History YMMV / ChronoCross

** [[SexyJester Harle]] [[EnigmaticMinion has]] [[TragicMonster an immense fanbase]].

** [[spoiler:Lavos being involved in ''everything''. Even with the mention of Chrono Trigger's events, this comes out of nowhere.]] Even more of an AssPull when you considered that two ''separate'' ports of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' had to include retroactive additions to try and make this plot revelation work.

* EpilepticTrees: There's a theory running around the Chrono Cross fansites that [[spoiler:Miguel's actually ''Crono'']].

* MemeticBadass: [[ThatOneBoss Miguel.]] If there's one thing people often remember to bring into a Chrono Cross conversation, it's getting wiped out by [[BadassNormal a fisherman]] as a plot boss. A fisherman with [[LightEmUp a massive magic light sword]] that will ''destroy you.''

* VindicatedByHistory: Mainly in regards to the fanbase, most critics and RPG fans always had quite a bit of praise for Chrono Cross. Most fans of Chrono Trigger however were incredibly harsh on the game due to being nothing like its predecessor, having very little connection with it, [[DarkerAndEdgier and an incredibly dark story.]] Today, while many fans still prefer the original, Chrono Cross is looked upon more favorably for its unique gameplay, memorable cast of characters ([[LowTierLetdown most]] [[ScrappyMechanic of them]], anyway), and being one of the best looking games on the [=PlayStation=] 1.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:Though [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger beaten]] through use of TimeTravel before it wiped all life, Lavos returns, having forcefully [[FusionDance merged with the despairing Schala]] and used her as a conduit to become the Time Devourer and begin its new plan: to [[OmnicidalManiac annihilate all of space-time]] out of a twisted belief in "[[TheSocialDarwinist survival of the fittest]]", Lavos proclaiming all existence besides itself to be weak and undeserving of life.]]

* ContestedSequel: If ''Cross'' didn't bear the name "''Chrono''", it would be regarded as a visually-stunning RPG with great music and fairly interesting plot. But ''CT'' is pretty much a SacredCow as far as [[EasternRPG JRPGs]] go, and ''Cross'' is extremely different in many regards, is ''vastly'' more confusing, and has controversial handling of what little ''Trigger'' content does return, so there are many people who outright hate it. There are relatively few players who deny that it's a good ''game'', but whether it's a good sequel to ''Chrono Trigger'' is incredibly divisive.
* CosmicDeadline: The last third of the game is notable for its massive {{Infodump}}s, introducing TheManBehindTheMan after TheManBehindTheMan. The plot moves at a ''rapid'' pace and some feel that maybe the EndingFatigue and DisappointingLastLevel tropes wouldn't be so strong if the ending explained things and didn't end up as a GainaxEnding.

* CompleteMonster: Though [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger beaten]] through use of TimeTravel before it wiped all life, Lavos returns, having forcefully [[FusionDance merged with the despairing Schala]] and used her as a conduit to become the Time Devourer and begin its new plan: to [[OmnicidalManiac annihilate all of space-time]] out of a twisted belief in "[[TheSocialDarwinist survival of the fittest]]", Lavos proclaiming all existence besides itself to be weak and undeserving of life.

** Fans of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' in regards to this game, specifically whether it is a worthy sequel or deserves to wallow in FanonDiscontinuity. Is it an excellent game on its own that also brings resolution to the events of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' left hanging in a fun, interesting, and inventive way, or annoying nonsense with too convoluted a plot, too many characters, and too many unanswered questions? There are also those who do like some aspects of ''Cross'' but are not fans of others (such as liking the game's plot but not being fans of how it handled its too many characters). Then there's the things ''Cross'' does to beloved characters from the first game:

* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: In addition to a strong, distinctive aesthetic, the game has some of the best character models and backgrounds on the Playstation, and still look quite good today other than the artifacts in the pre-rendered full motion video cutscenes.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40BZyMdDG4s&list=OLAK5uy_m0OQNm22GZz8ZKeymSPrtVBll9ykcwBWY&index=2 Scars of Time]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVNkROZ0k2Y&list=OLAK5uy_m0OQNm22GZz8ZKeymSPrtVBll9ykcwBWY&index=8 Dreams of the Shore Another World ]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMSYk_8-6l8&list=OLAK5uy_m0OQNm22GZz8ZKeymSPrtVBll9ykcwBWY&index=59 Time of the Dreamwatch]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhBY8BIJURo&list=OLAK5uy_m0OQNm22GZz8ZKeymSPrtVBll9ykcwBWY&index=58 Star-Stealing Girl]] are also notable.

* PortingDisaster: The Remaster has been reported to have even worse performance than the [=PS1=] original. Particular issues include bad framerates which leads to unresponsive controls, input delay and choppy animations. The game's [=FMVs=] also suffer from poor sound quality and the backgrounds were AI upscaled, but the upscaling software had apparently not been trained properly at the time of development. There was a patch released a year later that did improve the performance however.

