The original PlayStation was home to some of the most iconic JRPGs ever released and Chrono Cross was certainly one of them. Set in the same universe as Chrono Trigger, the game told a deeply resonant story about a young boy named Serge grappling with his place in the world, all while still retaining the tense turn-based battles Square RPGs are known for.
And thanks to the new Radical Dreamers Edition of the game, many players are getting to experience that story and its battles for the very first time. But whether or not you are one of them or you are a returning veteran with countless hours under your belt, here are a few pro-level tips and tricks to help you make the most of your adventure.
5 Postpone Your Recruitment Of Kid For A Greater Payoff
In Chrono Cross, players come across a large cast of characters, some of which can be recruited to join your party. One of the earlier ones you encounter is Kid, an eccentric thief that effectively serves as the heroine of the story. You'll get the opportunity to recruit her after your battle with Krash, Solt, and Peppor, but you'll want to hold off doing so.
This is because allowing her to join your party at that point would also prevent you from recruiting Leena, who is arguably one of the most powerful magic users in the game. And since you'll be given another opportunity to recruit Kid later, the smart play is to try to get both of them into your party by waiting until then.
4 Choose Which Party Member Goes First
Battles in Chrono Cross are turn-based, meaning you'll have to approach them with some level of forethought and strategy. By default, your primary character takes the first turn, with other party members going next before the enemy gets a turn. But it is actually possible to override that behavior by using the D-pad to select another character.
This is important because each member of your party has certain strengths and weaknesses, as do the enemies you encounter. So in the event that you encounter one with a weakness to another character's element, it is to your advantage to let that character go first, rather than strike with a less effective attack. Not only do you have a greater chance of one-shotting the enemy before it gets a chance to strike back, but you also cut down the time the encounter would have taken in the process.
3 Recover HP At The End Of Each Battle
One of the main gameplay mechanics in Chrono Trigger is elements, which include special attacks and magic spells. And one of the most important ones you'll need to keep your party members on their feet is RecoverAll (which, as the name suggests, restores a certain amount of HP for all your active party members when used).
Most elements become available to purchase in stores once you're past the point where you need to help a group of sailors on a pirate ship called the S.S. Invincible. Once you've acquired some, it's possible to set up your element grind so that you get to use RecoverAll at the end of every successful battle. This is the best way to freely recover some or all of the lost HP during the battle without having to do so manually. Just make sure you place the element in an appropriate grid level and that you have enough left at the end of the fight and you'll be given the option to spend those on the healing spell.
2 Take Out Multiple Enemies At Once
Like most JRPGs, the enemies you encounter in Chrono Cross will often come in groups. This is especially true of the common enemies you run into while exploring the various locations in the game. And while they can usually be dispatched easily enough by well-equipped players, it can quickly become a chore having to do so over and over again.
One way to help cut down on the time you spend with such enemies is by using elements with an area of effect. These effectively let you deal damage to multiple enemies at a go, instead of having to fight them one after the other. A great example of one such element is MeteorShower, which summons two Meteorites that inflict heavy damage to anyone unlucky enough to find themselves on its receiving end. Ensuring that you have at least a few of these elements in your possession is vital.
1 Run Away From Boss Fights
Just like Chrono Trigger before it, there are no random encounters in Chrono Cross as all enemies can be clearly seen on the map during traversal, making it easy to avoid any you don't wish to engage in battle. But unlike similar RPGs where players get locked into battles the moment they get drawn into them, the ones in Chrono Cross can be escaped easily.
This is true of even boss battles, creating an additional layer of strategy where players can try out their current skills on the boss, then duck out at any time if the fight proves insurmountable (rather than have to go through the motions of suffering a crushing defeat). This means you can go replenish on items in a nearby village or even spend some additional time grinding it out to get your party members leveled up in preparation for a rematch.
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