Difference between revisions of "Chrono Cross Demo"

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Before the official release of ''Chrono Cross'', Square Enix marketed a PlayStation release of ''Chrono Trigger'' and attached a demo of the game to it and ''Legend of Mana.'' The demo included several scenes which later were released as a preview video by American reviewers (such as IGN and Gamespot), ending with the famous tag line "THE CLOCK RESTARTS 1999". This demo has allowed a short look into the late stages of the development of ''Chrono Cross'', offering a few prizes such as a scrapped facial portrait of Kid and missing playable characters. The entire experience is presented here, along with unused art for the game posted by Yasuyuki Honne (the art director) on his blog.
 
Before the official release of ''Chrono Cross'', Square Enix marketed a PlayStation release of ''Chrono Trigger'' and attached a demo of the game to it and ''Legend of Mana.'' The demo included several scenes which later were released as a preview video by American reviewers (such as IGN and Gamespot), ending with the famous tag line "THE CLOCK RESTARTS 1999". This demo has allowed a short look into the late stages of the development of ''Chrono Cross'', offering a few prizes such as a scrapped facial portrait of Kid and missing playable characters. The entire experience is presented here, along with unused art for the game posted by Yasuyuki Honne (the art director) on his blog.
 +
 +
See also [[Chrono Cross NTSC Beta]], as well as [[Chrono Trigger 2 Promo Video]].
 +
 +
'''DOWNLOAD THE DEMO USING THIS LINK:''' [http://chronofan.com/Zeality/SquarePreviewVolume5.iso Square's Preview Volume 5] (ISO, 519 MB)
 +
 +
'''DOWNLOAD CERTAIN EXTRACTED FILES HERE:''' [http://chronofan.com/Black/Other/utunnels_Demo.zip Chrono Cross Demo Random Files] (by utunnels)
  
 
===Introduction and Gameplay===
 
===Introduction and Gameplay===
Line 7: Line 13:
 
The demo was packed in a demo disc containing previews of ''Vagrant Story'', ''Front Mission 3'', ''Dewprism'' (better known to English audiences as ''Threads of Fate''), and tips / hints for current SE games. Players who loaded the disc would find this selection screen:
 
The demo was packed in a demo disc containing previews of ''Vagrant Story'', ''Front Mission 3'', ''Dewprism'' (better known to English audiences as ''Threads of Fate''), and tips / hints for current SE games. Players who loaded the disc would find this selection screen:
  
[[Image:Cross Beta Title.png]]
+
[[Image:Cross Beta Title.png|center]]
 +
 
 +
<center><pre>CHRONO CROSS
 +
 
 +
Planned for release in winter of ’99</pre></center>
  
 
Upon selecting ''Chrono Cross'', the player would be greeted by Mitsuda's ''[[Beginning of a Dream]]'' with the classic underwater sequence. However, it segues to an overall shot of El Nido for the actual title screen.
 
Upon selecting ''Chrono Cross'', the player would be greeted by Mitsuda's ''[[Beginning of a Dream]]'' with the classic underwater sequence. However, it segues to an overall shot of El Nido for the actual title screen.
  
[[Image:Cross Beta Title2.png]]
+
[[Image:Cross Beta Title2.png|center]]
 +
 
 +
<center><pre>The dream of the planet repelled the darkness and
 +
birthed a new future. However, that was also the beginning
 +
of a new nightmare… The time-transcending final battle
 +
between dragons, humans, and destiny that surrounding
 +
the legendary treasure, the Frozen Flame, had begun…
 +
 
 +
The dream of the planet is not yet over…</pre></center>
  
 
Pressing start brings the player to a short introductory sequence with two screens of text. Below are images of the first screen with and without the background and the second screen.
 
Pressing start brings the player to a short introductory sequence with two screens of text. Below are images of the first screen with and without the background and the second screen.
  
[[Image:Cross Beta Title Text.png]]
+
[[Image:Cross Beta Title Text.png|center]]
  
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Title_Text3.png|First Screen (Serge Background)]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Title_Text3.png|First Screen (Serge Background)]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Title Text2.png|Second Screen]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Title Text2.png|Second Screen]]
  
One can see slightly different portraits of Razzly, Glenn and Leena. These only differ by a pixel or two, or by the perspective. However, Kid's portrait is markedly different.
+
<center><pre>You cannot solve the world’s riddles and heal
 +
its sadness alone.
  
[[Image:Cross Beta Kid.png]] [[Image:Cross_Beta_Glenn.png]] [[Image:Cross_Beta_Leena.png]] - Other Leena - Razzly
+
But even so…</pre></center>
  
The journey begins in Fort Dragonia. Kid and Glenn (and it is always Glenn) go through the usual motions. The crystal in the protective room is white, rather than purple, and a [[Cat Burglar]] harasses the party along with Cybots. Both these enemies can run faster than usual to catch the party as it tries to pass them.
+
One can see slightly different portraits of Razzly, Glenn and Leena. These only differ by a pixel or two, or by the perspective. However, Kid's portrait is markedly different. The journey begins in Fort Dragonia. Kid and Glenn (and it is always Glenn) go through the usual motions. The crystal in the protective room is white, rather than purple, and a [[Cat Burglar]] harasses the party along with Cybots. Both these enemies can run faster than usual to catch the party as it tries to pass them.
  
