After months of speculation and rumors hinting about a possible Chrono Cross Remake/Remaster for modern consoles, the game’s release date was unveiled during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition will arrive on April 7th to the Nintendo Switch, and it will do so in remastered form with some bonus features that should excite Chrono Trigger fans everywhere.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is a Remaster
Two worlds cross in this remaster of the acclaimed RPG CHRONO CROSS and the origin story RADICAL DREAMERS, a text-based adventure!
CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION comes to #NintendoSwitch on April 7. #NintendoDirect
Pre-order today: https://t.co/PUp6rNxbL0 pic.twitter.com/zPpF8WxHaR
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 9, 2022
Even though we had hoped for a true ‘remake’, it seems that Square Enix is sticking to tradition when it comes to the vast majority of its 32-bit lineup by remastering the title, rather than remaking it.
However, unlike Square Enix’s 32-bit Final Fantasy remastering efforts, it seems that Chrono Cross will not only feature upscaled polygonal graphics when it comes to its characters and battle stages, but it will include some form of upscaling to the game’s pre-rendered backgrounds.
The entire game, which was already a beautiful work of art, now looks sharper than ever. While it is hard to tell from the clips shown on the Nintendo Direct trailer, I would expect that Yasunori Mitsuda’s brilliant musical work has also received the ‘remastering’ treatment.
Radical Dreamers is a Welcomed Bonus Content
Radical Dreamers is a text-based adventure and side story to Chrono Trigger which saw the light of day in Japan on the Stellaview SNES add-on in 1996. Radical Dreamers established a deeper connection between Trigger and Cross’ storylines, and it should soothe some hardcore Chrono Trigger fans who never quite accepted Chrono Cross as the proper Trigger sequel that it was.
The unexpected Radical Dreamers’ arrival on the announced Chrono Cross remastered effort will mark the first time that the obscure SNES title is playable in English form.
The Nvidia Leaks Were Right
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition’s announcement will add legitimacy to the leaked of unannounced Nvidia list of games which included a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster and a Final Fantasy IX remake. The list also included the now official Chrono Cross remaster before anyone knew about the game’s existence.
Consequently, I expect a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster to be announced soon, but I am still a bit unsure about a Final Fantasy IX remake. After all, that game has already been remastered. While it is Final Fantasy’s most critically acclaimed title, there have been other Final Fantasy games that have been more popular.
That said, JRPG fans should be ecstatic about Chrono Cross’ arrival on modern platforms, as its existence bodes well for future ports and remasters of yesteryear’s classics.
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