Renowned JRPG developer and publisher Square Enix has revitalized many of its classic games for modern platforms. From the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters for PC and mobile to console remasters like Nier Replicant, SaGa Frontier, and Legend of Mana, what’s old is forever new. Now, leaks indicate that we’ll soon hear about a remaster or remake of Chrono Cross, the PS1 follow-up to the beloved SNES RPG Chrono Trigger. But can some kind of remaster ever hope to live up to the hype caused by all of these leaks?
What are the Chrono Cross leaks?
The Chrono Cross remaster is currently one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming. We first learned about this title’s existence following an Nvidia GeForce Now leak in September 2021. While Nvidia claims the list was speculative, many of the titles included have since been announced, like Outcast 2 and God of War’s PC port.
In October, Folk singer Éabha McMahon told WLR FM’s Lunchbox radio show that she wrote a song for a PlayStation game remake that would be revealed around Christmas. The excitement heated up when Xbox Era Co-Founder Nick Baker (a.k.a., reliable leaker Shpeshal_Nick) said that he heard that the game McMahon talked about was a multiplatform remaster of Chrono Cross on the November 20 episode of his podcast.
In the days that followed, insider NateDrake claimed that it was more than a simple remaster and teased developer Forever Entertainment’s involvement on ResetERA, a Chrono Cross crossover within Another Eden was spotted, and Gematsu claimed it had also heard about the game’s existence.
Square Enix certainly did a lousy job keeping this title under wraps, so we’re now eagerly awaiting more leaks or an official announcement.
What is the Chrono Cross x Another Eden crossover?
Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space is a free-to-play RPG for PC and mobile created by Masato Kato, who was a writer on Chrono Trigger and Director of Chrono Cross. A crossover for the game will reportedly be revealed on December 4, 2021. While the teasers just say it’s with a Square Enix game, a data-miner discovered a connection to Chrono Cross.
On Reddit, user aceofivalia discovered files referencing characters like Serge, Kid, Lucca, and Harle — all of whom appear in Chrono Cross. Considering Masato Kato’s connection to Chrono Cross, it isn’t surprising that a crossover between the two titles is possible.
That said, it would be an odd choice for Square Enix to agree to this if they didn’t have any other immediate plans for the Chrono Cross IP, so this crossover only fuels the fire when it comes to remastering speculation.
Is Chrono Cross getting a remaster or a remake?
As the leaks show, there is still some confusion over whether or not this is a remaster or remake. McMahon and NateDrake call it a remake, but Nick Baker, Gematsu, and the Nvidia leak are calling claim it’s just a remaster.
While we won’t know for sure until it’s finally announced, we think that a remaster is much more likely, even if the developers put more work into overhauling certain parts of the game as they did with Nier Replicant. Just don’t expect a recreation on part with Final Fantasy VII Remake, as Nate Drake claims “it’s not a high budget release.”
Is there a Chrono Cross remaster release date?
No. As the game isn’t officially announced, we don’t know what the release date is. The Nvidia leak suggests it could come out in 2022, but that date is subject to change if the game is still in development. As it’s unannounced, we also obviously don’t have a trailer or list of platforms for the game either.
When will we learn more about the Chrono Cross remaster?
We don’t know for sure, as Square Enix has not officially teased the game yet. Because the Another Eden event is being held very soon, we suspect an announcement could be imminent. McMahon mentioned that the game would be revealed around Christmas and that timing aligns well with The Game Awards, which take place on December 9, 2021.
If a Chrono Cross remaster is not announced there, we may have to wait until a State of Play, Nintendo Direct, or Square Enix Presents showcase in 2022 to learn about the game. Please don’t leave us waiting for too long, Square Enix.