** The S.S. Zelbess. It's not difficult; rather, it's boring. You're on the Zelbess trying to find a way into the Dead Sea, but Fargo manages to swindle you out of your boat, leaving you trapped on the ship until you find a way to get the boat back. In addition, there's also a fairly involved sidequest that has to be completed during this portion of the game; failing to complete it at a certain time makes the reward {{Permanently Missable|Content}}. Oh, and the whole time, you get to hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBuDsdsa9Jg this]] blaring over the speakers.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The game isn't subtle at all about its GreenAesop and that HumansAreTheRealMonsters. Humanity is only shown doing so once (killing Another World's Hydra and destroying the ecosystem). It's egregious when the dwarves commit genocide on the faeries, and somehow, the humans are to blame for that. If you play the DS port and then this game back to back, the overarching message is that living beings should stop [[ViciousCycle being bastards to each other]]..

* BrokenBase: Fans of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' in regards to this game, specifically whether it is a worthy sequel or deserves to wallow in FanonDiscontinuity. Is it an excellent game that brings resolution to the events of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' in a fun and inventive way, or annoying nonsense with too convoluted a plot, too many characters, and too many unanswered questions? Then there's the things ''Cross'' does to beloved characters from the first game:

** And down at the bottom, there are some characters with stats so terrible it almost doesn't make sense that they're in the game. Funguy, [=NeoFeo=], Mojo, Turnip and Skelly are examples of characters who are ''worse'' at everything than almost everyone without any utility.
* ContestedSequel: If ''Cross'' didn't bear the name "''Chrono''", it would be regarded as a visually-stunning RPG with great music. But ''CT'' is pretty much a SacredCow as far as [[EasternRPG JRPGs]] go, and ''Cross'' is extremely different in many regards, is ''vastly'' more confusing, and has controversial handling of what little ''Trigger'' content does return, so there are many people who outright hate it. There are relatively few players who deny that it's a good ''game'', but whether it's a good sequel to ''Chrono Trigger'' is incredibly divisive.
* CosmicDeadline: The last third of the game is notable for its massive {{Infodump}}s, introducing TheManBehindTheMan after TheManBehindTheMan. The plot moves at a ''rapid'' pace and some feel that maybe the EndingFatigue and DisappointingLastLevel tropes wouldn't be so strong if the ending actually lasted a bit ''longer''.

** Guile, given the theory that [[spoiler:he is an amnesiac Magus]] as implied in the secret ending of ''Chrono Trigger DS''. He may not be as popular as the characters who majorly contribute to the story, but he can be assumed to be more popular than most of the optional characters. He is even given [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina's]] [[MemeticMutation shades]] [[http://www.deviantart.com/art/Chrono-Cross-Guile-in-Kamina-Shades-473592434 to wear.]]

* FanonDiscontinuity: Though its gameplay was well-received, the plot irked many fans of the original game by [[spoiler:heavily implying the deaths of its three main characters]], and resolving the fate of Schala's disappearance by [[spoiler:making her clone a blonde with a bad Australian accent]]. On top of that, the entire second half of the game consisted of a number of concepts (Chronopolis, the Dragon Gods, etc.) that were only vaguely explained, if at all, rendering it a MindScrew. Compared to its predecessor, it's often considered a disappointment.
** Some fans dislike CC enough to ignore the DS port of CT, which includes new content that canonically ties the first game's story to the outcome seen in the latter game. On the subject of CT, many fans were not pleased when the DS port canonized [[spoiler:Dalton]] as the agent for Guardia's destruction.
* FanPreferredCouple: Serge and Kid, which is also the closest thing to an OfficialCouple in this game. There's also [[GayOption Serge/Glenn]] (sometimes with Kid still included).
** There's also plenty of fans who support [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Serge/Leena]].

** First off, there's BonusBoss Dario, who, if fought normally, is ''incredibly'' difficult, and beating him nets you the Mastermune, one of Serge's best weapons. [[note]]Technically, the Spectral Swallow is stronger, but the Mastermune has a higher critical hit ratio. However, the Mastermune does not carry over to a NewGamePlus.[[/note]] However, due to a bit of ArtificialStupidity in his programming, it's possible to prevent him from ever attacking just by spamming the right kind of element every turn. This allows him to be beaten very early by sneaky players.

** Poshul, a giant pink dog that looks and talks like some mentally handicapped cousin of Scooby-Doo. She's supposed to be cute, but a lot of people find her obnoxious. She's optional, but as an early game CrutchCharacter she's so useful that a lot of players tolerate her with clenched teeth.

