My review also posted on Steam:
TLDR
A classic RPG with a great soundtrack and an interesting storyline (providing you've played Chrono Trigger!). Performance may vary but I had no real issues with latest updates. Unusual battle, leveling and party system which is likely to be divisive. Recommended for fans of classic 90s RPGs, but unlikely to persuade those who aren't a fan of the genre.
Performance
Lots and lots has been said about this. I played this in 2024 after all the patches and alternated between my ROG Ally and my desktop PC. Barring some screen tearing, which was fixed by forcing on V Sync and switching to borderless windowed instead of full screen, I had no issues and the game ran smoothly. I didn't use mods but I also limited the frame rate to a maximum of 60FPS just in case. The game was fine on both the ALLY and the desktop. Probably looked better on the ALLY as the smaller screen doesn't expose the dated backgrounds as much!
Gameplay
The battle system is a bit odd - it's not quite turn based and uses a stamina system. There is an easily missable tutorial in the first village that explains the basics. It took me a while to get my head around it and to be honest I think there's a reason we've not seen anything like it since - it's unnecessarily convoluted in my opinion. The levelling up system is also a bit different, with an overall level awarded by beating bosses and then small stat increases awarded through the regular battles. These stat boosts are finite, so it means there is little grinding, but then also it can be pointless fighting these battles in long stretches between bosses. Unlike many JRPGs, there are also many part members you can recruit (over 40!). Personally, I didn't really like this as it meant you don't get to know the characters as they don't really respond uniquely to most scenarios in the game and it feels like many characters are very similar and as you can only swap them out at save points or on the world map, there isn't really an incentive to do so regularly. These do level up with your main party thankfully, but as far as I'm aware don't gain the stat increases from the regular battles. Chrono Cross is clearly an ambitious game, trying to be different and it succeeds in that regard - but definitely won't be to everyone's tastes.
Storyline
Takes a while to get going but poses some interesting questions about the meaning of life, what happens when one interferes with timelines and even natural selection (which as a biology teacher I did very much enjoy!). Chrono Trigger fans will get more out of it - I've heard people say that Chrono Cross works as a standalone title, but I think much of the ending would be lost on you if you hadn't played Chrono Trigger and therefore the storyline would lose a lot of its impact. The story provides enough intrigue to keep you playing and provokes thought post the ending which is always a mark of a good storyline in my book. I also enjoyed the story of the Radical Dreamers visual novel that was included and one could argue that this more closely links to Chrono Trigger. There is also a brand new secret ending that you can unlock after viewing the endings of both Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers - you can see it by watching the credits in the launcher.
Overall, I liked it (mainly for the storyline, Chrono Trigger references and soundtrack), but I'm not rushing back for a new game plus as I never really came to love the battle system or character progression.
TLDR
A classic RPG with a great soundtrack and an interesting storyline (providing you've played Chrono Trigger!). Performance may vary but I had no real issues with latest updates. Unusual battle, leveling and party system which is likely to be divisive. Recommended for fans of classic 90s RPGs, but unlikely to persuade those who aren't a fan of the genre.
Performance
Lots and lots has been said about this. I played this in 2024 after all the patches and alternated between my ROG Ally and my desktop PC. Barring some screen tearing, which was fixed by forcing on V Sync and switching to borderless windowed instead of full screen, I had no issues and the game ran smoothly. I didn't use mods but I also limited the frame rate to a maximum of 60FPS just in case. The game was fine on both the ALLY and the desktop. Probably looked better on the ALLY as the smaller screen doesn't expose the dated backgrounds as much!
Gameplay
The battle system is a bit odd - it's not quite turn based and uses a stamina system. There is an easily missable tutorial in the first village that explains the basics. It took me a while to get my head around it and to be honest I think there's a reason we've not seen anything like it since - it's unnecessarily convoluted in my opinion. The levelling up system is also a bit different, with an overall level awarded by beating bosses and then small stat increases awarded through the regular battles. These stat boosts are finite, so it means there is little grinding, but then also it can be pointless fighting these battles in long stretches between bosses. Unlike many JRPGs, there are also many part members you can recruit (over 40!). Personally, I didn't really like this as it meant you don't get to know the characters as they don't really respond uniquely to most scenarios in the game and it feels like many characters are very similar and as you can only swap them out at save points or on the world map, there isn't really an incentive to do so regularly. These do level up with your main party thankfully, but as far as I'm aware don't gain the stat increases from the regular battles. Chrono Cross is clearly an ambitious game, trying to be different and it succeeds in that regard - but definitely won't be to everyone's tastes.
Storyline
Takes a while to get going but poses some interesting questions about the meaning of life, what happens when one interferes with timelines and even natural selection (which as a biology teacher I did very much enjoy!). Chrono Trigger fans will get more out of it - I've heard people say that Chrono Cross works as a standalone title, but I think much of the ending would be lost on you if you hadn't played Chrono Trigger and therefore the storyline would lose a lot of its impact. The story provides enough intrigue to keep you playing and provokes thought post the ending which is always a mark of a good storyline in my book. I also enjoyed the story of the Radical Dreamers visual novel that was included and one could argue that this more closely links to Chrono Trigger. There is also a brand new secret ending that you can unlock after viewing the endings of both Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers - you can see it by watching the credits in the launcher.
Overall, I liked it (mainly for the storyline, Chrono Trigger references and soundtrack), but I'm not rushing back for a new game plus as I never really came to love the battle system or character progression.