[[Image:Cross_Beta_Team.png]]
+
[[Image:Cross_Beta_Team.png|center]]
  
 
Serge's Swallow is tinted green and looks like the [[Mastermune]].
 
Serge's Swallow is tinted green and looks like the [[Mastermune]].
Line 39: Line 58:
  
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Meteors.png|MeteorShower]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Meteors.png|MeteorShower]]
 +
 +
Their starting elements are:
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+ Serge
 +
!Level 1||Level 2||Level 3||Level 4||Level 5
 +
|-
 +
|Leaf (Bushwhacker)|| || || ||             
 +
|-
 +
|Uplift||Shooting (Meteorite)||Photon(Beam)|| ||
 +
|-
 +
|AquaBeam||AquaBeam+1||AquaBall||(empty)||
 +
|-
 +
|Laser (PhotonRay)||Laser+1||Dash&Slash||Comet (Meteor Shower)||(empty)
 +
|-
 +
|Cure||IceLance||Keara (CurePlus)||(empty)||
 +
|-
 +
|Revive||AeroSaucer||Capsule x5|| ||
 +
|-
 +
|Tablet x5|| || || ||
 +
|}
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+ Kid
 +
!Level 1||Level 2||Level 3||Level 4||Level 5
 +
|-
 +
|Laser|| || || ||             
 +
|-
 +
|Leaf||AeroSaucer||(empty)|| ||
 +
|-
 +
|Fireball||Fireball+1||(empty)||(empty)||
 +
|-
 +
|(Magma)Bomb-1||Bomb||Burning (FirePillar)||Melt Stone (MagmaBurst)||(empty)
 +
|-
 +
|Cure||Uplift+1||Capsule x5||(empty)||
 +
|-
 +
|Cure||Cure+1||(empty)|| ||
 +
|-
 +
|Tablet x5|| || || ||
 +
|}
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+ Glenn
 +
!Level 1||Level 2||Level 3||Level 4||Level 5
 +
|-
 +
| (empty)|| || || ||             
 +
|-
 +
| Leaf||(empty)||(empty)|| ||
 +
|-
 +
| Leaf||Leaf+1||(empty)||(empty)||
 +
|-
 +
| AeroSaucer-1||AeroSaucer||Dash&Gash||Freeze (IceBlast)||(empty)
 +
|-
 +
| Cure||Cure+1||Capsule x5||(empty)||
 +
|-
 +
| Cure||Cure+1||Capsule x5|| ||
 +
|-
 +
| Tablet x5|| || || ||
 +
|}
  
 
Once the Fort Dragonia sequence is concluded, Serge wakes up in Arni and is instructed to find Leena as usual. Una has no portrait, hampering the suggestion that she was once planned to be a playable character.
 
Once the Fort Dragonia sequence is concluded, Serge wakes up in Arni and is instructed to find Leena as usual. Una has no portrait, hampering the suggestion that she was once planned to be a playable character.
  
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Una Portrait.png|Speaking with Una]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Una Portrait.png|Speaking with Una]]
 +
 +
<center><pre>Una: Do your best, Mr. Serge! For me!</pre></center>
  
 
The fisherman stops Serge from accessing Radius.
 
The fisherman stops Serge from accessing Radius.
  
[[Image:Cross_Beta_Radius.png]]
+
[[Image:Cross_Beta_Radius.png|center]]
 +
 
 +
<center><pre>Hoy, Serge. There’s an important visitor coming to the mayor’s today. Don’t get in the way!</pre></center>
  
 
Outside Arni, one cannot access the [[Divine Dragon Falls]]. [[Cape Howl]] is seemingly unchanged, and two Porre sergeants block off [[Fossil Valley]].
 
Outside Arni, one cannot access the [[Divine Dragon Falls]]. [[Cape Howl]] is seemingly unchanged, and two Porre sergeants block off [[Fossil Valley]].
  
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Howl.png|Cape Howl]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Howl.png|Cape Howl]]
 +
 +
<center><pre>For eternal memories
 +
The summer of our 12th year
 +
Serge
 +
Lena</pre></center>
 +
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Porre_Sergeants.png|Fossil Valley]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Porre_Sergeants.png|Fossil Valley]]
  
Line 61: Line 149:
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Razzly5.png|Razzly 5]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Razzly5.png|Razzly 5]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Marsheswaterfall.png|Waterfall]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Marsheswaterfall.png|Waterfall]]
 +
 +
<center><pre>Razzly: Hey, Serge! I’m Razzly.
 +
 +
The mean old dwarves live here in the Hydra Marshes. If they catch me, I’ll be in trouble.
 +
 +
Razzly: Unfortunately, in this demo version, this is where my part ends!
 +
 +
Razzly: It’s sad… but there’s nothing I can do.
 +
 +
Razzly: Well, see you later, Serge!</pre></center>
  
 
At Lizard Rock, Kid and Glenn join the party upon Serge's entrance to help collect scales.
 
