CHRONO CROSS MINI-FAQ:
FLASHBACK GUIDE
By ToastyFrog (J. Parish,
[email protected])
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Revision 1.0
21 December 2000
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PLEASE READ BEFORE USING THIS GUIDE:
1. Do not email me for help or information about the game. There are plenty of
FAQs out there which will explain the game's secrets to you. I have neither
the time nor the desire to be a hint line. If you can't find an answer in a
FAQ, try the message boards at GameFAQs.com where dozens of fans of the game
will eagerly pounce at any opportunity to help someone in need of aid (just
watch for unmarked spoilers).
2. Speaking of spoilers, this guide has 'em in abundence. This FAQ exists for
the benefit of people who have completed Chrono Cross and have also finished
Chrono Trigger or do not mind having the older game's story spoiled. If this
guide ruins your game experience don't come crying to me; you've been warned.
Anything beyond this point if SPOILER CITY (where you can go for all your
spoiler needs!).
3. This guide is copyright 2000 J. Parish and may not be reproduced for any
commercial or public purpose. This guide may only appear online at Game FAQs
(gamefaqs.com) and ToastyFrog: PSI (toastyfrog.com); if you see it anywhere
else, please let me know so I can hunt down the offending party and slay them
LIKE A DOG. You may copy, print and minimally redistribute this guide in
electronic form for your own personal use, but you may NOT post this guide on
the web, nor may you create a derivative work for public use.
4. This is all that's left of my old CC FAQ; please don't ask to see the whole
shebang make a return, because it won't. There are more and better FAQs out
there already, and there's no need for further redundancy. This guide
encompasses a unique feature from my old FAQ that merits being reposted, which
is why I've put it together. If you're dying to see my old, sloppy,
overwrought, disjointed excuse for a FAQ, I'm sure you can find it easily at
some of the less reputable/conscientious FAQ sites around. They never clean
out their dead files.
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I. CONTENTS
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I. CONTENTS (which you are in fact currently reading)
II. FLASHBACKS
III. FAQs
IV. CREDITS
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II. FLASHBACKS
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The purpose of this guide is to point out the various connections between
Chrono Cross and its predecessor, Chrono Trigger. One of the great strengths
of the game is the way it integrates CT's story into its own (and one of its
great weaknesses is the way it plays holy hell with the continuity of rather
straightforward events in the original game). However, not everyone has played
Chrono Trigger, so the nuances are often lost. For you, this guide exists as a
lamp to thy darkness (yadda yadda). I've even included a few tidbits of the
"lost Chrono chapter," Radical Dreamers, although that information is rather
minimal as I haven't played the game myself.
I've probably missed a few connections. I'm OK with that. Don't write in with
corrections unless you have something REALLY good to say, OK? No need to waste
your time and mine with inane or previous-mentioned tidbits.
So here they are, listed in alphabetical order. This is your last chance to
avoid spoilers, chump!
- BELTHASAR -----------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Belthasar is the Prophet of Time whom you meet early in the game inside of
the Viper Manor library. Late in the game, he holds the key to the
completion of your quest (or at least, the key to getting a non-sucky
ending).
Belthasar was one of the three Gurus from the kingdom of Zeal in 12,000 B.C.
When Lavos destroyed the magic kingdom after being awakened by Queen Zeal's
Mammon Machine, Belthasar was flung far into the future - to A.D. 2300, in
fact. There he continued the research into the nature of time which he had
begun in Zeal and constructed a time machine called Epoch (based on the
timewarp technology he had experimented with in the form of the pendant
which Schala and later Marle wore), which he granted to Crono and his party
in their effort to stop Lavos. Though he seemingly died shortly after
crafting Epoch, it seems this was not the case, as he appears to be aware of
Crono's efforts. Or maybe this is before he originally met Crono, as Epoch
appears to be incomplete. Ack, time travel sucks.
- THE BEND OF TIME ----------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The Bend of Time is clearly patterned after the "End of Time" from CT. Crono
and co. discovered the End of Time quite by accident; when they arrived,
they were informed by a man named Gaspar that the EoT existed beyond time,
and that they had reached the place by trying to travel through a Time Gate
with more than three people at once. The EoT featured 9 light portals which
led to different time eras, as well as a room where the characters could
battle Spekkio, the delightful Master of War. This is not quite the same as
the End of Time. For one thing, there are no time portals, and Gaspar is
nowhere to be seen. Instead, you can use this opportunity to fight, pilfer
and mimic enemies. And of course, once you finish the game, you can fight
some tone deaf, evil fiends and win a pair of underwear and a vest with
prosthetic breasts. Yeah!
- BUMS ON THE BEACH ---------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
BeachBums look remarkably similar to Nus, strange creatures in Chrono
Trigger who were often found in unsual places throughout time. Nus, however,
were a heckuva lot tougher than BeachBums. All life begins and ends with Nu!
This is what I believe... at least for now.
