Chrono Cross: Difference between revisions

{{quote| ''What was the start of all this? When did the cogs of fate begin to turn? Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now, from deep within the flow of time...''}}

 

 

The story revolves around Serge, a village boy who accidentally blunders into an [[Alternate Dimension]] while trying to get a gift for his sweetheart. This other world is mostly similar to his own, but has a number of very important differences. For starters, in the other world, [[It's a Wonderful Plot|he's dead]]. This scenario leads to Serge trying to learn why he's so important to both timelines, getting dragged along on an adventure by a certain pugnacious Aussie girl, mastering the art of dimension-hopping between his Home World and Another World, and, just maybe, saving all of space and time.

* [[AI Is a Crapshoot]]: {{spoiler|FATE}}.

* [[All Myths Are True]]: Subverted; some of the legends you hear early in the game about the Frozen Flame and the Dragon Gods turn out to be perversions of the truth, if not outright falsities. Unfortunately, this has the side effect of making the game's already [[Jigsaw Puzzle Plot|dense narrative]] even more [[Mind Screw|confusing]].

** Somewhat Justified {{spoiler|in that the Second Moon came into existence when Dinopolis was pulled into the world during the Time Crash.}}

* [[Always Check Behind the Chair]]: All over the place.

* [[Always Save the Girl]]: The player has the option to choose Harle when she asks him to choose the world or her: if he picks her, she laughs and says she knows he's lying. Subverted in what looks like a [[But Thou Must!]] situation involving Kid early in the game -- the player can confess he isn't sure he ''can'' save the girl, leading to a different branch of the plot than if they jump at the chance to rescue her.

* [[Armor-Piercing Slap]]: [[Girl Next Door|Leena]] and [[Mama Bear|Macha]] both have one as a Tech. So does ''[[Miles Gloriosus|Pierre]]''.

* [[Artifact of Doom]]: The Frozen Flame is the main one, but the Masamune also counts.

* [[Ass Kicks You]]: One of Macha's Techs.

* [[Attract Mode]]: Featuring ''[[Wasted Song|The Dream That Time Dreams]]''.

** "Orphan of Flame" plays throughout the entire burning orphanage scene.

* [[Big Bad Ensemble]]: The {{spoiler|Dragonians}} and {{spoiler|FATE}}. With the added twist that the latter is a [[Necessary Evil]] for the preservation of humans.

* [[Boss Corridor]]: A pleasant example on Sky Dragon Isle: a long stairway decorated with greenery and plant life. {{spoiler|Later revisited as Terra Tower, with ghastly faces in place of the vines.}}

* [[Boss in Mook Clothing]]: The [[Flunky Boss|Beebas]] the first time you fight them. The game doesn't recognize them as a boss, but there are five of them, they will attack you ''between your attacks'', and have around 300 HP (very high at that point in the game).

* [[Can't Drop the Hero]]: Until New Game+, that is, but his overworld model would not be replaced.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: Peppor replaces his verbs with "shake" and Solt repeats his adverbs and adjectives (eg, "truly true" or "perfectly perfect").

* [[Character Filibuster]]: This was scriptwriter Masato Kato's [[Magnum Opus]], and it shows.

* [[Character Level]]: Notably averted, and in a JRPG at that. Rather than using XP and levels, characters just gain raw stat points from enemies, and get more slots for elements from defeating bosses. See [[Anti-Grinding]], above.

* [[The Chessmaster]]: ''Quite'' a few, but {{spoiler|Belthasar}} probably takes the cake.

* [[Cloning Blues]]: When it's revealed that {{spoiler|Kid is Schala's "daughter-clone"}}, she's unwilling to accept it at first. How it's resolved depends on your interpretation of the game's [[Gainax Ending]].

* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: The rules imposed on the player for combat [[My Rules Are Not Your Rules|don't apply to the enemy]] -- they can basically do whatever they want. In addition, the success percentages given for your physical attacks are quite difficult to believe; prepare to miss frequently if the percentage is anywhere below 85%. This is especially blatant in the monster arena [[Mini Game]].

