Overview

Most people who buy Chrono Cross do it in expectation of it being another Chrono Trigger. They're right, in the fact that both are masterpieces. However, Yasunori Mitsuda achieves it this time in a way that is rather unexpected, especially to those who love his particular brand of music. Set up along three CDs, the soundtrack, like the Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version, seems to be set in roughly the same chronological order as the game; listening to the three CDs in order would be like listening to the game story itself.

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The thing that first strikes the listener upon listening isn't so much as the music itself, but rather the sheer quality of the instrumentation. I really did not believe at first that this kind of music could come out of a PlayStation. This is especially true when the first track happens to be "Chrono Cross ~Time's Scar~," one of the most dynamic tracks in the entire CD, if not the most. This is largely the results of synthesizer operator Ryo Yamazaki's work.

Despite appearances, the first track does not set the mood for the rest of the CD; this dynamic and fast-paced piece belies the tone the rest of the Original Soundtrack takes, with very few exceptions. Unlike his previous work, Xenogears, Mitsuda chose to take a very laid-back approach; most of the tracks, rather than being intense, convey a sense of brightness or even cheerfulness, in some cases. To be more accurate, the music reflects the palette that is used in this game — colorful, bright, unrealistic, sometimes seemingly out-of-place, but almost always oddly appropriate, never clashing. Mitsuda definitely has improved upon his skills as a composer; the music no longer goes to extremes in order to convey a mood as it did in his previous works. The result is a soundtrack that is eminently listenable; with a relaxed and almost sweet tone to the music, it never jars on the consciousness and can be listened for hours on end.

That said, Mitsuda goes out of his way to say how much of a sequel Chrono Cross is; many of his tracks revert to the peculiar, whimsical style that he used in Chrono Trigger (dressed up appropriately according to technological advances and increasing leanings towards Celtic/Irish music). While there are few outright deliberate cut-and-paste Chrono Trigger themes, hints of melodies here and there say it aloud more than anything else. The music to Chrono Cross definitely stands apart in quality and in composition from that of Chrono Trigger, but it never forgets its roots. Stylistically, the music is similar enough to bring a happy tear to Chrono Trigger fans; many of the tracks, while new and beautifully composed, will still bring the listeners to search their memories for a particular "matching" track from Chrono Trigger. And for one or two tracks, there simply isn't a need to search — some are deliberate remakes, dressed up to the nines, such as "Victory ~ Gift of Spring", a jazzed-up version of the victory fanfare from Chrono Trigger.

Instrument-wise, this is the first time Mitsuda uses electric guitar at all; in his previous works I've never heard it used, or if it was, never as a major instrument. Also new is his use of piano, another instrument he never used often in his previous works; however, it adds to the very laid-back and relaxed approach to the music and is very appropriate. Vocals take a backstep from Xenogears; the lack of choral pieces notwithstanding, the usage of vocals is far more sparse and far less tedious. As in Xenogears, vocals show up in the battle songs to enhance the mood; in fact, all the battle songs in the Original Soundtrack display vocals, from chanting to eerie wailing. Outside of that, vocals are used to add a peculiar ambience to certain non-battle tracks. The melody, combined with the voice used, is most often eerie and always haunting.

There is, of course, the sentimental vocal song for the end of the game, "Radical Dreamers ~Unstolen Jewel~." As usual, Mitsuda does not disappoint with this gorgeous song. While the song is entirely in Japanese — unlike Xenogears — it doesn't detract from its beauty even for those who can't understand the lyrics. The singer produces a childishly sweet voice, heard clearly against the guitar accompaniment. The utter simplicity of the song belies its beauty; it evokes a wistful and almost sad mood that words simply cannot describe. One might be inclined to think that the song "Radical Dreamers," despite its lack of hype and vicious price tag, is far more beautiful than Faye Wong's "Eyes on Me."

Battle tracks might be the one area that Mitsuda disappoints. Battle themes are sparse and unmemorable compared to the rest of the tracks in the game, a rather unusual turnabout since battle tracks tend to be the most memorable. This is not to say that they are badly composed, they are merely eclipsed by other tracks, which may or may not be a bad thing. One particular exception, however, is "Dragon God." Similar to the track "Awakening" in Xenogears both stylistically and instrumentally, it is a powerful track and one of the highlights of the third CD, only eclipsed by "Radical Dreamers ~Unstolen Jewel~." The vocal chants throughout the theme adds to the drama and tenseness of it, causing it to linger in the mind.