- THE BURNING ORPHANAGE -----------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
This house belongs to Lucca Ashtear, one of Crono's closest friends, and one
of the heroes of Chrono Trigger (as well as an accomplished inventor). Of
course, her house was never a burning battlefield in the original game.
After the end of her adventure to destroy Lavos, Lucca found a young child
abandoned in the woods and decided to found an orphanage. In the meantime,
she also continued to research robotics, based on her knowledge gleaned from
encountering Robo and the Mother Brain-dominated world of A.D. 2300, which
allowed her to create technology far beyond what would normally be possible
in A.D. 1000. Incidentally, it seems as though Lucca was responsible for the
technology used to create Grobyc.
The burning orphanage probably best exemplifies the wanton disregard the
creators of Chrono Cross had for the elements of Chrono Trigger which many
frothing, rabid CT fans hold entirely too dearly. I say, job well done.
- CHRONOPOLIS' SECRET MESSAGE -----------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: RADICAL DREAMERS]
The text in the side chamber on the top floor of Chronopolis may seem
familiar if you know much about this game's pre-history - it's the opening
text of "Radical Dreamers," which, apparently is an alternate reality
version of the events of Chrono Cross. And if you're wondering, "Magil" is
"Magus" in disguise. Magil. Not Guile, Magil. Can we please kill the rumors
about Guile and Magus now? Thankupo.
- DEMIHUMANS ----------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
A major subplot in Chrono Trigger involved a race of demihuman creatures
called Mystics, who live in the village of Medina and disliked humans. I'm
not certain if the Marbule demihumans are related to the Mystics, but
they're quite reminiscent. Except they don't look like baby DragonBall
characters, Allah be praised.
- DENADORITE ----------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The name Denadoro, as you'll recall, was a mountain in Chrono
Trigger with hella tough goblins... or rather, wimpy goblins with hella
tough hammers. You can use Denadorite in Chrono Cross to make your own
hella tough weapons (which, fortunately, don't disintegrate when touched by
fire).
- GRENN OR GLENN, DUH? -------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Glenn was the real name of the CT character Frog. CT's Glenn was an aspiring
knight whose closest friend Cyrus was killed by the then-villainous Magus,
and Glenn himself was transformed into a man-sized frog. Frog's speech was
characterized by extremely formal and archaic English; while CC's Glenn does
not speak with the same medieval tongue as CT's Frog, the two characters
actually have quite a bit in common. Glenn's relationship with Dario is very
similar to Frog's relationship with Cyrus: both are young but noble spirits
standing in the shadow of their heroic elder. However, the two Glenns are
NOT the same character, so if you go around saying they are, I will beat you
with a stick.
- GUARDIA KINGDOM -----------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Guardia Kingdom was the focal point of much of Chrono Trigger. It was the
land of which Marle was princess, and the land whose queen Frog protected in
the past. At the end of Chrono Trigger '99, the marriage of Crono and Marle
is shown, presumably meaning Crono would become King in the future. Guardia
seems to have suffered some unknown, unhappy fate in the time of Chrono
Cross.
- GUILE ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Guile is extremely reminscent of CT's Magus, though the two are not the same
person. For more about the history of Guile and Magus, check the FAQs
section near the end of this guide.
- HECKRAN BONE --------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The Heckran was a powerful monster whose body was highly resistant to
physical damage but weak to magic. Crono, Lucca and Marle battled it in
order to reach their home after a bit of a mishap. Here it's just a tasty
bit of scooby snax.
- THE HERO'S MEDAL ----------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The Hero Medal you give to Pierre played a small role in Chrono Trigger as
well - it was formerly Cyrus', was but taken by a young lad named Tata who
thought himself a hero despite being a bit of a wuss. Sort of like Pierre,
actually. When equipped along with the legendary sword Masamune, the Hero
Medal gave Frog a power boost. Pierre doesn't use anything nearly as cool as
Masamune, though, so the badge just boosts his Evade % a bit. Incidentally,
the similarity between Tata and Pierre is not coincidental; Pierre was
created to intentionally resonate with the false bravado of Tata.
- I HAVE METAL JOINTS -------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Gato, the crispy fried speaker in the burning orphanage, was a robot
sparring dummy designed by Lucca and her father, Taban. During the
Millennial Fair, you could fight Gato to earn tokens to be spent at the
fair. (My name is Gato/I have metal joints/Beat me up/And earn 15 Silver
Points) Oddly, there were also Gato-like robots in the Ocean Palace, 13,000
years before Lucca built hers. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.
Sadly Lucca's scientific genius was made hollow by a palette-swapped sprite,
reducing the fruits of her creativity to a Mortal Kombat-esque dupe.
- JANUS ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The "Janus" to whom Lucca refers in her letter to Kidd was Magus' real name.
Why would Magus, the heroic villain of Chrono Trigger, be interested in
Kid's welfare? Some people think it's because Serge is actually Magus,
despite all evidence to the contrary. Some people also think the earth is
flat. You never know.
