Rumors have persisted for months that Square Enix was preparing to bring back its classic RPG Chrono Cross, and as it turns out, those rumors were true. At the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Square Enix made the shocking announcement that a Chrono Cross remaster was in development and aiming for release in April, entitled Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is an HD remaster of the original Chrono Cross game. The announcement trailer showed off upscaled graphics and promised a revamped soundtrack, but otherwise didn't reveal much about what fans can expect from the final product. Square Enix has since followed up the initial announcement trailer with more details about what the Chrono Cross remaster will consist of, confirming it for PC, PS4, and Xbox One along with the previously-announced Nintendo Switch version in the process.
As detailed by Square Enix, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is a graphical upgrade from the original reason in a number of ways. As was apparent by the Chrono Cross remaster trailer, the facelift includes a shiny new HD resolution, but it goes beyond that. Square Enix has promised that the final product will include refined character illustrations, a background filter feature, the ability to switch between pixel font and HD font, and the ability for players to change their screen resolution.
Rounding out the Chrono Cross remaster presentation is the improved music that Square Enix previously touched on, but many fans may be more interested in learning what gameplay changes it's bringing to the table. Fans should be able to expect a gameplay experience similar to what they remember from playing the game on the PS1, but there will be some modern conveniences.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition will let players adjust the combat to better suit how they want to play the game. Someone that only wants to experience the Chrono Cross story can switch enemy encounters off, or they can speed up battles as well. Other, unspecified features are being used to make battles easier, and there's also an auto-battle function that players can take advantage of.
On top of all this, the Chrono Cross remaster includes an English-language version of Radical Dreamers, a text-adventure game that has narrative ties to Chrono Cross. Radical Dreamers was previously only available in Japan, so it finally making its way to other regions is definitely a big deal for hardcore fans of the game.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition launches April 7 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.