrible, so this is in line with expectations.

Long live Duckstation

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Reality.

Big games get a free pass.. smaller games not.
Same happened with unfinished big games released last year... even here in GAF.

The difference is this is a port of a freaking 22 year old PS1 game that didn’t have performance issues on the original hardware. I don’t think that it’s holding it to an unreasonably high standard to expect flawless performance.

 

[ethomaz]

The difference is this is a port of a freaking 22 year old PS1 game that didn’t have performance issues on the original hardware. I don’t think that it’s holding it to an unreasonably high standard to expect flawless performance.

I think you misunderstood me.
Both small or big games should be called out in performance/bugs no matter if new, remaster, remake, etc.

 

[Shifty1897]

Multiple reviewers are mentioning the terrible performance. I hear there's a day one patch and a second patch on the way after that, I'd be curious to know if those fix the issue or not.

 

[rubhen925]

Still finishing my review but the remaster wasn't given proper care. So many fps drops during combat and when using attack animations. Sometimes downright almost hitches the console.

 

[Fbh]

They fucked up the music.
Any review above a 2/10 is factually wrong

 

[Pejo]

They fucked up the music.
Any review above a 2/10 is factually wrong

Did they include the original OST on a toggle? I was hoping they would.

This looks like a bare bones "remaster" where they actively made the OST worse.

Also, I want to find and strangle the guy that's in charge of fonts at S-E. He's a fucking lunatic and should not be allowed anywhere near a pixel game/retro game.

 

[Interface23]

They fucked up the music.
Any review above a 2/10 is factually wrong

According to Siliconera.com the original music is in the game?

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I think you misunderstood me.
Both small or big games should be called out in performance/bugs no matter if new, remaster, remake, etc.

Fair enough but I still think this is a case of “this game should be able to run on a freaking potato and there’s no excuse for performance issues”, not some unfair double standard.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

I'm in for Radical Dreamers.

 

[Fbh]

Did they include the original OST on a toggle? I was hoping they would.

This looks like a bare bones "remaster" where they actively made the OST worse.

Also, I want to find and strangle the guy that's in charge of fonts at S-E. He's a fucking lunatic and should not be allowed anywhere near a pixel game/retro game.

According to Siliconera.com the original music is in the game?

According to Square it doesn't

 

[Furball]

Shitty port as usual .

if we want some quality Remaster then pray that Akitoshi Kawazu as producer because all of his Saga remaster and Legend of Mana are great remaster .

 

[Cao Cao]

Performance feels pretty bad, like on PS1.
Why did they not fixed that?
The Upscaled graphics look weird in many instance, if you play with original bachground, the new character model don't fit in.

 

[Elios83]

Can't wait to play this
I hope localization is good.

Frame rate issues might get ironed out, I guess they depend on the game running on some kind of emulator internally.

 

[Shifty1897]

Can't wait to play this
I hope localization is good.

I didn't know this game was never released in Europe and it sounds like a lot of European gamers are really excited about this game.

My advice is to uh, temper your expectations. The game is a solid 8/10. There are game design decisions that will frustrate you, but the game also has beautiful music and graphics (for the time).

At the time I hated the game for how it didn't seem like it wanted to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger, with its convoluted plot, battle system, and 40+ character roster who all mostly play the same. I can appreciate it more now for what it is: A good PS1 RPG that really doesn't want to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger.

 

[Kokoloko85]

According to Square it doesn't

Ah damn, was gonna buy it till I read that. The soundtrack is one of the best video game soundtracks ever.

Its turned based so its not like the fps is gonna bother me much, it cant be that bad. But dont fuck with the soundtrack, what a disappointment …..

 

[Elios83]

I didn't know this game was never released in Europe and it sounds like a lot of European gamers are really excited about this game.

My advice is to uh, temper your expectations. The game is a solid 8/10. There are game design decisions that will frustrate you, but the game also has beautiful music and graphics (for the time).

