Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Review Scores are in. Check out our article rounding up the Chrono Cross Remake Review Scores.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Review Scores: 80 for the Nintendo Switch

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition has finally arrived on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. The classic JRPG remaster has earned a Metacritic score of 80 on the Nintendo Switch, and 76 for the PlayStation 4. These numbers show a strong performance for a remastered JRPG, much higher than the median or average of the scores that Square Enix has released. This shows that Square Enix is learning and listening since we're finally getting remasters worth their salt, instead of rather buggy ports that are even somehow worse than their original, more ancient versions.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Review Scores are higher on the Nintendo Switch compared to the PlayStation 4 – it just shows which console games like this are better played on. The Nintendo Switch is a great console for JRPGs in general, and perhaps it's because Switch users do have lower expectations compared to PlayStation 4 users. After all, remastered re-releases of old games would pale in comparison compared to what is still being released for the PlayStation 4, while games like these feel so much at home on Nintendo's hybrid console.

It's amazing, however, that Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition received perfect scores from different publications coming from different consoles. For the Nintendo Switch, the game received perfect scores from Siliconera and GamersRD. Shindig and Digitally Downloaded also gave the PlayStation 4 version of the game a perfect score.

Siliconera's review reads: “Chrono Cross has always been an essential JRPG, and this The Radical Dreamers Edition remaster makes it feel even more important. The story, the design direction, the way it handles its parallel worlds and characters, its battle system, and its precursor game that shows how it grew? They’re all extraordinary. Like Chrono Trigger before it, it is historically important and an example of exemplary game design.”

GamersRD's review reads: “Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is a beautiful game with a complex and entertaining story to tell, it possesses unique and quite fun gameplay. We have fresh illustrations and new additions that make this game a must play for anyone who has played Chrono Trigger before.”

Shindig's review reads: “When Chrono Cross first came out in ’99, it proved divisive for not simply following in the footsteps of Chrono Trigger. In retrsospect, it cuts closer to its predecessor than it got credit for back then, not necessarily in style or game design, but in the way it pushed the boundaries of the genre and the stories that videogames can tell. That it still feels unique and even subversive, more than 20 years on from its first release, is proof its timelessness. And for a large part of the world for whom The Radical Dreamers Edition will be the first chance to (officially) play Chrono Cross? Well, they’re in for one hell of a ride.”

Digitally Downloaded's review reads: “Like the best in literature and the arts, by the time Chrono Cross’ credits roll you’re going to be left in a reflective mood. It’s not just that it’s a very good game – though it is – is also that it’s a probing work of art that asks meaningful questions of the players and respects them enough to allow them to come to their own conclusions about it. This is the first time that we’ve had the opportunity to play the game here in Australia, and it’s telling that this 23-year-old game comes across as one of the most forceful steps forward for games as an art form that we’re going to see this year.”

As these reviews have rightfully pointed out, the game's age would have shown only in the game's more superficial aspects. Hence, the remaster works really well because the gameplay still fresh even after 23 years since its first release – updating its graphics and soundtrack, while also adding remastered JRPG essentials like zero encounters, fast forwards, and save states.

However, not everyone's happy and satisfied with a gem like this getting remastered the way it did. As Nintendo Life pointed out in their 6/10 review: “It’s a shame that, with the release of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, we likely won’t see a comprehensive remaster or even a full remake of this underrated gem for a long while, leaving us with a somewhat underwhelming version on Switch that isn’t much beyond a port. Regardless, the portability of the Nintendo's console and the inclusion of Radical Dreamers still makes this the best and most convenient way for fans and newcomers alike to play the 22-year-old classic and its pseudo-prequel. It's a good game and having easy access to it is a boon — just don't go in with more than modest expectations when it comes to the remaster effort.”

There are even worse scores coming from the PlayStation critics. Wccftech gave the game a meager 4.5/10 score. In their review, it reads: “Despite being a masterpiece of split universes and the often futile attempts to fight fate, we're living in the timeline where the original source code for Chrono Cross was lost to the scars of time and the remaster that exists in this age wasn't given the focus that one of the greatest JRPGs of all time deserves.” Crippled framerates and performance issues are much more observable and less forgivable for the PlayStation 4, and the game's flaws come in full display on Sony's console compared to the Nintendo Switch. Additionally, the fact that the remastered soundtrack isn't actually part of the game sucks really hard and is a missed opportunity to up the quality of the game by a notch.

The game's lowest score comes from Push Square, which gave the game a 4/10. In their review, they say: “Parts of Chrono Cross really haven't aged well, but it's still a charming, characterful JRPG that evokes feelings of the genre's golden age on PS1. It's a game that deserves better than The Radical Dreamers Edition, which, at least at launch, is a dreadfully poor remaster. Crippled by frame rate issues, it beggars belief that a title from 1999 could run this badly on modern hardware. Unless you're desperate for the nostalgia, we strongly recommend waiting to see whether Square Enix releases a patch to improve the package on PS4 and PS5 before buying.” For Push Square, the game itself was already flawed in the first place, and no amount of nostalgia would make this game more desirable compared to modern game offerings we have today.

Conclusion: Is Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Worth It?

We have a feeling that people who'd like to play Chrono Cross again wouldn't mind the criticisms laid out in reviews and will still go ahead to purchase the game anyway. If you're part of that audience, then the only advice we could give is to get the game on the Nintendo Switch instead of the PlayStation 4. It simply runs better there, and the Switch really is the better console for JRPGs, thanks to its ability to suspend gameplay anytime – a boon for JRPGs, modern or old. But for those who are looking at Chrono Cross for the first time, ask yourself this: do you truly enjoy old-school JRPGs? If yes, then Chrono Cross was, and still is, one of the greatest JRPGs of all time. But if JRPG really isn't your thing, then, this game won't be converting you into a JRPG fanatic.