** [[BonusBoss Dario]]'s attacks are pretty much all crazy powerful, but special mention goes to one in particular. If you use any kind of white element in the battle, he'll counter with [=ConductaRod=], a ''devastating'' black tech. [=Dash&Gash=] does way less damage than [=ConductaRod=], but does it enough to OneHitKill a non-black innate character.

** Maybe ''HALF'' of the 40+ playable cast is actually connected to the plot. The others had potential to be strongly-compelling, including one who was originally intended to be a returning character from the previous game (looks like he was another victim of the roster bloat), and another who was intended to be the son of two characters from the same. You also have a hippie doctor having a crisis of faith, a wannabe cavalier with a fake accent, portly matron Macha, warrior maiden Steena, Nazi-with-a-heart Norris, and others. Even the obvious picks, like glam rocker Nikki, wind up as benchwarmers 95% of the time.

* ToughActToFollow: The game was cursed from the beginning to never be as popular as ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', one of the most beloved roleplaying games on a system that already had a ton of beloved roleplaying games.

* VindicatedByHistory: Mainly in regards to the fanbase, most critics and RPG fans always had quite a bit of praise for Chrono Cross. Most fans of Chrono Trigger however were incredibly harsh on the game due to being nothing like its predecessor, having very little connection with it, [[DarkerAndEdgier and an incredibly dark story.]] Today, while many fans still prefer the original, Chrono Cross is looked upon more favorably for its unique gameplay, memorable cast of characters, and being one of the best looking games on the Playstation 1.

** For the English script, the localization team expanded upon an on-the-fly accent generator that adds several dialects and accents for generic text and gives them to different characters. And they decided to put Kid in an Australian accent...

** The elemental plates you can steal from the dragons. The black plate especially (though it is something of a GuideDangIt to get. You have to wake up the Black Dragon before you can fight it/steal its plate which requires a rather involved sidequest. Otherwise you just take its treasure from its sleeping body.). Wearing one makes you absorb all damage from its respective element. [[spoiler:FATE and Dario]] are some of the hardest fights in the game normally, but with the black plate equipped, at least one character is basically immortal; even better if that character is [[CantDropTheHero Serge]] or some other white innate who [[RemovedAchillesHeel would normally be vulnerable to black elements.]] And this applies to any enemies which only use a single element, which is most of them.

** The elemental plates you can steal from the dragons. The black plate especially (though it is something of a GuideDangIt to get. You have to wake up the Black Dragon before you can fight it/steal its plate which requires a rather involved sidequest. Otherwise you just take its treasure from its sleeping body.). Wearing one makes you absorb all damage from its respective element. [[spoiler:FATE and Dario]] are some of the hardest fights in the game normally, but with the black plate equipped, at least one character is basically immortal. And this applies to any enemies which only use a single element, which is most of them.

* MemeticBadass: Miguel. If there's one thing people often remember to bring into a Chrono Cross conversation, it's getting wiped out by [[ThatOneBoss a fisherman]] as a plot boss. A fisherman with [[LightEmUp a massive magic light sword]] that will ''destroy you.''

* MemeticMutation: If there's one thing people often remember to bring into a Chrono Cross conversation, it's getting wiped out by [[ThatOneBoss a fisherman]] as a plot boss. A fisherman with [[LightEmUp a massive magic light sword]] that will ''destroy you.''

* TrueArtIsAngsty: To fans of the game who feel its [[DarkerAndEdgier darker plot]] works in its favor, and criticize fans who complain about the [[DroppedABridgeOnHim deaths of the original's cast]] and the game's HappyEndingOverride. This is one of the major points of contention between fans of ''Chrono Trigger'' and ''Chrono Cross''. Fans who criticize ''[[ContestedSequel Chrono Cross]]'' for [[spoiler: implying the deaths of Crono, Marle, and Lucca]] are told to "grow up" and accept these characters' fates (despite [[AssPull the explanation behind their deaths coming off as incredibly contrived and making very little in-story sense]]), while praising the game for its "gutsy" and original storyline. ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' fans have mostly responded by roundly trashing ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' and its fans. Oh, and you're not allowed to [[TakeAThirdOption like them both]].

* TierInducedScrappy: Even by the standards of [=RPGs=], this game has a huge cast, with a grand total of 45. It's inevitable that a few of these would show up.
** High Tier: Serge is so much stronger than any other character in the game that he borders on this. And you can't remove him from the party until NewGamePlus, either. Glenn is also incredibly strong, especially with his dual tech X-Strike with Serge. The only problem with Glenn is that you have to refuse to save Kid instead of looking for her medicine. If you don't do that, Glenn is [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost forever]]. Leena also is great in the early game (for having a high magic stat and a great grid, and the only decent choice for magic unless you forsake Glenn for Razzly)
** Low Tier: Some characters, while not ''bad'', get [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed by a better one]]. For example, there's nothing wrong with Orcha per se, but Zappa has mostly better stats, unique weapons, and actual plot relevance, which leaves Orcha on permanent bench-warming duty with Zappa around. And in a game with 40+ playable characters, "some" doesn't take long to become "most." And some characters like Sneff, Skelly, and [=NeoFio=] are just plain horrible.