- LARA ----------------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The code sequence used to acquire Kid's L.7 tech is similar to the LARA code
from Chrono Trigger. During one of the game's many subquests, Lucca
discovered a Time Gate leading to the night where her mother was crippled by
one of Taban's machines. By inputing the code LARA (Lara was the name of
Lucca's mother), Lucca could save her mother from being crippled. She could
also fail, which was one of the more depressing things to be seen in a
16-bit RPG.
- LAVOS ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Lavos was the true villain of Chrono Trigger. Although its true nature is
not entirely clear (monster? alien astronaut? parasite? god?), the creature
Lavos smashed into the planet 65,000,000 years prior to CT, in an era where
man was a primitive race and demi-human dinosaurs were poised to take the
lead of evolution. Living beneath the planet's crust and feeding on its life
for tens of millions of years, Lavos manipulated the world's development in
various ways (and when Queen Zeal tried to manipulate Lavos in 12,000 B.C.,
it destroyed the floating nation of Zeal and plunged mankind into a new ice
age). Magus tried to destroy Lavos in A.D. 600, but was interrupted by Crono
and Frog and flung into the past as an act of defense by Lavos. By traveling
into the future, Crono and his comrades discovered that Lavos would destroy
the world in A.D. 1999 (thereafter spawning children to travel to other
hapless worlds), and - determined to save the world - stopped Lavos before
it could annihilate mankind. The ruined computer displays data on Lavos
because it is a relic of the lost future, a fragment which ended up in the
Time Crash.
- LUMINAIRE -----------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Serge's skill Luminaire was seen in Chrono Trigger as Crono's ultimate magic
attack. Kid's RedPin was originally a combo Tech shared by Lucca and Frog;
although it's different here, it's interesting to see skills carry over. For
those who played the Japanese version of Chrono Cross, these skills were
called "Shining" and "Red Needles" respectively; those were in fact the
original Japanese skill names in Chrono Trigger as well, so the
inconsistency is consistent.
- THE MASAMUNE --------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The Masamune was a major component of the Chrono Trigger tale. Originally
forged in 12,000 B.C. by the Guru Melchior, the Masamune was a living weapon
whose two spirit components, Masa and Mune, would serve only one whose
strength of body was matched by his strength of heart. Eventually weilded by
Frog in his fight against Magus after being reforged by Melchior in the year
1,000 (where Melchior had been flung after the destruction of Zeal in 12,000
B.C.), the blade was stolen several years after the marriage of Crono and
Marle, and disappeared to whereabouts unknown. The sword itself is not
inherently evil, but its power is such that it amplifies the emotions of
those who control it. Someone without the strength of will to master it
would become overwhelmed by their own spiritual weaknesses as they're
enhanced by the sword.
- MIGUEL'S LAST STAND -------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The battle in the center of the Time Crash vortex with Miguel transpires in
the ruins of Nadia Square near Nadia's Bell, a monument erected by King
Guardia to honor his daughter Nadia (Marle's real name) at the end of the
Millennial Fair. The children are images of Crono, Lucca and Marle, the main
characters of Chrono Trigger.
- MOTHER BRAIN AND PROMETHEUS ------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The Mother Brain program upon which FATE is based was a program which
achieved sentience in the Lavos-devastated future and decided to annihilate
humanity (very Skynet-like). Robo (aka Prometheus), one of the main
characters of Chrono Trigger, was one of the normally peaceful RY-series
robots reprogrammed by Mother Brain to destroy humanity. After being
reactivated by Lucca, Robo fought with Crono and his party to destroy Lavos
as well as the Mother Brain. Incidentally, Robo had a cyber-sweetie named
Atropos, although I don't know for a fact that the Atropos aspect of VITA is
related. Eventually, Mother Brain was destroyed, and Lucca apparently
installed Prometheus into Mother Brain's second incarnation as FATE as a
sort of safety precaution, in case FATE went on a rampage.
Once again, the termination of Prometheus is another of those things I'm
pretty sure the creators of the game added just to piss off the gamers who
worship Chrono Trigger as part of the sliced bread pantheon.
- OPENING DIALOGUE ----------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: RADICAL DREAMERS]
The opening dialogue in the ancient fort is remarkably similar to the
opening dialogue from Radical Dreamers, though the third character (who was
Magil in Radical Dreamers) is chosen randomly.
- PORRE ARMY ----------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Porre was a small town in Chrono Trigger at the southernmost point of Zenan.
The mayor of Zenan was a greedy, heartless man, but Crono was able to alter
his personality by traveling back in time and teaching the mayor's ancestors
the value of sharing. Hooray for moralizing! Apparently, though, that lesson
didn't stick, as Porre seems to have developed into quite a fearsome
military power.