Summary

Overall, the Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack is definitely worth buying, especially if you are a Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version fan. Some may be turned off with the laid-back feel the soundtrack, but the majority should welcome this with open arms.

Overview

There may be no video game in the history of video gaming that has created more controversy than Chrono Cross. Though the game received almost universally high praise from professional critics, gathering nines, tens, and A's from a majority of reputable gaming web sites, the video gaming fan base has not always agreed, many feeling that the game failed to hold up a certain standard, which was set by Chrono Trigger. As with the game, the Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack has been met with a similar amount of scrutiny. Yasunori Mitsuda who was also responsible for Chrono Trigger's soundtrack composes for Chrono Cross, and though its value is widely debated, I consider the Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack to be one of the finest collections of game music ever created that everyone at least owes a listen in order to form their own opinion of.

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One of the defining traits of the Chrono series is been its development of a single setting through different points of view. In Chrono Trigger the settings are differentiated by time. In Chrono Cross the settings are worlds in parallel, altered by one pivotal moment in time. In both games, Mitsuda's soundtrack is essential to creating the contrast between settings. In Chrono Cross, the importance of Mitsuda's music is elevated further in that the graphics are quite similar in the two worlds. The score fulfils its purpose wonderfully. The sense of contrast between the two worlds is evident early on the soundtrack, between the two island map themes in the game. "Fields of Time ~ Home World" features a robust rhythm section, which supports the memorable main theme from Chrono Trigger, and bustles with joyous energy. "On the Beach of Dreams ~ Another World," which happens to be one of my favourite pieces on the album, is not at all similar. This piece is one of haunting beauty. A choir sample being played against a touching guitar ostinato, which both bow down to the interplay between the fretless bass and violin. The overall effect is absolutely beautiful, although it has an overhanging feeling of melancholy. In either case, both pieces are very different and reflect the different between the two worlds before the characters get a chance to explore further into the world.

Many of the town themes in Chrono Cross are given similar treatment, although more often with the pieces maintaining some melodic similarity, with other aspects changed to fit the differing character of the towns in the different worlds. Mitsuda's command over town themes has always been one of his greatest strengths, and his ability to create similar town themes without just relying on the "Change the melody to minor to make it sadder" theory, thus allowing him to evoke our emotions more subtly and suitably, not to mention allowing him to show us the flexibility of his fabulous melodies. Observe the difference between "Arni Village ~ Home" and "Arni Village ~ Another." You will recognize similar motives in the two pieces, but the difference in instrumentation, tempo, and of the unfamiliar melodic material emphasizes that these two settings are indeed the same place in different worlds. In other situations, Mitsuda uses stylistic similarity instead of melodic similarity to draw the parallel between locations. Take "Termina ~ Another" and "Termina ~ Home." The melodies do not bear the resemblance that the Arni tracks did, and, in fact, along with striking rhythmic differences, this is what gives each piece its individual character. Here, Mitsuda uses the Celtic style to draw the comparison between the two locations. The town themes throughout the rest of the album are a real highlight on the album, with both Guldove themes remarkable in their sweet melodies and direct simplicity, and the Marbule themes brimming with varying degrees of Celtic energy. "A Narrow Space Between Dimensions," one of the few tracks for a unique setting altogether, is one of the finest compositions in this collection. A piece for solo guitar that, despite its relaxed mood, reflects on the hollowness of living in a dimension with no consequence to anyone.

Mitsuda's creations for the other various locations in the game are well done as well. They range from primal rhythmically based tracks such as "Hydra Swamp" and "Navel of the World" to mostly ambient tracks such as "Island of the Earth Dragon" and "Forest of Illusion." There are a few pieces of this nature which really do not work, such as "Isle of the Dead," which is simply oppressive and uninteresting. Some tracks like "Ghost Ship" also fail to work for me, with this example feeling like the accompaniment to cartoon sneaking as opposed to being any serious atmospheric piece. Beyond that, however, Mitsuda is generally spot on in creating settings for the action to take place within. Some of these themes indeed end up being highlights from the album. Take "Dead Sea/Tower of Destruction" as an example. One of the most fully realized tracks on the album, "Dead Sea/Tower of Destruction" creates an absolutely chilling effect, a large part thanks to stellar manipulation of production effects and instrumentation. "Fortress of Ancient Dragons" is another strong track, alternating between a very ambient sound and a much more rhythmically powered section.

