Serge wakes in a world where he died long ago, and you slip through with him.

On gut feeling, Chrono Cross gets past six games in ten. Fine, no more. And yet, the moment you look at the emotional criteria, everything soars. Attachment, ahead of 95% of titles. The dream of experiencing it fresh again, right at the top, ahead of 97%. Mitsuda's score, ahead of 96%, almost untouchable. The art follows, ahead of 84%. But one line collapses: the controller in hand, rock bottom, ahead of barely 7% of games. That's the real tension. A game you adore, replay in your ears and long to relive, yet whose Element-based combat leaves the hands cold.

It's the paradox of the great PlayStation RPGs: story and music mark a generation, while the gameplay ages faster. Set against its kinship with Chrono Trigger, the comparison stings but says it all.

So who's it for? For you if you want a journey that haunts you years later and a soundtrack that lives on its own. Much less so if your pleasure comes first from the fights and the feel of the controller.