- RAINBOW SHELL -------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
In Chrono Trigger, the most powerful weapons and accessories could be forged
from a rare item called the Rainbow Shell. However, it could only create a
very limited number of items (a sword, Sunglasses, and your choice of
helmets or vests), and acquiring the Shell was a subquest in itself (which
involved the Guru Melchior, a trip through a hidden cave, and a rigged
criminal trial intended to do away with King Guardia). Prism equipment is a
LITTLE easier to come by in Chrono Cross... but not by much.
- SCHALA KID ZEAL ------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Kid's true identity, Schala Kid Zeal, is incredibly significant. As a matter
of fact, it's the crux of the game. If you haven't played Chrono Trigger,
you'll probably be cheesed off to learn that the point of the whole quest is
to restore a minor character from the previous game to her true self. So
here's the deal.
Schala was the princess of Zeal. Her brother, Janus, went on to become the
man known as Magus. Her mother was a power hungry ho-bag who used Schala as
a tool (HELLO BRAHNE) to acquire control over the ancient primal force known
as Lavos. When Schala's mother summoned Lavos to the Undersea Palace, the
beast raged out of control and killed Crono; it was only through Schala's
intervention that Crono's friends (and Magus) were able to survive. Schala
herself was thrown into a time vortex as she subdued Lavos; everyone else
was flung into distant periods of time, but Schala was never seen again.
Magus made it his quest in life to find and rescue her, although apparently
he did a pretty lousy job of it since the deed was done by Serge. And don't
give me that "Serge is Magus reincarnated!" crap.
One bit of inconsistency; Schala in Chrono Trigger had teal hair, while both
Kid and CC's Schala have blonde hair. Personally I don't think it's any big
deal; Terra's hair wasn't supposed to be green in Final Fantasy VI, nor was
Faris' supposed to be pink. Sprites is sprites. But some people get bent out
of shape over the most anal things, so for those of you whose enjoyment of
the game was utterly destroyed by this hair color thing, allow me to give
you the ability to reclaim your joie de vivre by mentioning the fact that
I've read in several places that the original Japanese version of CT
mentioned the people of Zeal dyed their hair to make themselves stand apart
from the magic-less wretches of the Earthbound Village. I didn't notice that
when I played the Japanese version, but then my Japanese literacy is what
you might call "piss-poor," so don't take my word for it.
- SCYTHES -------------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Just as Lynx looks ready for a quick game of harvest Moon, the "villain" of
Chrono Trigger, Magus, also used a scythe.
- THE TIME EGG ----------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The first Time Egg (aka Chrono Trigger) was created by Belthasar and given
to Marle to let her travel back in time to prevent Crono from dying in
battle against Lavos in 12,000 B.C. Though Lavos destroyed Crono (whose
death saved the rest of his party) when awakened by Queen Zeal, Marle was
able to use the Chrono Trigger atop Mt. Death to travel to the moment of
Crono's death and save him from Lavos' power by replacing his body with a
life-sized doll. Yeah, yeah, it's sort of silly. Anyway, the Time Egg works
a bit differently here, but the concept is still the same. (Technically, the
first Time Egg is part of Schala's pendant, but the first fuly functional
Egg seen in the series was used for the purpose described above. Argh, never
mind).
- TIME'S GRASSLANDS ---------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The overworld music, and several other themes in the game, include the
"Chrono Main Theme" motif from the original game's opening.
- TOMA XIV ------------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Toma XIV is presumably descended from Toma Levine, an errant adventurer from
the year 600. Toma encountered Crono and his party at various places and
offered useful advice (in exchange for having his sake, errr, SODA poured
over his gravestone).
- TONE DEAF, EVIL FIENDS ----------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
Ozzie, Flea and Slash were the three Mystic-race lieutenants of Magus in 600
B.C. Slash was a consummate swordsman, Flea a gender-confused mage, and
Ozzie was, uh, sorta worthless. After Magus was thrown into the past by
Lavos, Ozzie took charge and continued the Mystics' fight against humanity
by converting Magus' castle into "Fort Ozzie." When defeated, the three
apparently were lost in the timestream, and the Mystic race eventually
learned to get along with humans.
- VICTORY THEME -------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The victory theme in Chrono Cross is a more boisterous rendition of Lucca's
Theme from Chrono Trigger.
- VIPER INVASION ------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: RADICAL DREAMERS]
The excursion into Viper Mansion is the part of the game most clearly lifted
from Radical Dreamers. In RD, Serge and Kid and a fellow named Magil (whom
Guile closely resembles - see FAQs at the end of this guide for more info)
planned to infiltrate Lynx's mansion to reclaim the Frozen Flame. Of course,
in Chrono Cross, the manor doesn't belong to Lynx but rather to General
Viper, and there's a bit more to the game than just the infiltration...
- WAKEY-WAKEY ---------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The game Chrono Trigger opened with a very similar scene: Crono's
mother woke him up, opened the shades and gave him an allowance of 200G.