Unfortunately for the listener, these themes are interrupted often by the game's much less consistently wonderful battle themes. "Between Life and Death," the first theme heard in the actual gameplay portion of the game, and which also serves as the theme for many of the game's boss fights, is sadly mediocre. While its rhythm is driving, there is never any real harmonic tension created, there is no melody worth remembering, and the overall effect does not really get the listener up for doing battle. "Gale," the game's normal battle theme, taken from Radical Dreamers, is not much better, and often ends up being nothing more than annoying. Again, rhythm is not an issue, but melody and harmony are, which is a shame, as the listener will hear this piece an awful lot in the game. The battle themes from later in the game, on the other hand, are exceptional. It's a great shame that each of these pieces are only used once each, as they are far better than "Between Life and Death" or "Gale".. The first, "Fates ~The God of Destiny~," is rhythmically tame compared to the earlier battle themes, but much more inspired instrumentation and melodies of actual value make the piece far more intriguing. The second, "Dragon God," is easily the album's best battle track, and one of the best pieces on the album in general. This piece is full of rhythmic intensity, has memorable motives, and uses fine instrumentation. With the quality of this piece, it's a shame that it only shows up once in the game. Even more tragically, it is followed by "Dark Realms of Time," the game's final battle piece, which I'm not even going to comment on out of fear that I will injure someone in anger by going any further.

Though none of the event-specific tracks in Chrono Cross turn me off nearly as much as "Dark Realms of Time," the game's music is just as uneven in that territory. That's not to say that it is bad though, as there are some truly remarkable pieces of that nature. "Prisoners of Fate," which could almost be considered a battle theme if stretched to its limits, is one of the most emotional themes I've experienced in a video game. Though there is nothing especially unique about it, its melody is crafted with such precision that I cannot help but surrender my heart to it. "Garden of God" emanates a sacred atmosphere that reflects on the grandeur of the dragons to whom this theme is dedicated. "Lost Fragment" combines beautiful guitar with the fine melody from the game's opening sequence. There are many more great tracks of this nature, but also a deal that do not work for me. Sadly enough, one of the tracks of this nature, which I did not like, is related to the game's only prominent musician. "Magical Dreamers..." combines rock and Mitsuda's Celtic influence into a piece that offers little besides its melody. There are other pieces such as "The Splendidly Grand Magic Troupe" whose title is longer than the piece can actually contain the listener's interest. Also present are tracks such as "Ephemeral Memory," which end up being far too sentimental to really evoke a real emotional response from me. For the most part however, Mitsuda uses music fairly effectively to push the game's dramatic scene's forward.

With most of the music from the game itself out of the way, that leaves us with two tracks that absolutely must be mentioned when dealing with Chrono Cross. The first track, played during the game's introductory music, is a great encapsulation of the game itself. Its introductory segment features a beautifully warm synth pad that captures the mood of Chrono Cross' tropical waters perfectly. Mitsuda's melody is soaked in nostalgia, and with the wonderful timbre of the fretless bass and acoustic guitar, there is a definite sense of reminiscence, as if going through the events of the game in retrospect through the introductory movie. As the action picks up, Mitsuda answers with a quick and powerful melody that would have been perfect as a melody to one of the melodically devoid battle themes in the game. The mood is chaotic, but the sound is clear and intense. "Chrono Cross ~Scars of Time~" may well be the best track on the album, and is certainly the most memorable. "Radical Dreamers ~Unstealable Jewel~" plays over the concluding credits. The vocal melody is very pleasant, and carries the benefit of being accompanied very idiomatic guitar styled harmonies that are not often heard. Though the piece is rather simple, it does a good job of capturing the feeling one might expect after the events of Chrono Cross. Not an incredibly noteworthy piece, but very pleasant; it meddles with my emotions in ways I cannot figure out

The one thing I've not mentioned yet, but deserves to be mentioned is the superb sound quality throughout the album. No PlayStation work possesses music that is allowed to sparkle with as much clarity as this. Thanks to synthesizer operator Ryo Yamazaki, the independent synths are well done, and the instrument emulations are surprisingly well done in many cases. The quality of the sound is remarkable, especially for its time.

