Leaks regarding Square Enix updating the iconic JRPG Chrono Cross for modern platforms led to some unfair expectations among the game's fanbase. When Square Enix revealed Chrono Cross to be a very straightforward remaster of 1999 PlayStation game, there was certainly some disappointment that it wasn't a higher-budget project. Square Enix is now working to establish healthier expectations, sharing a series of new Chronic Cross remaster screenshots showing just how the JRPG's visuals have been enhanced.
Four new screenshots have been shared from Square Enix, with all four stemming from a single scene in Chrono Cross. The scene in question is absolutely a spoiler, albeit a light one, due to the inclusion of two characters that players would otherwise not know to be friendly until well into the game. As a showcase of Chrono Cross' remastered visuals, it's an odd choice, but it does provide a glimpse at the game that may otherwise have never been showcased.
The scene is a conversation between two Chrono Cross characters, Harle and Starky. It's a scene where Starky, an alien, confronts Harle over "fluid" coming from her eyes. Harle is crying over an encounter with Lynx, who she loves. Harle then goes on to explain to Starky what a tear is and how it flows from your eye when you are sad or hurt, which Starky then confirms he understands. It's just a charming moment between two interesting Chrono Cross friends.
The visuals in the scene don't really differentiate between the screenshots. They each show the same content. There are both Harle and Starky's 3D models, the ship that they're standing on, the text box above their heads, and each of their 2D profile pictures shown. The ship itself has been updated with a painterly rendering system that smooths out the old art's pixelization, but is otherwise identical. The 3D models are actually quite odd. Harle's harlequin hat cones, for instance, have rigid polygonal corners where the old 3D models were much more finely detailed. Her face does have a higher resolution texture, though.
Harle's profile picture shown in the text boxes used for the conversation show a dramatic change, too. Harle's picture is much higher resolution, as if it was a perfect scan of a piece of concept art. The older Chrono Cross art was very much pixelated and lacking fine detail. This, too, could be a matter of taste, though. The style of the new picture jives with the 3D model dramatically, where the old art seemed more in line with the old 3D art.
Ultimately, Square Enix's decision to do a very standard visual remaster of Chrono Cross is likely to remain a controversial choice. These four screenshots show that while the resolution has improved in Harle's 3D face and 2D picture, the stylization of the old Chrono Cross has been lost in translation, to a degree. For one of the best-looking PlayStation JRPGs of that generation, Square Enix's remaster may not have had the scope necessary to do the classic what it deserved, but fans can decide for themselves come launch.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreams Edition releases April 7 on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.