- ZENAN MAINLAND ------------------------------------------------------------
[FLASHBACK POINT: CHRONO TRIGGER]
The Zenan Mainland (and surrounding area) was where the events of Chrono
Trigger transpired. The only actual mention of "Zenan" in the game was a
large bridge that connected Guardia to the southern area of the continent
(which was the site of a major battle for Crono and co.), but apparently the
entire landmass has retroactively been dubbed in honor of the bridge.
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III. FAQs
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These FAQs are also culled from my original guide; I'm only focusing on story
elements. The main reason I'm reprinting these is because they directly
contradict other FAQs out there, and the more chaos I can sow the better.
Enjoy!
And if you give me any crap about spoilers, I will personally slaughter you
and use your intestines as a non-feathered boa for my next social engagement.
a. WHAT'S THIS ABOUT A CHRONO TRIGGER REMAKE?
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About a month before Chrono Cross was released in Japan, Square reissued
Chrono Trigger for Playstation. Like Final Fantasy Anthology, it's largely
emulated rather than reprogrammed, but unlike FFA it has barely any slowdown
and battle transitions are extremely quick. Additionally, there are several
anime scenes added to the beginning, the end and - gasp! - throughout the
game. This MAY be released in America, possibly, but untile Square EA makes up
its collective glacial mind you can see the new endings at:
http://www.thegia.com/snes/ct/ctmedia2.html. These anime endings tie into
Chrono Cross, so you may want to give them a look.
b. THIS STORY IS KINDA CONVOLUTED... CAN YOU SORT THINGS OUT? MY BRAIN HURTS.
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Mine too. Here's the best explanation I can come up with. This incorporates
both Chrono Trigger's and Chrono Cross's stories. (No guarantees on accuracy
here, the plot wrinkles leave me a bit overwhelmed at times)
In 65,000,000 B.C., an advanced civilization of humanoid dinosaurs called
Reptites was destroyed by the combined efforts of a young man named Crono and
the leader of the human's Ioka Village, Ayla, as well as the timely (?)
arrival of a space-borne beast called Lavos. Lavos' influence allowed the
fairly primitive forest-dwelling humans to evolve at an accelerated rate over
the next tens of millions of years, until mankind grew to be the species that
the Reptites had been destined to become. However, humanity evolved less in
harmony with nature than the Reptites would have, disrupting the planet in an
almost parasitic way.
In 12,000 B.C., a young man named Crono and his friends fought Lavos in the
skyborne kingdom of Zeal. Zeal was a land founded upon science and magic and
was ruled by a queen who sought to establish herself as an eternal despot by
utilizing the power of the slumbering Lavos. Crono and his allies disrupted
the queen's plans, causing Lavos to awaken briefly and destroy Zeal (and
Crono, for a while). In his battle with Lavos, Crono was assisted by Schala,
daughter of Queen Zeal. Schala was lost into the Time Stream and never again
found, despite the efforts of her younger brother Janus (who was, along with
the Enhasa Gurus Melchior, Belthasar and Gaspar, flung into the far reaches of
time by Lavos). Schala in fact was absorbed by Lavos and became the benevolent
half of the TimeDevourer, but even her kind nature slowly became corrupted by
Lavos' hate over the centuries. The ocean palace, where Queen Zeal hoped to
tap into Lavos' power, rose from the sea as a skyborne fortress called the
Black Omen.
In approximately 9000 B.C., Lavos drew the future research city Chronopolis
from the year A.D. 2400 into the past as insurance of its own personal welfare
in the event that Lavos were ever to be destroyed. At the same time, the
forces of the planet pulled a Reptite-based city from an alternate future
(where the Reptites survived and became dominant) into the past to serve as a
balance against Lavos' scheme. After an intense battle between Chronopolis and
Dinopolis, Chronopolis was victorious and sealed away Dinopolis (which would
later come to be known as Terra Tower) beneath Sky Dragon Island. Fate, the
supercomputer which controlled Chronopolis, also captured the TimeDevourer and
divided it into six Elemental Dragon Gods and an artifact of power called the
Frozen Flame, thus allowing it to manipulate both Lavos and the Reptite forces
to suit its whims. At the same time, Fate created the El Nido Archipelago in
the midst of the Sea of Eden, an artifical land which it populated with the
former workers from Chronopolis. Using its power over the Elements and human
genetics through devices known as Records of Fate, the supercomputer managed
to maintain close control over the development of the area and its people.
In A.D. 600, Janus (now known as Magus) tried to exact his revenge on Lavos by
summoning him (with the pretense of destroying humanity in order to tap into
the support of the Mystic race, which was at war with mankind). Crono
interfered and he and Magus were thrown back in time to 12,000 B.C. by the
partially-awakened power of Lavos. Glenn (aka Frog) later defeated Magus and
returned to his human form with the aid of the Masamune (Grandleon) sword,
which was stolen by an unknown party once Glenn was finished with it.
