#10 3/4 (isometric) Perspective

Now that everyone uses a similar perspective for RPGs I guess it's not that big a deal anymore. It sure seemed novel at the time though. A few previous games used this viewpoint style but Chrono Cross was the first where I felt like they really got it right. The game perspective changes based on the size and shape of the area the party is in. Prior attempts at this style used a fixed perspective while Chrono Cross boldly used a dynamic one.

#9 Battle System

The Chrono Cross battle system is a tad difficult to learn at first so the game forces you into some handy tutorials. After getting the hang of it, it's one of the better ones designed.

#8 Foreshadowing

I've never seen an introduction that made me want to play a game more than the one for Chrono Cross. In the first 45 seconds you're blitzed through a series of images showing what's to come, it builds a great feeling of anticipation. This is something of a Square trademark that they excel at.

The game itself kicks-off at about the halfway point. Well, it's actually Serge having a dream of future events. Of course it ends with Serge dropping a bloody knife. No idea who you just stabbed or why, just a craving to find out what's going on.

#7 Fast-Forward Replay

After beating the game you receive an item that lets you replay in fast-forward mode. By holding one of the shoulder buttons on the controller you can play the entire game at double-speed.

Oh, and if you replay you start at whatever level you beat the game at and can instantly regain all the companions you had. This is one of the few RPGs that are fun to play through a second or third time because of this feature.

#6 No Leveling-Up

Chrono Cross scraps the traditional experience points=levels concept. Instead, whenever a boss is defeated all characters gain one level. Even the ones that weren't in the boss battle gain a level, brilliant idea. Phantasy Star II was the first console game to try the multiple companions idea. However, the XP/level system means you tend to only use the ones that first joined your party. Bad times for Hugh and Kain who end up being the least used characters (OK, Shir joins the party last but needs to built-up to obtain one of the most useful items). Chrono Cross gets this absolutely right by keeping all companions at the same level.

#5 Branching Storyline

There are several points in the game where a decision you make changes some part of the storyline. This affects what areas you visit and what companions join your party. This adds to the already strong replay factor by giving you a reason to run through one more time (and it takes at least three runs to catch everything).

#4 Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Chrono Cross is simply a masterpiece. From the very opening it does a perfect job of setting the tone for the entire game. With 67 tracks, each area and intermission has its own distinct ballad.

There are a healthy number of remixes if you can't get your hands on a copy of the official soundtrack.

#3 Multiple Endings

There are 9-12 different endings to Chrono Cross depending on who you ask.

After finishing the game once you can replay it (see #7) and fight the last boss at virtually anytime. The stage of the story determines which ending you'll see. A few of them are definitely worth the effort.

#2 No Random Battles

It's always a relief to find an RPG without random battles. Not only are the battles easy to avoid, but they're completely optional (see #6). I read this on the back of the box but didn't believe it until I played. This feature lets the player focus more on the game and less on slaughtering never-ending legions of monsters. If I'm in a killing mood I'll fire up Doom, when I play an RPG I'm looking for something with more substance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Phantasy Star and Lunar games but rarely replay them due to the random battle factor. I've tried and usually by the 100,000th fight I give up.

#1 Huge Cast of Companions

Chrono Cross features 45 playable characters to choose from. And that's not 45 generic characters but 45 unique characters each with their own back story and role. Many of these companions are discovered through a side-quest or branched storyline.

My personal favorite sidekicks are Harle, Glenn, and Fargo.

#3 Too Easy

Except for a couple optional bosses, this is one of easiest RPGs around. Even the final boss is relatively simple to defeat, unless you try to defeat him in such a way as to invoke the "good" ending. That takes a few tries but it's still easier than 90% of the final bosses out there.

#2 Save Points

If I were to actually finish creating an RPG it would have two rules: 1) No random battles, 2) Players can save at any time. I mean "any time". 10 seconds into the introduction, during the ending credits, even in the middle of the important dialog that shouldn't be interrupted.

It's pretty frustrating to play an RPG for an hour and not be able to quit because you can't find a place to save. There's a certain segment of the gaming market that has nothing but disposable free time. These people either aren't employed or don't have kids (or they're exceptionally bad employees and/or parents). The rest of us have 30 minutes of free time a day and often need to abruptly stop whateverwe're doing. For us, save points are wretched inventions that should be abolished from all games.

#1 Zany Plot

I've played through Chrono Cross several times and I still have no idea what it's about. Seriously. OK, I can follow a number of the individual storylines. There are a few dozen sub-plots that revolve around a specific character which are largely excellent. The overall binding story is a bit harder to follow though.

It starts off interestingly enough; Serge accidentally enters a parallel universe where he died at a young age. Somehow a guy named Karsh knows Serge entered this parallel universe and tries to hunt him down. I guess that's simple enough. As the game progresses it gets increasingly complicated/convoluted.

By the end it tries to sum things up with this dialog:

Yeah..