Square Enix revealed in the February 2022 Nintendo Direct that the 1999 JRPG Chrono Cross is getting a remaster for PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition features the original PS1 classic receiving a plethora of remastering goodness, but also includes the text adventure “Radical Dreamers- Le Trésor Interdit -“.
This was released in 1996 as Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki for the Stellaview (a SNES add-on available only in Japan) with only fan translations available for it until now. So this will be the first time the Radical Dreamers visual novel is getting an official release outside of Japan.
The text adventure serves as a spin-off to SNES JRPG Chrono Trigger, but also what inspired what became to be Chrono Cross.
As for Chrono Cross itself, you’ll be going on adventure “that transcends time and space, in a parallel world where two worlds cross”. If you love alternate world themes and time-travel shenanigans, the story of Serge, Kid and over 40 recruitable party members (you read that right) goes to wild places.
For the remaster, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition includes the following additions:
- new 3D models
- brand new artwork refined by the original artist behind it, Nobuteru Yuuki
- background filter (sharper background images)
- HD fonts
- refined background music by original composer Yasunori Mitsuda
- auto-battle (party does standard attacks automatically, but doesn’t use elemental attacks)
- random battle toggle
- screen aspect ratio change
- game speed toggle (now unlocked right from the start of the game)
- battle boosts (makes most attacks by enemies to miss, essentially easy mode toggle)
You can also toggle off all the remastered graphics options off and play Chrono Cross like it’s 1999. You cannot, however, toggle any of the graphical options independently.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is slated to release on April 7 for the PS4, PC (Steam), Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. For Asia, the Steam release will be one day later on April 8.