In A.D. 1000, Crono became introduced to time travel when the pendant worn by
Marle (passed down through the descendants of Queen Zeal) reacted with a warp
device. Some time later, Lucca discovered an abandoned child in the woods,
bearing the same blue pendant worn by Schala and Marle; she took the child in
and founded an orphanage.
A few years later, a three-year-old boy named Serge who lived in Arni Village
on the El Nido archipelago fell deathly ill. During a raging storm, Serge's
father Wazuki and Wazuki's friend Miguel took a small boat to Marbule in the
hopes of finding a mystic healer there who could help Serge. Though they
survived the storm, they were thrown off course and ended up in the Sea of
Eden where they discovered Chronopolis. The electrical power in Chronopolis
was deactivated for 10 minutes by the storm; in that brief time, Fate's
control was weakened and two important things happened: first, the Frozen
Flame sought out the young Serge and healed him, but also bonded with him,
foiling Fate's control over the Flame. Fate was further thwarted by the
activation of a secret circuit which had been installed in its program by
Lucca Ashtear (a friend of Crono) and Belthasar, who had developed Fate and
Chronopolis to begin with. At the same time, the six Dragon Gods were freed
from Fate's yoke briefly and managed to create a seventh dragon, a Dragon God
of the second moon which bore a human form - Harle, whose mission was to ally
herself with Fate and manipulate events in the Dragon Gods' favor. Miguel
became trapped in a timeless void of paradox called the Time Crash which
resulted from Serge's interference with the Flame; Wazuki managed to get Serge
back to Arni, but was eventually corrupted and transformed by Fate (which
could control the bodies and minds of the humans of El Nido) into a servant
called Lynx. Wazuki - now Lynx - effectively became a human vessel for Fate,
and sought to undo the setbacks it had suffered.
Four years later, Lynx tracked down Lucca Ashtear to her home, which had been
converted into an orphanage, and abducted the scientist in the hopes of
forcing her to set right the havoc she had wrought on Fate. Thanks to the
power of the Mastermune (an advanced form of the Enhasa Guru Melchior's
Masamune), a future version of Serge was able to step back in time and save a
girl named Kid, though he could not prevent Lucca's abduction and eventual
murder. Around this same time, Lynx also tracked down Serge, the boy who had
bonded with the Frozen Flame, and attempted to kill him with a poisonous cat
demon. Serge's cries of pain as he lay dying on the beach reached the ears of
Schala and touched her heart. Using the power of her pendant (an incomplete
but nevertheless potent Time Egg crafted by Belthasar in 12,000 B.C.), she was
able to create a clone of herself and sent it into the world as Kid, the child
who had been found in the woods by Lucca. At this point, reality split into
two alternate worlds where Serge lived and died. In the "Home" world, Serge
lived and went on with his life, but in "Another" world where Lynx and Fate
existed, Serge perished from the demon's poison. However, the Frozen Flame was
still out of Fate's control. Thus they began to bide their time until Serge
could be pulled through the dimensions.
Ten years after that, Schala's influence caused Serge to cross the boundaries
between dimensions and into Another world where he had been killed by Lynx's
demon. By warping between the dimensions with the use of Kid's "astral amulet"
(Schala's pendant), Serge was able to set things right and re-stabilize time
and reality. However, his efforts were dogged (oddly enough) by Lynx, who
sought to gain control of Serge's body to help re-synch Fate with the Frozen
Flame. Under the guise of "challenging" Serge, the Dragon Gods gave him the
means to destroy Fate (which eventually happened as an act of revenge by Kid),
which in fact freed the seven Dragon Gods to reunite into the TimeDevourer in
order to detroy humanity. Ultimately, Serge was able to free Schala's mind
from the TimeDevourer, allowing her to merge with her "Kid" self, and causing
the split realities to be healed and restored as one. This neatly thwarted the
plans of Fate, Lavos and the TimeDevourer and allowed mankind to develop
apace...
In A.D. 1999, Lavos destroyed the world, leaving humanity as a decimated race
much like the Reptites had become. Alternately, Lavos was destroyed by Crono
and co. who traveled through the Black Omen in an earlier time period to stop
Queen Zeal and Lavos before they could annhilate the planet.
In A.D. 2300, Crono, Marle and Lucca learned of Lavos' actions 301 years
before and vowed to stop the beast in the past, before mankind could be
destroyed. Unfortunately, by defeating Lavos before it destroyed the world,
Crono and co. created a time paradox - since they were prompted into action by
witnessing events in a future that never happened, how could they have been
motivated to act in the first place? Thus rather than changing events, Crono
simply created an alternate timeline in which The Day of Lavos never happened.
In a disastrous timeline dominated by Lavos and the computer Mother Brain, the
Guru of Time, Belthasar, gave Crono and friends a time machine called Epoch to
combat Lavos; in a more peaceful reality, Belthasar helped establish a time
research center called Chronopolis, run by the supercomputer Fate (which was
based on the design of the Mother Brain).