* [[Contemplate Our Navels]]: Given that much of the game revolves around the nature of time, reality, and existence, it was sort of inevitable.

* [[Cruelty Is the Only Option]]: The requirements for Razzly's Lv. 7 Tech is to pick all of the ''bad'' outcomes in the Hydra Marshes -- bump off the Hydra, allow the Hydra's offspring to be stillborn, and let {{spoiler|Razzly's sister die}}.

* [[Dark Reprise]]: Both versions of Arni Village use the same melody. However, Another Arni's melancholy theme reflects the sadness of Serge's absence.

* [[Defeat Means Friendship]]: How Grobyc joins your party.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]: You ''can'' choose to simply punch out the Time Devourer, but he gets better. Which is bad. The ''right'' way to defeat him is... a little more complicated.

* [[Downer Ending]]: The main ending is actually not a downer ending in the least, but a number of the bonus endings are.

* [[Dragon Rider]]: The Acacian Dragoons.

* [[Dual-Wielding]]: Glenn uses the legendary sword [[Gratuitous German|Einlanzer]] for his ultimate weapon... and can also retrieve its alternate-timeline counterpart and use them ''both at once''.

* [[Dual World Gameplay]]: One goes between parallel worlds although there was only one point at which you could travel between them, and you didn't receive the ability to do so until late in the game. Despite being parallel worlds, one side could affect the other e.g. cooling scorched ground on an island in one world allows plant life to grow in the other world.

* [[Evil Is Not a Toy]]: The Frozen Flame.

* [[Expy]]: More than a few, as may be expected of a game with [[Loads and Loads of Characters]].

** Guile is a complicated case. Based on Magil from ''Radical Dreamers'', who turns out to be {{spoiler|Magus from ''Chrono Trigger'' keeping an eye on his sister}}, that part of Guile's backstory was dropped during development but the Expy-ness remained. Then the DS remake of Chrono Trigger implies that Guile is {{spoiler|an amnesiatic, alternate dimension Magus}}. [[Word of God]] states that Guile is {{spoiler|neither Magil nor Magus}}, bringing us full circle.

** Leah is also an Expy of Ayla. Beating the game with Leah in your party implies {{spoiler|that she is actually Ayla's ''mother''}}. Yay for time travel?

* [[Fan Service]]: Serge's naked scene. It even has a good shot of his bare butt. [[Bare Your Midriff|Kid]], [[Amazonian Beauty|Orlha]], and Janice (a [[Little Bit Beastly|bunny-girl]]) also probably count in general.

* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Humans and Demi-Humans do not get along, and players will experience that firsthand {{spoiler|from both sides}}.

* [[Fetal Position Rebirth]]: {{spoiler|Serge}}'s rebirth in human form, complete with floating in a giant bubble of unexplained fluid as he rapidly grows from infancy to his actual age before waking up.

* [[Field Power Effect]]: The colors in the field.

* [[Groundhog Day Loop]]: The ghosts of Chonopolis are stuck in one.

* [[Guide Dang It]]: Several of the optional characters, as well as the best weapon of the game and many characters' Level 7 techs. And, of course, the good ending.

* [[Hartman Hips]]: Even though many of the female characters embody this trope, Lady Riddell stands out the most.

* [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose]]: Lynx vs. Kid in Fort Dragonia.

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: {{spoiler|The Dragoons}}. {{spoiler|Harle}}... [[Heel Face Revolving Door|kind of]]. And to a lesser extent {{spoiler|Lynx/You}}.

* [[He Knows About Timed Hits]]: Radius kindly instructs the player on Field Effect in the beginning of the game, while Solt and Peppor explain a new mechanic to you almost every time you fight them.

** Other supporting baddies, the {{spoiler|Reptites}} and {{spoiler|Mother Brain}}, also turn up in new guises.

* [[Hello, Insert Name Here]]: You can't, however, name Serge "Crono".

