"07.24.99] » An interview in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu reveals Chrono Cross' expected length, its geographical location in relation to Chrono Trigger, the story behind the new battle system, and other gameplay details.
The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, Japan's largest gaming publication, contains an interview with Chrono Cross' director Masato Kato, producer Hiromichi Tanaka, and composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The three key players behind the project share a variety of new and intriguing gameplay revelations. Most notably, Kato remarks that one can expect to complete the game in about 30 hours, though "the system takes advantage of the PlayStation's features to make the game enjoyable to play even after you've finished it." According to Kato, one is "essentially free to choose the story's path" during the game, and later explains that "we couldn't include a lot of storyline splits in Chrono Trigger, so we stuck with a multi-ending setup, but in Chrono Cross the storyline itself changes as you go on."
In addition, Kato explains, "Chrono Cross takes place in the same world as Chrono Trigger, although [in] a different area." One can expect to explore many of Chrono Trigger's locations extensively in Chrono Cross, and, as reported earlier, dimensional travel or "parallel worlds" will play a strong role throughout Serge's travels. The full interview follows. Thanks to Andrew Church for the fantastic translation. "