At Lizard Rock, Kid and Glenn join the party upon Serge's entrance to help collect scales.
Line 69: Line 167:
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Kid_Lizard_Rock4.png|Kid and Glenn 4]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Kid_Lizard_Rock4.png|Kid and Glenn 4]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Kid_Lizard_Rock5.png|Kid and Glenn 5]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Kid_Lizard_Rock5.png|Kid and Glenn 5]]
 +
 +
<center><pre>Kid: Yo, Serge. You’re late.
 +
 +
Oh, I get it, it’s not time for our debut yet, right?
 +
 +
But you’re all alone, so I gotta worry. We’ll stick with you for awhile.
 +
 +
Glenn: You came to catch Komodo Pups, right?
 +
 +
Kid: No more foolin’. No matter where you go, enemies won’t dare show their faces with me around!</pre></center>
  
 
[[Opah Fish]] replace [[BeachBum]]s in certain areas.
 
[[Opah Fish]] replace [[BeachBum]]s in certain areas.
Line 79: Line 187:
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Glenn Lizard Rock2.png|Glenn and Kid 2]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Glenn Lizard Rock2.png|Glenn and Kid 2]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Glenn_Lizard_Rock3.png|Glenn and Kid 3]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Glenn_Lizard_Rock3.png|Glenn and Kid 3]]
 +
 +
<center><pre>Glenn: Great, that makes 3 scales that we’ve collected.
 +
 +
Kid: Didn’t you have someone to meet at Opassa Beach? Let’s get going.
 +
 +
A date with Lena? Wow, hot!</pre></center>
  
 
Once the scales are collected, Serge will encounter a [[Mama Komodo]] only if he attempts to leave Lizard Rock. Following its defeat, Glenn and Kid withdraw.
 
Once the scales are collected, Serge will encounter a [[Mama Komodo]] only if he attempts to leave Lizard Rock. Following its defeat, Glenn and Kid withdraw.
Line 88: Line 202:
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Mama5.png|Withdrawal Dialogue 5]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Mama5.png|Withdrawal Dialogue 5]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Mama6.png|Withdrawal Dialogue 6]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Mama6.png|Withdrawal Dialogue 6]]
 +
 +
<center><pre>Kid: Well, this is where we say goodbye.
 +
 +
We won’t get in your way anymore. Heh heh.
 +
 +
Glenn: See you again, Serge.
 +
 +
Glenn: Later.
 +
 +
Kid: Bye, Serge. Take care.
 +
 +
Whaaat, 1000 years is no more than a blink if you’re friends forever.</pre></center>
  
 
===Demo Scenes===
 
===Demo Scenes===
Line 95: Line 221:
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Demo1.png|Running through Shadow Forest]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Demo1.png|Running through Shadow Forest]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Zoah.png|Zoah Prepares to Fight]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Zoah.png|Zoah Prepares to Fight]]
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Manor|Sneaking in to Viper Manor]]
+
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Manor.png|Sneaking in to Viper Manor]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Demo2.png|The Acacia Dragoons at Viper Manor]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Demo2.png|The Acacia Dragoons at Viper Manor]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Karsh.png|Karsh Speaks]]
 
*[[Media:Cross Beta Karsh.png|Karsh Speaks]]
Line 121: Line 247:
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Chickenhawk.png|Korcha Escapes]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Chickenhawk.png|Korcha Escapes]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Termina2.png|Viper's Statue in Termina 2]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Termina2.png|Viper's Statue in Termina 2]]
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Invincible|Near the S.S. Invincible]]
+
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Invincible.png|Near the S.S. Invincible]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Howl2.png|Cape Howl Sunset]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Howl2.png|Cape Howl Sunset]]
 +
 +
<pre>Zoah: Welcome, kid! You’ve got guts to challenge me!
 +
 +
Karsh: Captain, it’s finally time for the Acacia Dragoons
 +
to make an appearance…!
 +
 +
Marcy: Is it okay if we kill them all?
 +
 +
General Viper: Hmm…
 +
 +
General Viper: After the fall of Guardia, we’ll give those
 +
arrogant Porre fools a shock!
 +
 +
Whoa!! Lord Viper!
 +
 +
Zoah: Whoa!!
 +
 +
Riddel: That’s right… you’re Serge.
 +
 +
Riddel: The world of humans will soon welcome the end.
 +
 +
Riddel: At that time, Serge, you will become the world’s
 +
enemy, and it will become yours.
 +
 +
Riddel: That is not a guess, nor a prophecy.
 +
 +
Children’s drawings line the walls.
 +
 +
“Call me Big Sis.”
 +
 +
It’s said that the El Nido Islands were once ruled by six
 +
great dragons.
 +
 +
The final battle between dragons, humans, and destiny is
 +
beginning… Whose side will you be on, Serge?
 +
 +
To our beloved son, Serge
 +
Rest in Peace
 +
7 years old
 +
 +
No longer may anyone steal from this child. No one may
 +
anyone give to this child.
 +
 +
We merely return to the sea what it has sent to us.</pre>
  