* [[Humans Are Bastards]]: Many demi-humans have this opinion. One of the endings revolves around it.

* [[I Don't Like the Sound of That Place]]: ''Lots'' of fun places in El Nido, like Death's Door, the Dead Sea, and the Isle of the Damned.

* [[Improbable Weapon User]]: A few characters fight with "domestic" implements (like brooms, mixing spoons, and frying pans), several others use instruments (a guitar and a harp, for example), and one uses ''carrots''. Serge's swallow, a spear with curved blades on each end, is actually a boat oar -- it's based on eku-jutsu, a real life Okinawan fighting style using boat oars.

* [[Lethal Joke Character]]: Poshul and Pierre, two rather pathetic characters, get significantly powered up when equipped with the proper key items. Poshul only needs one, but Pierre needs ''three''

* [[Let's Play]]: [[The Dark Id]]'s [http://lparchive.org/Chrono-Cross/ playthrough] is as hilarious as it is informative, managing to be both critical and celebratory at the same time. Serge becomes a slacker who quickly becomes the [[Only Sane Man]] when confronted with transdimensional weirdness, Kid and Leena get along like a house on fire, the villains' nebulous objectives are repeatedly mocked, the [[Anvilicious]] [[Green Aesop|green aesops]] and "[[Humans Are Bastards]]" messages are soundly refuted, AND ZOAH BECOMES A FAN FAVORITE.

* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: With extreme variations of relevance to the plot. Then again, if you ever wanted to form a party with an animate, talking voodoo fetish or a sentient turnip, have we got a game for you!

* [[Lost Forever]]: A lot of stuff: characters, level 7 techs, and other things. It's actually impossible to gather the full party on your first go-around; you have to play the game ''three times'' on the same save file to get everyone... and even then, many things that are [[Lost Forever]] are ''huge'' [[Guide Dang It]] moments.

** Nikki, {{spoiler|Fargo}} is your father. And {{spoiler|Marcy}} is your sister, as well. Such varied job titles in one family!

* [[Mass Teleportation]]: {{spoiler|Chronopolis}} semi-accidentally did this to itself, creating both {{spoiler|the Sea of Eden and the Dead Sea}}.

* [[MacGuffin Title]]: Notable in that it is entirely possible [[Guide Dang It|and quite likely, if you aren't playing with a guide]], to avoid getting the Chrono Cross.

* [[Mind Screw]]: And ''how!''

** The opening theme, "Scars of Time", contains a passage reminiscent of part of the opening theme for ''Trigger''

** "The Dream that Time Dreams", "Fields of Time" and "Chronomantique" all contain the iconic main theme to ''Trigger''

** "On the Shore of Dreams" and "The Dream that Time Dreams" contain passages from "Faraway Promise ~ Dream Shore" from ''Radical Dreamers''

** "Jellyfish Sea" contains a brief portion taken from "Epilogue" in ''Radical Dreamers''

** Glenn's name is a reference to Frog, whose real name before his transformation was... Glenn.

** In Japanese, Guile's original name is "Alf", a reference to the name of Janus' cat Alfador.

** In Home Arni's tavern, some customers make a throwaway reference to the Radical Dreamers, Kid's gang in the titular game.

* [[Never Found the Body]]: Home World's Dragoons have all vanished, having gone on a quest for the Frozen Flame. {{spoiler|They're all dead, having been led to the Dead Sea and frozen by Lynx}}.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: Repeatedly. Serge ''[[Trope Namer|named the item]]'' on [[The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches]].

* [[Only the Chosen May Wield]]: Used with the Einlanzer.

* [[Schizo-Tech]]: Contains, among other things: medieval dragoons, an early 20th-century army, an 18th-century pirate, a futuristic cyborg, a cave girl (who, admittedly, probably time traveled by accident to get to where you find her), robots from the distant future, and a modern rockstar.

