Many games have been remastered over the years, with few developers hinting at details that drove the decision, but devs behindChrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionhave decided to be transparent about this.Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionwas released last year, and it breathed new life into the PS1 game which had been lost to the generations of consoles, something the team had in mind.
During a Square Enix interview segment,Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editiondevelopers discussed the process of preserving the original game and improving it for modern hardware. Because of how long ago the PS1 was released, many titles likeCool Boarders,Jet Moto, andTombahave been lost to time for much of the modern gaming audience. While some games are on life support through emulation or other gaming preservation websites, Square Enix had different plans for the indirect sequel to thepopular RPGChrono Trigger.
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According to the Square Enix team in the “Birth ofChrono Cross” interview,The Radical Dreamers Editionwas made in an effort to preserve the original game as it may have been on its way to being unplayable. Speaking candidly, game Producer Koichiro Sakamoto referenced a game archive on the PS3 that was becoming outdated with thelaunch of the PS4and there were fears thatChrono Crosswouldn’t be playable on the new console. Because the team didn’t know how they could playChrono Crosson the PS4 with the lack of backward compatibility or the reliable game archive, the development was put in motion pretty seamlessly based on their conversation.
The making ofChrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editiononly took a few years, but this dev interview shows how long a game can go from conception to release as the timeframe given goes back almost a full decade.Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionwas released as part of the 20-year anniversary of the original title, making some fans speculate on what could be done for a futureChrono Triggercelebration. Though it was released in a pretty buggy state, Square Enix hasupdatedChrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionto reflect the team’s vision more accurately.
Because some of theChrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editiondevelopers had experience working on the original title, the remaster may have been in better hands than if it was an entirely fresh team handling the project. Although there are PS1 titlesfeatured in the PS Plus Premium servicewhich may have dispelled the fears of these Square Enix developers, manyChronoseries fans have voiced their enthusiasm forThe Radical Dreamers Editionand its new features.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionis available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