 
~
 
~
Line 128: Line 298:
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Credits1.png|Credits for Project Kid]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Credits1.png|Credits for Project Kid]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Credits2.png|THE CLOCK RESTARTS 1999]]
 
*[[Media:Cross_Beta_Credits2.png|THE CLOCK RESTARTS 1999]]
 +
 +
===Debug Room===
 +
 +
Room 0 in the Chrono Cross demo is a debug room:
 +
 +
<gallery>
 +
Image:Ccdemodebug.png
 +
Image:Debugroom.png|Background art
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
<pre>Warp?
 +
-Cross fingers
 +
-By number
 +
-By name
 +
-Go to each developer’s room</pre>
 +
 +
yaz0r has discussed what the characters do:
 +
 +
"About that debug room, the character on the left allows you to modify the current party composition. As most of the characters are not present in the demo data, it will crash if you try to add to the party an character missing from the demo. The character in the center is the "go anywhere" character. First choice is go to room by ID; second is go to room by place name (like Arni Village A / Arni Village B). The last choice let you go to the planner's room (not present in the demo data). The top right character is a shortcut to the planners room list. And finally, the bottom right is the sound test character that allows to test music and sound effects.
 +
 +
"I'm not sure the debug room can actually be reinserted into the main game data. The reason is that the debug room text is Japanese and may not work at all in the US build of the game. And if it somehow worked, the text would probably be completely unreadable (there is no Japanese font in CC US AFAIK). So all the text for that room would have to be rewritten. Also, don't forget that this debug room was taken from the middle of the development of CC. Not all characters (and probably places) were finalized yet and later modification would not be present in the debug room. So, reinserting this debug room is probably technically possible, but would require a lot of modifications for it to properly work. So it will never be the "real thing".
 +
 +
You can download a savestate to use with ePSXe and enter the debug room:
 +
 +
* [http://chronofan.com/Black/Other/SLPS_021.71.rar Savestate]
 +
 +
Refer to TCRF for investigation into the debug room functions [https://tcrf.net/Proto:Chrono_Cross here] (we've backed up on the page, but are foregoing reproducing it on the Compendium for the time being).
 +
 +
====Script====
 +
 +
*[http://chronofan.com/Black/Publications/ChronoCrossDemoRawScripts.rar Chrono Cross Demo Room Scripts] by Vehek, utunnels, yaz0r
 +
 +
====Magil Note====
 +
 +
It's important to note that in the debug room's character list, "Gil" appears (this was the name of Magil in Radical Dreamers):
 +
 +
<pre>
 +
+---------------+
 +
| text  eh  14 |
 +
+---------------+
 +
   {text speed ff}0:セルジュ
 +
   1:キッド
 +
   2:ギル (ed. note: this is "Gil")
 +
   3:イシト
 +
   4:スラッシュ
 +
   5:蛇骨大佐
 +
   6:リデル
 +
   7:カーシュ
 +
   8:ゾア
 +
   9:マルチェラ
 +
  10:コルチャ
 +
  49:ヤマネコ
 +
   次のページ
 +
   もーいいや{end}</pre>
 +
 +
This is a relic of the development period in which Guile was still intended to be Magus in disguise. Thanks to utunnels and yaz0r for tracking this down.
 +
 +
===Kukuru Cut Character===
 +
 +
In the demo, the level 3, 5, and 7 techniques of every character except Serge and Glenn('s level 3s) are named in the format [character name] 00, 01, or 02. While this isn't particularly enlightening for the characters who did make it in the final, it does reveal a character who didn't make the cut.
 +
 +
Elements 0601, 0701, and 0801 are named '''ククル00''' (Kukuru) through '''ククル02'''. Using them yields the standard element placeholder effect of a low-damaging AquaRay on a single target, but with Kukuru's green innate. She is placed between Mel and Leah in the roster, which would explain the presence of a demo character portrait between the two where there are no members in the final.
 +
 +
Since the only evidence that this character ever existed are a few placeholders, it's safe to say that she probably didn't make it very far into development before getting axed. See her level three Element below:
 +
 +
[[Image:CCDemoKukuru00.png]]
 +
 +
===Monster Stats===
 +
 +
Refer to [https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php/topic,8282.0.html this thread].
  
 
==Graphical Differences==
 
==Graphical Differences==
Line 150: Line 390:
 
*35 - DELETED, or perhaps Macha's old position
 
*35 - DELETED, or perhaps Macha's old position
 
*39 - Steena
 
*39 - Steena
*A prototype Pierre or completely different character is occupying Pierre's slot
+
*A prototype Pierre
 
*Pip was not yet planned
 
*Pip was not yet planned
  
Line 161: Line 401:
 
It seems possible that slot 29 (Neo-Fio in the final) may have originally been a [[Quadffid]]. Also, a Beach Bum or Nu appears at the end of the player character images (before the "null" symbol). Interestingly, a crazy old man seemingly in El Nido garb is in Belthasar's place. Perhaps Belthasar was originally stationed at Guldove, and tried to fit in with the locals or pass himself off as an El Nido prophet? At any rate, he's missing his trademark eyebrows. [[Lisa]] the Elements trader appears as a sketch. Much of the other colored, rough art appears in Missing Piece in full form. Examining and totaling the other icons and art, the characters below may have been planned and scrapped at one time for Chrono Cross. Remember that this is speculation, as these characters may have just been planned to have dialogue art as NPCs (which was later scrapped).
 