* PortingDisaster: The Remaster has been reported to have even worse performance than the [=PS1=] original. Particular issues include bad framerates which leads to unresponsive controls, input delay and choppy animations. The game's [=FMVs=] also suffer from poor sound quality and the backgrounds were AI upscaled, but the upscaling software had apparently not been trained properly at the time of development.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fb5UOKx5j8&list=OLAK5uy_m0OQNm22GZz8ZKeymSPrtVBll9ykcwBWY&index=65 Life Faraway Promise]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3a_iTwQIi4&list=OLAK5uy_m0OQNm22GZz8ZKeymSPrtVBll9ykcwBWY&index=67 Radical Dreamers]].

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe49bTB1MEI2UcYl9lzqn5MeUH5aaGhdu Listen]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm5RYVGOYok for yourself.]] Even those who don't like the game praise the soundtrack. It's even been called the greatest video game soundtrack of all time.
** Of particular note would have to be "The Wind, Stars, and Waves", more commonly known as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2K12JjKC8s Nikki's Concert]], which is an in-universe example, as well as real-life Awesome Music. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BS2D5uUSSk This link]] is a Let's Play video of the scene if you'd like the story as well as the music.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46RY4PU8a8&fmt=18 Scars of Time]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ncd9bDQaHY&fmt=18 Dreams of the Shore Another World ]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMntblDX0Bg&fmt=18 Time of the Dreamwatch]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu0dmrqzP-I&fmt=18 Magical Dreamers]] are also notable.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAndtPjTHfg A Gift of Spring]].
** The absurdly chill [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL3PP9P-X4U&ab_channel=Mihn Chronopolis]] theme.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRugw4mQnh4 The music that plays in the version of Termina in Another World]]. [[http://www.tindeck.com/listen/ymrz So upbeat and enjoyable]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0LDiIgggSQ&list=PLE9BC9AD85F99F8CB S.S. Zelbess]]. Exactly the kind of music you'd expect this game's equivalent of [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer the Gold Saucer]] to have.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CKHpK93S5M&hd=1 Life Faraway Promise]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxa0yqBsG3k&hd=1 Radical Dreamers]].

* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: Nothing beats starting up ''Chrono Cross'' and waiting a minute or two at the title screen, just to hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHoq9sK-HXw this]]. Very nostalgic for fans of the original game.

** Fans of the original were delighted to learn that Yosunori Mitsuda had returned to update the OST for the HD Remaster.

** The elemental plates you can steal from the dragons. The black plate especially (though getting it is something of a GuideDangIt to get. You have to wake up the Black Dragon before you can fight it/steal its plate which requires a rather involved sidequest. Otherwise you just take its treasure from its sleeping body.). Wearing one makes you absorb all damage from its respective element. [[spoiler:FATE and Dario]] are some of the hardest fights in the game normally, but with the black plate equipped, at least one character is basically immortal. And this applies to any enemies which only use a single element, which is most of them.

** Some fans dislike CC enough to ignore the DS port of CT, which includes new content that canonically ties the first game's story to the latter to the outcome seen in the latter game. On the subject of CT, many fans were not pleased when the DS port canonized [[spoiler:Dalton]] as the agent for Guardia's destruction.

* {{Fanon}}: Many fans believe that the dwarfs are actually responsible for the pollution of their land given their use of SteamPunk and that the hydra was the only thing holding it back, hence why their land grew so polluted when the hyrda is killed.

* DesignatedLoveInterest: Serge and Kid can end up this way, depending on the player's choices. Much related media from official art to [[spoiler: a photo in the Golden Ending's cutscene implying their marriage]] points to Kid being the female lead of the game and Serge's love interst. However, it's entirely possible to go through the entire game ''without even recruiting her''. Even if you do, her relationship with Serge can easily be interpreted as platonic TrueCompanions rather than anything romantic, which leads some players to think this way.

* LGBTFanbase: Zoah is popular with gay men which is unsurprising as he's a muscular man who goes around [[{{Stripperific}} wearing only a helmet, a harness with a spike shoulder pad, and a metal thong with some leather draped around his backside.]] There's also Lynx who's also PopularWithFurries. And Norris is well liked because he's a clean cut, pretty-but-still-masculine soldier boy.

* EightPointEight: EGM's Greg Sewart gave ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' a 9.5 in a review that scored two 10s (out of three reviewers), denying it a Platinum Award (if the game receives a perfect 10 from all reviewers). To this day, Sewart receives hate mail from fans.