* [[Shout-Out]]:

** Starky's [[Dub Name Change|Japanese name]] is [[2001: A Space Odyssey|Star Child]].

* [[Spiritual Successor]]: The developers' original goal for ''Chrono Cross'', as it had been for ''Radical Dreamers'', was allegedly not so much to make a full-fledged sequel to ''Chrono Trigger'' as to make another game set in the same world, hence the immensely different style, tone, story and gameplay. Even after its release, the developers were adamant that ''Chrono Cross'' was not ''Chrono Trigger 2''. ''Chrono Cross'' itself got its own Spiritual Successor of sorts in ''[[Baten Kaitos]]'', a game (with a sequel of its own) for the [[Game Cube]] featuring some of the same developers, the same unique visual style of 3D character models set against a hand-drawn background (hand-drawn by the same person, no less), a vaguely similar battle system focusing on multi-hit combos and customizable move sets, and in the first game, the same writer. It's not exactly another ''Chrono'' game, but fans looking to recapture just a bit of that ''Chrono Cross'' feel are suggested to check them out.

* [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]: Serge and Kid, though the ending leaves it ambiguous whether, in some time period or reality, they will eventually be together.

* [[Surprise Creepy]]: The game starts out as a typical JRPG, introducing its unassuming hero in a colorful setting. Oh hi, wormhole. This is even echoed in the enemies: The goofy looking Beach Bums in Opassa Beach are replaced by giant flying piranhas.

* [[A Taste of Power]]: The opening dungeon (which is a premonition of future events) has everyone armed with Mythril/Silver weapons and a few hundred HP. Of course, by the time you get to that point of the game, you can't get Silver weapons; the best you can do is Iron. Once the premonition is over, you're back to bone weapons and a few dozen HP, as well as much fewer element levels.

* [[Time Stands Still]]: One of the most chilling things about the Dead Sea.

* [[Trippy Finale Syndrome]]

** [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer]]: The waterways beneath Viper Manor.

** [[Amazing Technicolor Battlefield]] / [[Final Boss New Dimension]]: The Darkness at the End of Time.

** [[Big Fancy Castle]]: Viper Manor. Oddly, after the first visit, Serge can waltz in and out unsupervised.

** [[Bleak Level]]: The Dead Sea took this trope to new heights.

** [[Fantastic Nature Reserve]] / [[Prehistoria]]: Gaia's Navel.

** [[First Town]]: Arni Village.

** [[Hailfire Peaks]]: Mt. Pyre, should you choose to [[Exploited Trope|exploit]] a key item and cause the magma to freeze over. In [[Path of Most Resistance|a fit of sadism]], the treasure chests also freeze, preventing you from ever opening them.

** [[It's All Upstairs From Here]]: Fort Dragonia.

* [[Villains Out Shopping]]: One of the endings is like this.

* [[Warmup Boss]]: Mama Komodo. Incidentally, you've just finished killing all of her babies, and she's pretty steamed. Her [[Death Cry Echo]] is rather piteous, too, making this (yet another) instance of [[You Bastard]].

* [[Weapon Tombstone]]: Both Dario and his father Garai's graves (in their respective dimensions) are marked with the Einlanzer, a sword they both used. While Garai's Einlanzer is obtained through the course of the game no matter what, Glenn can retrieve Dario's after some [[Character Development]] and use them [[Dual-Wielding|simultaneously]].

* [[Weird Moon]]: Viper Manor's suspension bridge is overshadowed by two of these babies.

* [[Wham! Episode]]: Fort Dragonia; appropriate, as a [[Disc One Final Dungeon]]. Chronopolis is another example.

* [[Where It All Began]]: This works on multiple levels. The portal to the [[Final Boss]] is located at Opassa Beach.

* [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]: {{spoiler|Schala, the [[Friend to All Living Things]] from the first game, fused with Lavos and formed the Time Devourer, which wants to destroy all of existence.}}

** The DS re-release of ''Trigger'' elaborates on this a bit: {{spoiler|because of the intense hardship of her life, Schala deeply wished for all the horrible things in the world to have never occurred... or in fact, for everything about the world to have never occurred, which gave Lavos an opening to take over her soul.}}