It seems possible that slot 29 (Neo-Fio in the final) may have originally been a [[Quadffid]]. Also, a Beach Bum or Nu appears at the end of the player character images (before the "null" symbol). Interestingly, a crazy old man seemingly in El Nido garb is in Belthasar's place. Perhaps Belthasar was originally stationed at Guldove, and tried to fit in with the locals or pass himself off as an El Nido prophet? At any rate, he's missing his trademark eyebrows. [[Lisa]] the Elements trader appears as a sketch. Much of the other colored, rough art appears in Missing Piece in full form. Examining and totaling the other icons and art, the characters below may have been planned and scrapped at one time for Chrono Cross. Remember that this is speculation, as these characters may have just been planned to have dialogue art as NPCs (which was later scrapped).
  
*Prototype Pierre / Tata / Unknown
+
*Prototype Pierre
 
*Strange old man / Belthasar prototype
 
*Strange old man / Belthasar prototype
 
*[[Quadffid]]
 
*[[Quadffid]]
Line 167: Line 407:
 
*[[Ketchop]]
 
*[[Ketchop]]
  
====Slot Machine====
+
There are also several texture and stance differences between the two versions. utunnels painstakingly reviewed the stances and textures for each, providing the most notable differences below; in each case, the demo version of the character is on the left, while the final version is on the right:
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Guile.png]][[Image:Final_Guile.png]][[Image:Demo_Guile_2.png]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Karsh.png]][[Image:Final_Karsh.png]][[Image:Demo_Karsh_2.png]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Miki.png]][[Image:Demo_Miki_2.png]][[Image:Demo_Norris.png]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Serge.png]][[Image:Demo_Riddel.png]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Zoah.png]][[Image:Demo_Marcy.png]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Leena.png]][[Image:Demo_Harle.png]]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Demo_Doc.png]]
 +
 
 +
Note that Doc's texture originally had the Star of David, the Jewish religious symbol, as a tattoo on his arm. It was probably removed for obvious reasons.
 +
 
 +
===Elements===
 +
 
 +
Three Elements have different graphics.
 +
 
 +
'''PhotonBeam'''
 +
 
 +
[[Image:CCDemoPhoton.png]]
 +
 
 +
'''Iceberg'''
 +
 
 +
[[Image:CCDemoIceberg1.png]] [[Image:CCDemoIceBerg2.png]] [[Image:CCDemoIceberg3.png]]
 +
 
 +
'''Gravitonne'''
 +
 
 +
[[Image:CCDemoHeavy1.png]] [[Image:CCDemoHeavy2.png]]
 +
 
 +
===Locations and Menus===
 +
 
 +
<gallery>
 +
Image:Demo_main_island.png|Main Island (slightly diffferent)
 +
Image:Demo Dragon Tear Emblem 2.png|Fort Dragonia teleport emblem without purple overlay effects
 +
Image:Demo Fort Dragonia Emblem 2.png|Clearer, unreflective Fort Dragonia puzzle logo
 +
Image:Demo Fort Dragonia Emblem.png|Clearer Fort Dragonia puzzle logo
 +
Image:Dragoon Emblem.png|Clearer, higher-contrast Acacia Dragoon study desk logo
 +
Image:Study Window.png|Different Viper Manor Study window
 +
Image:ShellfishDifferent.png|Different Shellfish frame (the eye in particular)
 +
Image:SimpleLinesdifferent.png|Different Simple Lines frame (the cursor in particular)
 +
Image:SkullduggeryDifferent.png|Different Skullduggery frame (missing the cursor)
 +
Image:TropicalDifferent.png|Different Tropical frame (missing the cursor)
 +
Image:Picture_lucca_demo.png|Different Lucca drawing
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Slot Machine===
  
 
See [[Chrono Cross Slot Machine]].
 
See [[Chrono Cross Slot Machine]].
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*[http://chronofan.com/Black/Cross/Demo%20Textures.7z Demo Textures Archive]
 
*[http://chronofan.com/Black/Cross/Demo%20Textures.7z Demo Textures Archive]
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===Chrono Cross V-Jump Preview Video===
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The [[Chrono Cross V-Jump Preview Video]] is part of V-Jump '99, and features brief comments by Masato Kato, Hiromichi Tanaka, and Hironobu Sakaguchi. It also features beta Viper Manor music, different from the traditional [[Viper Mansion]] music. Head to the linked page to download.
  