Summary

Though Chrono Cross' score is not the most diverse or complex soundtrack available, its high points are so good that I cannot help but consider it in the upper echelon of game music. Mitsuda's melodies are as wonderful as ever, and he does a great job of creating unity between the game's two worlds, while emphasizing their emotional differences. There's a very human quality to the entire album that helps bring the El Nido Archipelago to life. Very few video game albums besides this have been able to create as strong a sense not only of place and of character and of drama, but also of person. There are not a lot of soundtracks that I talk less about the actual musical make up of each piece than this one, but there are no soundtracks like this where I can actually feel like I could walk into one of the game's many towns and actually hear a group on the street playing some of these themes, even among Mitsuda's other scores. That is an intangible quality that no musical schooling ever needed to teach Yasunori Mitsuda, and it appears with remarkable effect on this album. That being said, the Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack still succeeds on all other accounts. It features memorable melodies, serves the drama of the story, and is interesting to listen to for its own merits. Yes, there are weak tracks, and, indeed, some tracks do not work out of context, but that is no excuse for me to not give Chrono Cross's soundtrack high marks. It is simply one of the best experiences I have ever had with video game music, and a staunch reminder that complexity need not be treated with superiority.

Overview

Chrono Cross was released in 1999 and was developed by scenarist and director, Masato Kato, of Chrono Trigger fame. Since the story of Chrono Cross deals with the theme of parallelism, portions of the soundtrack also contain parallel arrangements. Yasunori Mitsuda was asked to compose for this game given his familiarity with the Chrono universe. How does his second major journey into this universe compare with his first and is he able to succeed in creating a parallel masterpiece to his original Chrono Trigger soundtrack?

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Since this game focuses on parallelism, so too, will most of this review. It will subsequently be broken down into three major sections: parallelism within the Chrono Cross world, parallelism between Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger, and lastly, pieces that are neither, but worthy of recognition.

Most of the parallel tracks within the Chrono Cross world have to deal with the various cities found within, with the exception of the "Voyage" theme. This theme is used when traversing the vast sea of the El Nido Archipelago. Out of the two versions, I find that the "Home" version is much more appealing. Its use of percussion, the electric guitar melody, a very nice acoustic accompaniment all help to create a very adventurous and motivating theme. Its counterpart, the "Another" version, opts to take a much more laid back approach in its composition. The use of the acoustic guitar, serving as an accompaniment to the melodic piano line, helps to give off, not a sense of adventure, but rather a sense of carefree exploring. The "Arni Village" theme is another track which opts to take the same type of stylistic approach. The "Home" version exudes a very serene atmosphere. The combination of the flute and acoustic guitar melody playing over the acoustic guitar accompaniment make for a very relaxing track which describes the quaint beachside village of Arni. On the other hand, its counterpart employs the use of the piano to drive the main melody. In addition, Mitsuda also slows the track down, and in doing so, creates a much more emotional village theme.

"Galdorb," perhaps my favorite town theme of all time, is a fantastic display of emotion. The "Home" version employs a very nice mixture of acoustic guitar and percussion to create a beautiful melody. The percussion use really gives this track a very tropical and ethnic feel to the track, which only helps to accentuate its emotional qualities. Likewise, the "Another" version also employs the use of acoustic guitar, but rather than using it to drive the melody, it once again reverts to the role of support. The main melody is played on oboe, and by doing so, it becomes a much more striking piece of work. As is with the other "Another" versions, this track is a slower version of its counterpart. "Marbule" is probably the most interesting of the town themes. Its "Home" version employs a myriad of instruments to create a very magical theme. From bagpipes and flute, to acoustic guitar, this track is a very memorable one. The addition of the "Magical Dreamers" theme really helps add to the track as well.