At the time I hated the game for how it didn't seem like it wanted to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger, with its convoluted plot, battle system, and 40+ character roster who all mostly play the same. I can appreciate it more now for what it is: A good PS1 RPG that really doesn't want to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger.

Actually I've already finished it 3 times but thank you for your mini review anyway

I've always played it using an emulator so there were audio glitches, the backgrounds could showcase a "tile" effect, frame rate was erratic and the game was only in english (not that it's a particular issue since I play many games in english but having it localized in my native language for the first time is a plus).
So this will be the first time I play the game "properly" in a certain sense.

The game for me is one of the JRPG gems of the late 90s. Amazing atmosphere, music, the plot is good although it gets convoluted in the second half but quite frankly I've always judged Chrono Cross based on its own merits, how some fans view it relatively to CT has never impacted me.
I've played Trigger after Cross.

 

[Elios83]

Ah damn, was gonna buy it till I read that. The soundtrack is one of the best video game soundtracks ever.

Its turned based so its not like the fps is gonna bother me much, it cant be that bad. But dont fuck with the soundtrack, what a disappointment …..

The soundtrack in the game is the same as the original.
There was some confusion about some rearranged tracks featured in the new vinyl collection to be the "new" soundtrack but that's not the case.
It's the original soundtrack refined aka denoised and re-equalized.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Performance feels pretty bad, like on PS1.
Why did they not fixed that?
The Upscaled graphics look weird in many instance, if you play with original bachground, the new character model don't fit in.

Luckily you can change the backgrounds and characters to original or new I think

 

[Kokoloko85]

The soundtrack in the game is the same as the original.
There was some confusion about some rearranged tracks featured in the new vinyl collection to be the "new" soundtrack but that's not the case.
It's the original soundtrack refined aka denoised and re-equalized.

Ah, so it is the original soundtrack refined. Sweet

 

[Belthazar]

Omg, I just discovered the newly remixed tracks are only on a Jukebox and the actual songs in-game are just remastered as a higher quality version of the originals. Why is square so bad at their messaging?

 

[jaysius]

IGN AND GameSpot bitched out on a review score on this one, Square must have greased a few palms on this one, IGN wrote an article and GameSpot extremely oddly gave NO SCORE.

This is a fucked up new tactic, so basically the score for both is "too low to post and keep our relationship with the publisher".

They're both trash sites but this is a new low.

 

[Allandor]

Yes, the game really didn't age that well. Long and slow text dialogs ...
Still I still like that game. Only thing that is a bit odd, it does not have any achievements on xbox. Really strange that they didn't add that. (Edit: a day later achievements were available)

Don't expect to much. It is a really low effort remaster. They made some characters more detailed but many, many others are so low poly and low detailed that you can barely recognize them.

 

[anthony2690]

I'll grab this later today, always wanted to play this as a kid, just cause it had sqauresoft on the box haha

 

[Fugitive Sex]

I didn't know this game was never released in Europe and it sounds like a lot of European gamers are really excited about this game.

My advice is to uh, temper your expectations. The game is a solid 8/10. There are game design decisions that will frustrate you, but the game also has beautiful music and graphics (for the time).

At the time I hated the game for how it didn't seem like it wanted to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger, with its convoluted plot, battle system, and 40+ character roster who all mostly play the same. I can appreciate it more now for what it is: A good PS1 RPG that really doesn't want to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger.

Lol. "Temper your expectations", yet also "8/10".

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Lol. "Temper your expectations", yet also "8/10".

Falls in line with modern game reviews.

"It's shit.

8/10

Buy it."

 

[Shifty1897]

Lol. "Temper your expectations", yet also "8/10".

People may not remember, this game was one of the first instances of the video game hype train getting out of control. Gamespot gave it their third 10/10 ever, people heard "Chrono Trigger Sequel" and lost their minds. It's was a good game then and still is, I'm probably buying it today, but there was a huge backlash (for the time) once people actually played it and found out that it has very little to actually do with Chrono Trigger, and that it wasn't actually a 10/10 game for most of us.