 
===Unused Art===
 
===Unused Art===

Revision as of 03:26, 28 March 2016

General Information

Before the official release of Chrono Cross, Square Enix marketed a PlayStation release of Chrono Trigger and attached a demo of the game to it and Legend of Mana. The demo included several scenes which later were released as a preview video by American reviewers (such as IGN and Gamespot), ending with the famous tag line "THE CLOCK RESTARTS 1999". This demo has allowed a short look into the late stages of the development of Chrono Cross, offering a few prizes such as a scrapped facial portrait of Kid and missing playable characters. The entire experience is presented here, along with unused art for the game posted by Yasuyuki Honne (the art director) on his blog.

See also Chrono Cross NTSC Beta, as well as Chrono Trigger 2 Promo Video.

DOWNLOAD THE DEMO USING THIS LINK: Square's Preview Volume 5 (ISO, 519 MB)

DOWNLOAD CERTAIN EXTRACTED FILES HERE: Chrono Cross Demo Random Files (by utunnels)

Introduction and Gameplay

The demo was packed in a demo disc containing previews of Vagrant Story, Front Mission 3, Dewprism (better known to English audiences as Threads of Fate), and tips / hints for current SE games. Players who loaded the disc would find this selection screen:

Cross Beta Title.png
CHRONO CROSS

Planned for release in winter of ’99

Upon selecting Chrono Cross, the player would be greeted by Mitsuda's Beginning of a Dream with the classic underwater sequence. However, it segues to an overall shot of El Nido for the actual title screen.

Cross Beta Title2.png
The dream of the planet repelled the darkness and
birthed a new future. However, that was also the beginning
of a new nightmare… The time-transcending final battle
between dragons, humans, and destiny that surrounding
the legendary treasure, the Frozen Flame, had begun…

The dream of the planet is not yet over…

Pressing start brings the player to a short introductory sequence with two screens of text. Below are images of the first screen with and without the background and the second screen.

Cross Beta Title Text.png
You cannot solve the world’s riddles and heal
its sadness alone.

But even so…

One can see slightly different portraits of Razzly, Glenn and Leena. These only differ by a pixel or two, or by the perspective. However, Kid's portrait is markedly different. The journey begins in Fort Dragonia. Kid and Glenn (and it is always Glenn) go through the usual motions. The crystal in the protective room is white, rather than purple, and a Cat Burglar harasses the party along with Cybots. Both these enemies can run faster than usual to catch the party as it tries to pass them.

Cross Beta Team.png

Serge's Swallow is tinted green and looks like the Mastermune.

Defending the white crystal is a Sidesteppa.

In combat, the Elements appear to have less sophisticated animations. For instance, Serge's MeteorShower summons two simple white orbs. Between Life and Death plays in all battles, regular or boss.

Their starting elements are:

Serge
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Leaf (Bushwhacker)
Uplift Shooting (Meteorite) Photon(Beam)
AquaBeam AquaBeam+1 AquaBall (empty)
Laser (PhotonRay) Laser+1 Dash&Slash Comet (Meteor Shower) (empty)
Cure IceLance Keara (CurePlus) (empty)
Revive AeroSaucer Capsule x5
Tablet x5
Kid
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Laser
Leaf AeroSaucer (empty)
Fireball Fireball+1 (empty) (empty)
(Magma)Bomb-1 Bomb Burning (FirePillar) Melt Stone (MagmaBurst) (empty)
Cure Uplift+1 Capsule x5 (empty)
Cure Cure+1 (empty)
Tablet x5
Glenn
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
(empty)
Leaf (empty) (empty)
Leaf Leaf+1 (empty) (empty)
AeroSaucer-1 AeroSaucer Dash&Gash Freeze (IceBlast) (empty)
Cure Cure+1 Capsule x5 (empty)
Cure Cure+1 Capsule x5
Tablet x5

Once the Fort Dragonia sequence is concluded, Serge wakes up in Arni and is instructed to find Leena as usual. Una has no portrait, hampering the suggestion that she was once planned to be a playable character.

Una: Do your best, Mr. Serge! For me!

The fisherman stops Serge from accessing Radius.

Cross Beta Radius.png
Hoy, Serge. There’s an important visitor coming to the mayor’s today. Don’t get in the way!

Outside Arni, one cannot access the Divine Dragon Falls. Cape Howl is seemingly unchanged, and two Porre sergeants block off Fossil Valley.

For eternal memories
The summer of our 12th year
Serge
Lena

The Hydra Marshes seem unguarded as first, as in the normal game a man from Arni blocks access. However, if one tries to enter, Razzly appears and speaks at length. The marshes are also slightly different in that a waterfall exists to the upper left of the initial screen.

Razzly: Hey, Serge! I’m Razzly.

The mean old dwarves live here in the Hydra Marshes. If they catch me, I’ll be in trouble.

Razzly: Unfortunately, in this demo version, this is where my part ends!

Razzly: It’s sad… but there’s nothing I can do.

Razzly: Well, see you later, Serge!

At Lizard Rock, Kid and Glenn join the party upon Serge's entrance to help collect scales.

Kid: Yo, Serge. You’re late.

Oh, I get it, it’s not time for our debut yet, right?