"Marbule ~ Another," as with its predecessors, is a much more relaxing version of its "Home" counterpart. Eliminating the bagpipes, the Scottish feel that the previous track had is lost, and is replaced with a much dreamier atmosphere. This brings us to the last parallel town theme, "Termina." This is by far the most different of his town themes in that it doesn't follow the patterns the previous tracks had set. For this theme, the "Home" version is the much more laid back of the two. Bagpipes and flute are in full force with this town's melody and the strong percussion helps to add some development to the track, as well as motivation. The flute solo is also a highlight of this track. Unlike his other "Another" version tracks, "Termina ~ Another" keeps most of the same instrumentation. Canastas are added to give this a very Spanish flair and a nice rhythm to boot. The acoustic guitar also serves as a nice accompaniment that complements the bagpipes quite well.

The Chrono Cross soundtrack also offers some arrangements of a few themes from its predecessor. The themes that Mitsuda opted to use in this album include the "Fanfare 1", otherwise known as "Lucca's Theme," a Uematsu entry, "Sealed Door," and the main theme from the previous game, "Chrono Trigger." In this album, Mitsuda offers two arrangements of "Lucca's Theme." While these victory themes offer a bit of diversity in terms of execution, I find one to be rather anti-victory in sound, while the other maintains a sense of victory. The weaker entry, "Victory ~ A Gift of Spring," starts out with a brass fanfare, reminiscent of its base track, but shifts into a track dominated by flute and violin. While the track itself is still nice, the mellow execution of this track seems to be out of place in a victory theme. Fortunately, Mitsuda redeems himself with the "A Cry in Summer" version of the victory theme. It starts off with the initial brass fanfare, but continues with the addition of some militaristic percussion. While still not as good as its base track, this version is at least closer to the original and conveys a sense of victory. Another theme that Mitsuda decided to arrange was "Sealed Door" from Chrono Trigger. Taking Uematsu's eerie melody and transforming it into his own, Mitsuda is able to create a pretty decent arrangement. The track achieves a similar eeriness to its original by the prominent use of strings and piano with some glockenspiel accompaniment and its counterpart, a drum accompaniment with some electronica. Overall, this isn't one of his best arrangements, but it has enough to keep it original without sounding like a rehash of an older theme.

While those two tracks offered part of the arranged Chrono Trigger themes on the album, the bulk of the arrangements belong to "Chrono Trigger." Thankfully, each arrangement is entirely different from one another in terms of instrumentation. In "Fields of Time ~ Home World," the first appearance of the theme, Mitsuda gives the original a very calypso-like atmosphere. Through the use of morocco, steel drums, and acoustic guitar, the theme is given a Caribbean flair. The addition of the "Radical Dreamers" theme played by the acoustic guitar, really helps tie together the two main themes of their respective games. "Chronomantique" also offers an island-like atmosphere, but does so using the acoustic guitar as the star instrument. It creates such a warming melody and the string and percussion accompaniment help to make this track very motivating. Lastly, "The Dream that Time Dreams" is an interesting rendition of the "Chrono Trigger" motif. The track itself starts off quite originally. Tribal drums, xylophone, and flute lead the way into the main theme itself. This time, the melody is played on the violin. While I like the similarities to the original in terms of instrumentation, I find this track to be the weakest of all the "Chrono Trigger" arrangements. It seems uninspired as compared to its counterparts, but is motivating enough to keep interest and its inclusion of the "On the Beach of Dreams" motif is also a positive for this track.

Now that we've gotten the parallelism of the soundtrack out of the way, what other tracks are there that are worthy of mention? Of course, there are plenty to mention, but I'll only focus on about fifteen tracks or so. "Scars of Time." This sentence alone would cause many to get excited and rightfully so. Mitsuda is able to compose an emotionally gripping opening track, which is usually the case with him, and one that employs more instruments than imaginable. The track itself starts out with a simple flute and acoustic guitar ensemble but soon shifts into something more much frenetic in nature. In the latter portion of the track, percussion enters in excess and never ceases to let go. The violin melody observed here is captivating and in the end, the listener is most likely left in awe. While some may think it is overrated, and at times I feel it can be, the musicality of the track is superb. However, the melody in "Scars of Time is also seen elsewhere, mainly in a violin and acoustic guitar ensemble featured in "Lost Fragment." The slowdown in this track makes it much more emotional than its previous counterpart, and in doing so, helps to portray the name quite well. Interestingly enough, portions of this motif, although faint and very hard to discern, can be found in "Frozen Flame," mainly in the woodwind melody. The track itself is very good as well. It's haunting and mysterious in nature and the instrumentation is superb. From the piano to the vocals to the strings, the track is mixed quite well and stands out on this album.