In A.D. 2400, Chronopolis was pulled back through time by Lavos to arrive at
9,000 B.C.
Or at least... I think that's how it goes. Don't sue me if I'm wrong.
c. IS GLENN THE SAME GLENN FROM CHRONO TRIGGER? YOU KNOW, FROG?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOOOOOOO! Let me stress that now: CC's Glenn and CT's Glenn are NOT one and
the same. Yes, they both have the same name, and they both can perform an
X-Strike with the hero. They both are knightly swordsmen. But beyond that,
they are NOT alike. But if you need more tangible proof, CT's Glenn lived in
A.D. 600; CC's Glenn was born 400 years later. CT's Glenn and CC's Glenn are
both shown as children speaking to characters from each respective time
period, meaning they grew up in the eras in which you meet them, so there's no
time-travel involved. Furthermore, CT's Glenn was transformed into a frog
during his late teen years (you can tell, 'cause he was a CT generic male
teenager sprite when he was changed) and stayed that way for 10 years; CC's
Glenn is 20, meaning if he were Frog-Glenn, he'd be amphibian at that age.
CT's Glenn had green hair (check the anime clips in the CT remake), CC's does
not. CT's Glenn spoke a formal medieval dialect; CC's is a serious and
somewhat formal person, but his speech is not archaic - merely polite. And
while CT's Glenn wielded the Masamune, CC"s Glenn wields Einlanzer, the
nemesis of the Masamune. So NO. They're not the same. Now stop spreading dumb
rumors or I will kill you.
d. IS GUILE ACTUALLY MAGUS?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably not. However, according to Andrew Vestal (
[email protected]),
in Radical Dreamers (the text-adventure from which Chrono Cross derives some
of its story) the Guile character was named "Gil." He was a masked mage with
long white hair and at the end of the game, you discovered he was actually
Mahou (Magus) looking for Sara (Schala). Obviously, this was changed for the
revised game for a number of reasons; but Guile does indeed resemble Magus - a
powerful black mage with long white hair who floats as he moves. Their
personalities seem a bit different, though, with Guile seeming much more
gregarious than Magus. Additionally, their ages don't seem to match up - Guile
is 27, and Magus would probably be older by this point. Good guesswork,
though. As a side note, Guile was called "Alf" in the Japanese game - similar
to Janus' (Jacky's) cat Alfador. I think it's a mind game by Square. (A NOTE:
Radical Dreamer's Gil character is officially named "Magil" in English, based
on the text in Chronopolis from the alternate-reality memoirs. Further means
by which to debunk the myth)
e. ARE THERE ANY CHRONO TRIGGER CHARACTERS IN CHRONO CROSS?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, several. Some you'll recognize, some you won't. Here they are:
- Crono, Lucca, Marle: These appear as child-like apparitions with Miguel and
Belthasar.
- Belthasar (aka Gash): The creator of the Wings of Time is now the
"Prophet of Time" at Viper Manor. And here you thought he was dead.
- Schala (aka Sara): You'll see her both as Schala and as her other self.
- Slash, Flea and Ozzie (aka Soy Sauce, Mayonnaise and Vinegar): They appear
as a bonus fight in the Bend of Time once you've finished the game.
- Masa and Mune (aka Gran and Leon): They never appear as the sword kids, but
they still play a pivotal role. And their sister Doreen shows up. The fused
Masamune beast shows up in a Tech skill, too.
f. ARE CRONO, MARLE AND LUCCA REALLY DEAD? :-(
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Another world, yes, it seems so. Oh yeah, and when Fate terminates the
Prometheus program? Prometheus was Robo's original name. Massive suckage.
Looks like the only characters who didn't get the shaft were Frog, Magus and
Ayla. And if Leah is Ayla's daughter, then Kino and Ayla may have been killed
as well (apparently Leah's village was destroyed, but the game never
elaborates. Hello sequel!). But it's quite possible that when Serge restores
time in the "proper" ending, he erases Lynx's meddling. Quite likely, this
action undoes those deaths along with many other tragedies caused by Fate and
the time split (in addition to restoring Kid's true self, of course).
g. BUT WHAT ABOUT CRONO AND MARLE?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The only clue I saw regarding their fate is that Guardia was referred to as a
peaceful kingdom - in the past tense. It's possible that Porre's adventurism
caused some sort of war that resulted in the deaths of the heroes and monarchy
of Guardia. This too could have been eradicated by the Frozen Flame, seeing as
the Flame was a major factor in Porre's actions. I suspect more details will
be made known in future installments of the series; they can't just kill off
heroes and not explain why. OK, they can, but it sucks.
h. AND LEAH? IS SHE AYLA'S DAUGHTER?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leah is an enigma. She refers to some sort of disaster that wiped out her
village, and she's looking for her parents, but nothing really comes of it.
