Introduction

Developed by: Squaresoft
Chrono Cross official page: http://www.squaresoft.com/web/games/CC/index.html

The cover

Role Playing Games

I've always loved role playing games (RPGs). No, not those pencil and paper, Dungeons & Dragons type RPGs, I'm talking about console RPGs. Before getting to college and falling into the shady world of PC gaming, I was a squeaky clean console gamer. More importantly, I was an RPG fan. In addition to all the Mario and Contra games, I remember playing games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior on my old NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).

You could immerse yourself in these games. Whenever you bought a quality RPG you were purchasing the opportunity to throw yourself into a different world for 40, 60, 80, or even 100 hours (depending on how long it took you to finish the game). The improved graphics and processing capabilities of the 16-bit consoles gave game designers the power to make games even more immersive.

On the way to the Fort

Fort Dragonia

More often than not, these quality RPGs were developed by SquareSoft. Square's Super Nintendo titles including Final Fantasy 2, Final Fantasy 3, Secret of Mana, and Chrono Trigger propelled the company to the top. SquareSoft has risen to the point where almost every single title is a guaranteed hit.

Chrono Trigger

Ask anyone about their favorite SNES RPG, and, more likely than not, they'll name Chrono Trigger. Chrono Trigger was so popular that it was actually ported over to the Sony Playstation.

Chrono Trigger was unique because it incorporated time traveling into your quest to save the world. As the young hero, Chrono, you traveled with your party to different time periods in the same game world. You could observe how actions you make in the past affect the future. Should you just give away that piece of beef jerky, or try to make a hefty profit? How will it affect the recipient's family's generosity if you need help in the future? You would jump back and forth through time just to see how your actions affected the future. It was very addictive.

Serge concept art

Kid concept art

Lynx concept art

Chrono Trigger was released way back in 1995, and now, in just over a month, Square will finally release the highly anticipated sequel: Chrono Cross. We managed to get our hands on a beta copy of the English version of the game, and I dutifully clocked in a couple hours of game time over the past week.