Immediately following "Scars of Time" on the album is "Between Life and Death." By placing this piece directly after the opening sequence, the motivation and energy seen in the latter half of the previous piece is continued. The musicality in this track can be described as "crisis" in nature, but Mitsuda seems to be able to pull it off without being too clichéd. The percussion, the random chanting, and superb violin melody help to produce a fantastic track. Staying in the area of faster tracks, "Dragon God," definitely deserves a mention as well. This track is dominated by frenetic strings and woodwinds playing the main melody. Accompanied by female vocals and some sporadic percussion, mainly cymbals, this track is able to redeem the dismal attempt at a battle theme that was "Gale." Another track on the album, and probably one of the more unique tracks on the album, is "Burning Orphanage." Although it has some organ cliché in the track, the haunting vocals, heavy percussion, and strings all counterbalance the track and make it an enjoyable experience.

This brings us to "A Narrow Space between Dimensions," a transitional track for my review. This piece is very mellow in nature. The acoustic guitar, the sole instrument, provides a very enthralling melody that helps to describe a limbo of sorts. Mitsuda has done wonders with the acoustic guitar on this album, and this track is one of its highlights. Moving onto the slower portions of the soundtrack, there are quite a few notable pieces to mention. Starting with a theme of sadness, we have "Departed Souls" and "Prisoners of Fate." Both of these tracks convey an extremely poignant melody, but at the same time, a very depressing one. "Departed Souls" utilizes a mixture between acoustic guitar, harp, and violin to achieve this feeling, and the initial build up with the acoustic guitar helps draw the listener into the piece. On the other hand, "Prisoners of Fate" opens immediately with the violin and takes a much more orchestral approach. The drama observed in this piece is spectacular and while it may not seem like a standard battle theme, the battle in which it plays makes it a very fitting entry.

Another area in which this soundtrack excels is in the feeling of mystery. The one track that truly epitomizes this would be "On the Beach of Dreams ~ Another World." This overworld track takes a much more non-traditional approach to its "Fields of Time" counterpart. The use of haunting vocals, a piercing violin line, and the inclusion of the "Radical Dreamers" melody in the acoustic guitar accompaniment creates a track of mystery and awe. While it can be a bit underwhelming, it still makes for a very relaxing piece of music.

This brings us to the vocal piece on the album, "Radical Dreamers ~ Unstealable Jewel." This track epitomizes simplicity on this soundtrack. Acoustic guitar and vocals are all this track contain, and by doing so, really helps to create a captivating melody. While it's not Mitsuda's best vocal piece, it blends together quite nicely with the soundtrack's themes. The vocalist Noriko Mitose's melody is a bit unrefined, but it manages to accompany the acoustic guitar accompaniment pretty well. Of course, this isn't the only section in which this melody is used. As mentioned previously, it found its way into the two overworld themes, but also has a few stand-alone tracks of its own. "Fragment of a Dream" is a very simplistic music box arrangement of the same theme and offers a pleasant rendition of the piece sans vocals. "Life ~ A Distant Promise" is another track, which plays with this theme. It opens quite slowly with the "Radical Dreamers" motif, but quickly evolves into an orchestral arrangement of the theme. Violin and piano are the main stars of this show with some prominent percussion on occasion to create some contrast. Halfway through this track, however, woodwind is introduced and also plays the thematic motif.

Summary

This brings us to the end of my review, but before I finish, there is one more track left to mention. As we look back on the review, let us do so while listening to "Reminiscing ~ Unerasable Memories." This piece can sum up the feelings one should experience after listening to the entire album. Mitsuda offers many memorable experiences on this soundtrack, from "Scars of Time" to "Radical Dreamers," and from his parallel arrangements of Chrono Cross themes to his arrangements of former Chrono Trigger pieces and while the piece in question is a simplistic piano piece, it captures the essence of many of these tracks through its sheer emotion. In the end, this soundtrack is one of Mitsuda's best, both in and out of context, and in my opinion surpasses his Chrono Trigger soundtrack. So was he able to succeed in creating a parallel success? Yes, and was able to do so quite gracefully.