It's possible Leah may somehow be Ayla's mom, which is amazingly stupid, but
if you finish the game with her in your party she decides to name her kid
"Ayla." Someone deserves a punch in the mouth for this one...
i. WHO WAS THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER FROM THE MAINLAND WHO SAVED KID?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah yes, that's an interesting question. When you choose to take the "Glenn"
path of the game, you find that despite your inability to find Hydra Humour, a
mysterious stranger from the Zenan continent came and gave Doc the necessary
medicine to save Kid while you were beating up on Fargo. Apparently the
"mysterious stranger" was Norris, who was actually in disguise in Viper Manor
the whole time. Why did he have Hydra Humour? How did he know to help Kid? Who
knows. But, this is elaborated upon in one of the extra endings - thanks to
[email protected] for pointing this out.
j. CAN I KEEP HARLE FROM LEAVING THE PARTY?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No, her departure is an important aspect of the story. Ah, poor Harle.
k. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO EACH CHARACTER'S OTHER WORLD SELF?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a chart of who is where in each world, when accounted for. An asterisk
indicates recruitablility. Some of these I had to interpolate based on various
scraps of dialogue, so if you've found more definitive information, please let
me know.
CHARACTER HOME ANOTHER
--------------- -----------------------------
------------------------------
Serge *Main character Died 10 years prior
Kid A member of Radical Dreamers *Lone wanderer
(according to M. Kato)
Poshul *Arni *Arni
Leena Arni *Arni
Radius *Arni Chief Hermit's Hideaway
Marge Lives with Serge Moved after Serge's death
Peppor Entertainer on S.S. Zelbess Acacian Dragoon
Solt Entertainer on S.S. Zelbess Acacian Dragoon
Mojo Unknown *Arni
Guile Unknown *Termina
Pierre Unknown - probably dead! *Termina
Nikki Indebted to Fargo *Traveling musician
Zappa *Blacksmith in Termina Blacksmith in Termina
Zippa Married to Zappa Married to Zappa
Greco Unknown *Priest
Van *Cynical artist Mopey artist
Gogh Impoverished artist Wealthy trader
Miki *Tours with Nikki Tours with Nikki
Lisa Shoptender in Termina Shoptender in Termina
Funguy *Camping in Shadow Woods Living in Termina
Skelly Unknown *Deceased, more or less
Glenn Died in Dead Sea expedition *Acacian private
Riddel Died in Dead Sea expedition *Lady of Viper Manor
Lord Viper Died in Dead Sea expedition *Lord of Viper Manor
Marcy Died in Dead Sea expedition *Acacian Deva
Karsh Died in Dead Sea expedition *Acacian Deva
Zoah Died in Dead Sea expedition *Acacian Deva
Lynx Died in Dead Sea expedition Humanoid conduit for FATE
Luccia Whereabouts unknown *Viper Manor's scientist
Guardian of Nikki & Marcy Guardian of Nikki & Marcy
Harle Does not exist *Enigmatic Jester
Orcha Barkeep, Guldove *Chef, Viper Manor
Macha Guldove *Guldove
Korcha Guldove *Guldove
Mel Guldove *Guldove
Doc Guldove *Guldove
Steena *Shaman in Guldove Assistant shaman in Guldove
Deria Deceased Shaman in Guldove
Orlha Unknown *Barkeep in Guldove
NeoFio Does not exist *Luccia's experiment
Pip Does not exist *Luccia's experiment
Razzly *Lost faerie Unknown, presumed dead
Fargo Embittered extortionist *Fiesty pirate
Sprigg [Exists as a creature of the Dimension Vortex]
Wazuki Became Lynx Became Lynx
Miguel [Bonded to the Dead Sea at Nadia Square - transcends worlds]
Norris *Leader of 'Black Wind' Porre spy in Viper Manor
Starky *Lost alien Unaccounted for
Draggy Unaccounted for *Nothin' but orphans!
Janice *Grand Slam champion Presumed dead or enslaved
Dario Living on Forbidden Isle Died on Isle of Damned
Sage of Marbule Indebted to Fargo Marbule Chief
Irenes *Seeking to restore Marbule Unknown
Sneff *Indebted to Fargo Unknown
Grobyc Unknown *Hired by Porre
Leah *Lives in Gaea's Navel Dead for millions of years
Turnip Sleeping solider in V. Manor *Worthless vegetable
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. CREDITS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Erm, none really. I wrote all of this crap on my own, so the only real
benefactor here is my miserable lack of a life. You're welcome.
- Well, thanks to CJayC for his nifty work at GameFAQs and for respecting the
work of his contributors. Top class operation all around, pip pip.
- And thanks to all the swell people like Peter Bartholomew, Ed McGlothlin
and my favorite human CB! for all the cool additions they made to the old
CC guide. It may be dead, but their memories live on. As do they, come to
think of it.
- Also, thanks to the FBI for not cracking down on me despite the fact that I
have a website featuring pictures of a sexy underaged girl named "Rorita."
- That's all. Finis.