But you’re all alone, so I gotta worry. We’ll stick with you for awhile.

Glenn: You came to catch Komodo Pups, right?

Kid: No more foolin’. No matter where you go, enemies won’t dare show their faces with me around!

Opah Fish replace BeachBums in certain areas.

Glenn and Kid provide help along the way.

Glenn: Great, that makes 3 scales that we’ve collected.

Kid: Didn’t you have someone to meet at Opassa Beach? Let’s get going.

A date with Lena? Wow, hot!

Once the scales are collected, Serge will encounter a Mama Komodo only if he attempts to leave Lizard Rock. Following its defeat, Glenn and Kid withdraw.

Kid: Well, this is where we say goodbye.

We won’t get in your way anymore. Heh heh.

Glenn: See you again, Serge.

Glenn: Later.

Kid: Bye, Serge. Take care.

Whaaat, 1000 years is no more than a blink if you’re friends forever.

Demo Scenes

As Serge and Leena sit on Opassa Beach, Kid calls across the dimensions as usual. Just before the crossing begins, the game transitions to an extended series of scenes. These scenes were later recorded and used as a preview movie by certain reviewers and gaming sites. Of note, Riddel is in the Viper Manor library, Lucca's portrait is slightly different, and Gato cannot be found in the burning orphanage.

Zoah: Welcome, kid! You’ve got guts to challenge me!

Karsh: Captain, it’s finally time for the Acacia Dragoons
to make an appearance…!

Marcy: Is it okay if we kill them all?

General Viper: Hmm…

General Viper: After the fall of Guardia, we’ll give those
arrogant Porre fools a shock!

Whoa!! Lord Viper!

Zoah: Whoa!!

Riddel: That’s right… you’re Serge.

Riddel: The world of humans will soon welcome the end.

Riddel: At that time, Serge, you will become the world’s
enemy, and it will become yours.

Riddel: That is not a guess, nor a prophecy.

Children’s drawings line the walls.

“Call me Big Sis.”

It’s said that the El Nido Islands were once ruled by six
great dragons.

The final battle between dragons, humans, and destiny is
beginning… Whose side will you be on, Serge?

To our beloved son, Serge
Rest in Peace
7 years old

No longer may anyone steal from this child. No one may
anyone give to this child.

We merely return to the sea what it has sent to us.

~

Debug Room

Room 0 in the Chrono Cross demo is a debug room:

Warp?
-Cross fingers
-By number
-By name
-Go to each developer’s room

yaz0r has discussed what the characters do:

"About that debug room, the character on the left allows you to modify the current party composition. As most of the characters are not present in the demo data, it will crash if you try to add to the party an character missing from the demo. The character in the center is the "go anywhere" character. First choice is go to room by ID; second is go to room by place name (like Arni Village A / Arni Village B). The last choice let you go to the planner's room (not present in the demo data). The top right character is a shortcut to the planners room list. And finally, the bottom right is the sound test character that allows to test music and sound effects.

"I'm not sure the debug room can actually be reinserted into the main game data. The reason is that the debug room text is Japanese and may not work at all in the US build of the game. And if it somehow worked, the text would probably be completely unreadable (there is no Japanese font in CC US AFAIK). So all the text for that room would have to be rewritten. Also, don't forget that this debug room was taken from the middle of the development of CC. Not all characters (and probably places) were finalized yet and later modification would not be present in the debug room. So, reinserting this debug room is probably technically possible, but would require a lot of modifications for it to properly work. So it will never be the "real thing".

You can download a savestate to use with ePSXe and enter the debug room:

Refer to TCRF for investigation into the debug room functions here (we've backed up on the page, but are foregoing reproducing it on the Compendium for the time being).

Script

Magil Note

It's important to note that in the debug room's character list, "Gil" appears (this was the name of Magil in Radical Dreamers):

+---------------+
| text   eh  14 |
+---------------+
   {text speed ff}0:セルジュ
   1:キッド
   2:ギル (ed. note: this is "Gil")
   3:イシト
   4:スラッシュ
   5:蛇骨大佐
   6:リデル
   7:カーシュ
   8:ゾア
   9:マルチェラ
  10:コルチャ
  49:ヤマネコ
   次のページ
   もーいいや{end}

This is a relic of the development period in which Guile was still intended to be Magus in disguise. Thanks to utunnels and yaz0r for tracking this down.

Kukuru Cut Character

In the demo, the level 3, 5, and 7 techniques of every character except Serge and Glenn('s level 3s) are named in the format [character name] 00, 01, or 02. While this isn't particularly enlightening for the characters who did make it in the final, it does reveal a character who didn't make the cut.

Elements 0601, 0701, and 0801 are named ククル00 (Kukuru) through ククル02. Using them yields the standard element placeholder effect of a low-damaging AquaRay on a single target, but with Kukuru's green innate. She is placed between Mel and Leah in the roster, which would explain the presence of a demo character portrait between the two where there are no members in the final.

Since the only evidence that this character ever existed are a few placeholders, it's safe to say that she probably didn't make it very far into development before getting axed. See her level three Element below:

CCDemoKukuru00.png

Monster Stats

Refer to this thread.

