Chrono Cross PS5 remake to be announced next month claims rumour

Chrono Cross – about to enjoy an unexpected revival? (pic: Square Enix)

The next big remake for the PS5 is not Metal Gear Solid but the PS1 sequel to Chrono Trigger, and it may not even be an exclusive.

For months now there have been rumours that Sony is helping to organise a big new remake for the PlayStation 5, but there’s never been any agreement as to what it is.

Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill have been common suggestions, but without any proof they’re not much more than guesses. But now the latest rumour is that it’s… Chrono Cross.

That’s certainly a considerably less famous game, and a very odd choice given that it’s a sequel to Chrono Trigger – which despite being acclaimed as one of the best Japanese role-players ever is rarely re-released or mentioned by publisher Square Enix.

There were already hints that the mystery game might be Chrono Cross, as Xenoblade Chronicles 2 composer Yasunori Mitsuda was linked to the secret project and he also worked on the original Chrono Cross soundtrack.

That’s extremely tenuous but XboxEra co-founder Nick Baker has flatly stated, in his latest podcast, that the project in question is indeed Chrono Cross.

Baker points out that Chrono Cross Remaster was already listed in the Nvidia mega leak from September. Baker also refers to the game as a remaster, although that seems unlikely considering the original game made extensive use of pre-rendered backdrops, in a similar manner to Final Fantasy 7, which are notoriously hard to remaster for modern formats.

The terms remake and remaster are often used synonymously, even though they refer to very different things, but at this point it’s impossible to tell which it is.

Baker also adds that the game may in fact not be a PlayStation exclusive and will likely also come to Switch and PC, but possibly not Xbox.

Nevertheless, Sony is expected to be the one to announce the game, which is predicted to happen before Christmas. Unless there’s a surprise State of Play event that means the most likely venue for the reveal is The Game Awards on December 9.

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Originally released for the PlayStation 1 in 1999, Chrono Cross is less of a sequel and more a side story set in the same universe as Chrono Trigger, although there is some crossover in terms of characters.

The game was only ever a minor hit and, like its predecessor, was never released in Europe. It’s been largely forgotten since, even though at the time of launch it was considered a classic by many.

Despite rumours of a third game in the late 2000s the series has never seen any other entries, although Chrono Trigger was remastered for PC as recently as 2018.

If the rumours are true then Square Enix may have been inspired to resurrect the series by the surprise success of NieR Automata, which also revived a dormant franchise that many assumed would never be seen again.

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