Reception
IGN strongly praised how Squaresoft handled the cast of characters of the game, stating "What makes all of this even more impressive is that Square was able to give each of the game's 40-plus playable characters different characteristics and, in many cases, distinct accents and speech patterns. The accents were handled surprisingly well and most were pretty consistent throughout the entire game. That combined with the fact that each of the characters in the game plays an important role in the plot of the story help brings them to life as individuals. The character development isn't the best you'll find in an RPG, but it's better than most." GameSpot similarly praised the cast, stating, "Surprisingly, Chrono Cross seemingly endless supply of characters works to its benefit, not its detriment...Every last one of the 40-plus members is a unique, story-driven, and valuable contributor. Unlike many cast-of-thousands RPG epics, each character in Chrono Cross is an interesting and worthy addition to your team. Everyone has a beautiful character model, excellently animated attacks, and three unique "limit break" type special skills. There's even a miniquest or special requirement for every character's best skill...While you'll certainly have your own handful of favorites, you'll never add someone to your party and wonder, "Why is this character in the game?" There are no disposable placeholders in Chrono Cross." The review did concede that much of the Chrono Trigger fanbase disapproved of the concept of 40+ characters prior to release, but the reviewer ultimately felt the game handled it well and should dispel any such concerns. RPGFan also praised the cast, not only for its size and character development, but for the unique scenario of allowing some characters to interact with alternate versions of themselves due to the game's alternate dimension scenario.
Simon Seamann of RPGamer was more critical of how the cast was handled in the game, criticizing the difficulty in switching characters and transferring equipment between them, which he felt discouraged players from experiencing the varied cast. Lack of character development outside of the core, required cast of characters was also cited as a problem.
Read more about this topic: List Of Characters In Chrono Cross
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