Chrono Cross OST: A Lost in the Music Review

It has taken me a very long time, but I am now ready to forgive. For too long there has been so much anger and hatred in my heart that it was turning me into a bitter, jaded, hateful person. However, I have learned that I simply have to let go of my anger as it was holding me back. This past week, I have finally forgiven Chrono Cross. I have come to terms and have accepted that the game is part of the series and while I cannot forgive to what they have done to my favourite characters, I can acknowledge that because of the time wimey bullshit nature of the series, there are probably several alternate worlds where the Kingdom of Guardia and the main characters did not fall to Porre. As usual I will not be looking at the entire game, but simply looking at the music.

Like Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross' soundtrack is rich and diverse with each track well suited for the each part of the game. Time's Scar, much like the original game's opening theme invokes feeling of adventure and heading into the unknown while Another Termina seems to take its cues from port towns in the Mediterranean giving it a festive vibe. Much like its predecessor, the music in Chrono Cross has the world feel like a living breathing place and it is sad knowing that these days the music that comes from Square Enix seems not to be as good and that they put graphics and voice acting above story and music.

It is music like this that makes me wish that at times, gaming wasn't this big industry. Aside from indies, it seems that the love developers once had for the games is gone and the only thing they care about is the almighty dollar. As someone who has been gaming for almost 25 years, seeing this trend is rather depressing. Yes there are exceptions on occasion such as the Mass Effect series but those are too few and far between.

One of my favourite songs in the game would have to be fan favourite The Girl Who Stole the Stars, the theme song to the character Kid. The track is a stark contrast to Kid's persona. She has a passion for adventuring and loves lifting things from other people. Kid is an outgoing person with a zealous personality, but the track would belie that as it is more introspective and thought provoking. Witht he character, its gives a great dichotomy as the music reflects her inner persona. On the outside, the young woman has a mischievous streak and a penchant for trouble while inside, she is quiet and morose.

While Kid does display some of the more annoying qualities that almost every teen female jRPG character exhibits, this track seems to showcase that she has some depth. Not even Final Fantasy is immune as several of its teen characters are more obnoxious and lack the depth that Kid has. For a really awesome cover of the track, I would suggest checking out the cover from Year 200x's latest EP, World of Ruin.

While I am still not a fan of several aspects of the game, I do have to acknowledge that the soundtrack is just as good as the originals and Yasunori Mitsuda does a fantastic job replicating the feel of Chrono Trigger's soundtrack. This is a must have for any fan of video game music. You can find the album at Amazon and Ebay. I would highly encourage you to buy the album as it is a great example of what Square Enix Music used to be.

This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.