WhereasChrono Triggeris often considered a genre-defining JRPG, the game’s successor is rarely looked at by fans in the same light. Though developed by a similar development staff at Squaresoft,Chrono Crosswas purposefully designed as a vastly different game in a similar world. Though the game was contentious at launch for largely steering away fromChrono Trigger’s design, the 1999 JRPG on PlayStation gained a cult following among JRPG fans that continued to grow, as fans came to appreciate it as a standaloneChronogame. TheChrono Crossremaster reveal excited many fans this week, but the addition ofRadical Dreamersdid confuse some fans.
While North America did receiveChrono Crossalmost a year later in 2000,Radical Dreamerswas not a known quantity outside of Japan, but it was a formative story that helped shapeChrono Cross' narrative and world into the JRPG it would become. The game’s general narrative progression, themes of parallel worlds/altered dimensions, and interwoven character development stemmed from the foundation thatRadical Dreamershad laid back in 1996 on the SNES. However,Radical Dreamerswas not another Squaresoft JRPG developed in betweenChrono TriggerandChrono Cross. Rather, it was a standalone title that would directly inspireChrono Cross.
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Radical Dreamers: A Japan-Exclusive Chrono Trigger Spin-Off
Exclusive to Japan, andreleased for the SNES(via the Japan-exclusive Satellaview modem peripheral),Radical Dreamerswas a visual novel published as a spin-off fromChrono Trigger. Players take on the role of Serge, just like inChrono Cross, and team up with Kid and Magil (an alternate version of Guile that was actually Magus in disguise) to become thieves. Kid had already become a legendary and confident thief, alongside the enigmatic Magil, and Serge joined them a few years prior in search of the “Frozen Flame,” an item of legend that can supposedly make any wishes come true. The three set out on a quest to steal the Frozen Flame from the Viper Manor.
Lynx, the antagonist ofChrono Cross, takes up a similar position inRadical Dreamersas the usurper of Viper Manor. Serge, Kid, and Magil venture through the manor, fighting all sorts of mythical monsters as players read on about the mysteries of Viper Manor’s inhabitants. Magil explains that the Frozen Flame is a fragment of Lavos,the calamity fromChrono Trigger, and that Kid has an ulterior motive. Kid is after Lynx himself for killing her adoptive mother (Lucca fromChrono Trigger), and was accompanied by Magil after an encounter with Lynx almost killed Kid.
The trio encounter Lynx at the end of the story, and are nearly defeated, before something unexpected happens. Lucca gave Kid a Time Egg (a Chrono Trigger) when she was younger, and Lynx sought the Time Egg alongside the Frozen Flame in an attempt to reign control over time itself. However, during the battle, the Chrono Trigger is shattered, causing a disruption of time itself that ends the battle very quickly. Serge glimpses throughout time, witnessing several of the events fromChrono Triggeras well as new scenes, before players return to present day. Kid, Serge, and Magil all escape the castle, as Kid realizes her origins andintrinsic ties to the originalChronogame.
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Bridging The Gap Between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross
Radical Dreamersis fascinating because there’s so many details throughout the visual novel that would become pivotal pillars of narrative and character development inChrono Cross. Much of the interdimensional travel that takes place throughoutChrono Cross' complex story is based around the same time-bending design that was so ambitious forChrono Triggerjust a few years earlier. Granted, game director Masato Kato has mentioned in interviews that melding the two universes' narratives together was not in service tomakingChrono Crossinterpreted as a sequel toChrono Trigger. Kato wantedCrossto be “another, differentChronothat interlaces withTrigger.”
In execution, it’s place in a theoreticalChronotimeline is a bit perplexing, considering the game focuses more in parallel dimensions more so than the manipulation of time inChrono Trigger.Radical Dreamersactually ran with the theme of unwavering time to strengthen itsconnection toChrono Triggeras a spin-off.Chrono Crossis pretty clearly acting as a distant sequel toChrono Trigger, especially with all the references to the first game, butRadical Dreamerswas deliberately connected to the firstChronogame. It’s a bit confusing, and the complexity ofChrono Cross' narrative connection toChrono Triggerwas largely the source of fans' frustrations at the time.
However, in a way,Radical Dreamersalmost serves as a way to bridge the gap between the two games andharken back to the events ofChrono Trigger. Bundling that substory together with the secondChronoentry asChrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionhelps fill in the gaps for the worldwide audience. Players can understand more clearly the inherent connections betweenChrono TriggerandChrono CrosswithRadical Dreamersin a more straight-forward fashion, side-steppingChrono Cross' gray approach as a sequel.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Editionreleases on Aug 04, 2025, for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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