Graphical Differences

Characters

More information is available upon examining the game's textures.

The most glaring difference is the presence of a seemingly new character in Pierre's slot. Since Pierre's dialogue icon was already in its final state, it's probable that this was an earlier design for Pierre. One suggestion is that it's based off an adult version of Tata, who Masato Kato revealed in an interview to be the inspiration for Pierre (a whacked-out fake hero). Nikki has a slightly visible nipple (gone in the final), and some of the characters appear only as rough sketches or alternate versions (including Orlha, Skelly, and Turnip). On the other hand, some characters appear as black and white sketches (Starky and Orcha), but in their final art form (just without color). By comparing to the order of the art textures in the final version, we find that

  • Macha was stuck in between Fargo and Glenn
  • 23 - Janice
  • 24 - Draggy
  • 27 - Mojo
  • 29 - Neo-Fio
  • 32 - Funguy
  • 33 - Irenes
  • 35 - DELETED, or perhaps Macha's old position
  • 39 - Steena
  • A prototype Pierre
  • Pip was not yet planned

We can then examine the dialogue art.

It seems possible that slot 29 (Neo-Fio in the final) may have originally been a Quadffid. Also, a Beach Bum or Nu appears at the end of the player character images (before the "null" symbol). Interestingly, a crazy old man seemingly in El Nido garb is in Belthasar's place. Perhaps Belthasar was originally stationed at Guldove, and tried to fit in with the locals or pass himself off as an El Nido prophet? At any rate, he's missing his trademark eyebrows. Lisa the Elements trader appears as a sketch. Much of the other colored, rough art appears in Missing Piece in full form. Examining and totaling the other icons and art, the characters below may have been planned and scrapped at one time for Chrono Cross. Remember that this is speculation, as these characters may have just been planned to have dialogue art as NPCs (which was later scrapped).

There are also several texture and stance differences between the two versions. utunnels painstakingly reviewed the stances and textures for each, providing the most notable differences below; in each case, the demo version of the character is on the left, while the final version is on the right:

Demo Guile.pngFinal Guile.pngDemo Guile 2.png

Demo Karsh.pngFinal Karsh.pngDemo Karsh 2.png

Demo Miki.pngDemo Miki 2.pngDemo Norris.png

Demo Serge.pngDemo Riddel.png

Demo Zoah.pngDemo Marcy.png

Demo Leena.pngDemo Harle.png

Demo Doc.png

Note that Doc's texture originally had the Star of David, the Jewish religious symbol, as a tattoo on his arm. It was probably removed for obvious reasons.

Elements

Three Elements have different graphics.

PhotonBeam

CCDemoPhoton.png

Iceberg

CCDemoIceberg1.png CCDemoIceBerg2.png CCDemoIceberg3.png

Gravitonne

CCDemoHeavy1.png CCDemoHeavy2.png

Locations and Menus

Slot Machine

See Chrono Cross Slot Machine.

Media

Dynamic Texture Pack

Through TIMViewer, the dynamic textures of the Chrono Cross Demo have been ripped and organized in this archive. They are divided into several categories. These TIM files, named "dynamic textures" by the community, include menu graphics, animated graphics, field map / overworld character model textures (not the high resolution model textures), and other miscellany. They do not include prerendered backgrounds, maps, or other large, static images in the game, which are stored in the ROM in a different format. For Final Fantasy 7, this format is known as "MIM". Currently, the format Chrono Cross's prerendered location backgrounds and other models are stored in is unknown. Any research or advice towards diagnosing this format and extracting the textures is very much appreciated.

Certain battle location / effect textures were unable to be identified in this archive; if you would like to assist, please open the "Unknown" folder within the locations folder and review the images. Post suggestions in this thread on the Compendium forums.

Chrono Cross V-Jump Preview Video

The Chrono Cross V-Jump Preview Video is part of V-Jump '99, and features brief comments by Masato Kato, Hiromichi Tanaka, and Hironobu Sakaguchi. It also features beta Viper Manor music, different from the traditional Viper Mansion music. Head to the linked page to download.

Unused Art

Yasuyuki Honne is the artist of the Chrono series, and made some background art that was never used in the final game. They strangely appeared in a GamePro online guide to the game which was later taken down; a couple examples also appear on Honne's blog. We were able to rescue four pics from the Wayback machine's archive of page 2 of the guide, but page 1 is lost. Honne does not specifically note that the examples from his page were intended for Cross, but the style matches up, and one of the pieces was used in the GamePro guide. A big thanks goes to Blik for researching this.

From Honne's Blog

Blogtes002.jpg

050916 002.jpg

050916 001.jpg

From the Guide

6400-5-1.jpg

6400-6-1.jpg

6400-7-1.jpg

6400-8-1.jpg

A piece of art that strongly resembles the style of Chrono Cross's works appeared in magazines as a recruiting advertisement for Monolith Soft. It featured a blurb about Project X (Xenosaga), and a large vista resembling Cape Howl.

From: Games