But hey, if it's a 10/10 for you, buy it today and enjoy!

 

[ethomaz]

People may not remember, this game was one of the first instances of the video game hype train getting out of control. Gamespot gave it their third 10/10 ever, people heard "Chrono Trigger Sequel" and lost their minds. It's was a good game then and still is, I'm probably buying it today, but there was a huge backlash (for the time) once people actually played it and found out that it has very little to actually do with Chrono Trigger, and that it wasn't actually a 10/10 game for most of us.

But hey, if it's a 10/10 for you, buy it today and enjoy!

That is what I don’t understand at all.

It is fundamentally a sequel with all the key features CT have improved.
I found it better than CT.
But people keep trying to say it is not a sequel when it is even story related sequel.

It is more a sequel than FF sequels or DQ sequels that are mostly not related to each other (well some DQ are).

 

[Esppiral]

The difference is this is a port of a freaking 22 year old PS1 game that didn’t have performance issues on the original hardware. I don’t think that it’s holding it to an unreasonably high standard to expect flawless performance.

The game performs Terribly on original hardware

 

[Deerock71]

So that website is called "Chicas gamers" (gamer girls) but the review has been written by a guy, uh?

Anyway, glad to read it's been translated to Spanish, hope it's a good translation. Any word on those reviews about Switch performance? Some say it leaves a lot to be desired.

Something something Lia Thomas something something. I like how journalists feign shock when a game doesn't perform as well on Switch as it does other systems. News flash: WE DON'T CARE!

 

[Punished Miku]

People may not remember, this game was one of the first instances of the video game hype train getting out of control. Gamespot gave it their third 10/10 ever, people heard "Chrono Trigger Sequel" and lost their minds. It's was a good game then and still is, I'm probably buying it today, but there was a huge backlash (for the time) once people actually played it and found out that it has very little to actually do with Chrono Trigger, and that it wasn't actually a 10/10 game for most of us.

But hey, if it's a 10/10 for you, buy it today and enjoy!

I definitely found it strange, and not nearly as good as Chrono Trigger and bailed early. I remember looking at this gigantic strategy guide in the store too and seeing that there's a ton of stuff that's easy to miss permanently on a playthrough.

But that was so long ago, and I'm looking forward to having a more informed opinion on the game. I'm not expecting anything approaching a 10/10. Chrono Trigger has stood the test of time with great music, battle system, accessibility and near flawless pacing (which is almost unheard of for a JRPG).

 

[TintoConCasera]

Something something Lia Thomas something something. I like how journalists feign shock when a game doesn't perform as well on Switch as it does other systems. News flash: WE DON'T CARE!

Dude it's a PSX game, on Switch this game should run just as well as in the other systems.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

Dude it's a PSX game, on Switch this game should run just as well as in the other systems.

I guess not if the devs don't know what they are doing. if the game is running like trash on PS5 then that's an issue.

 

[ManaByte]

Reviewers calling out graphic / performance issues after closing their eyes while reviewing Elden Ring?

What is this?

 

[Deerock71]

Dude it's a PSX game, on Switch this game should run just as well as in the other systems.

 

[TintoConCasera]

But I don't care about you not caring about it.

I was just asking about the performance, but I guess they did a lazy job with this one.

 

[adamsapple]

My hope is that this gets a Final Fantasy IX Moguri style mod on the PC.

That'll be fantastic.

 

[TheContact]

This port sucks. CC is my second favorite jrpg and I can’t even play this version. (PC). I’m fine with paying $20 for the radical dreamers localization but I’ll wait for the mods to fix this lazy port before I pick it back up. *plays it on oled vita* yeah this is much better

 

[Captain Toad]

Only thing that is a bit odd, it does not have any achievements on xbox. Really strange that they didn't add that.

Seriously? I thought all Xbox game HAD to have achievements.

The PlayStation version has trophies, including a platinum.