After turning into a freelance composer, Mitsuda would then work with Square again on the long-awaited sequel to their masterpiece, Chrono Trigger.  The result of his second real solo effort(the first being Xenogears, as he had help from two other composers in CT) is another solid soundtrack, that out of all of his works is the most radically different.  Mitsuda had stated in an interview that he was going for the minimalist approach, and most of the pieces on this soundtrack are more relaxing and laidback.  This is most blatantly evident in the only vocal piece in the game, the ending theme Radical Dreamers, which besides the vocals, uses only one instrument, the acoustic guitar.  There are also plenty of ethnic influences here, the most notable being the Celtic style.  Mitsuda has always said that he was influenced by Celtic music, but this is the first of his works that really shows it.  One thing that must be said, though, is that the Chrono Cross soundtrack probably wins the award for having the best synthesizer quality of all PSX games.  There are still some songs on this album that I can't believe are synthesized, because the sound quality is really *that* good.  It's a shame that none of the Final Fantasy games got this same treatment.

Now on to the actual review.  The first disc is fantastic, with plenty of stand-out tracks, first of which is the very first track, Scars of Time, the opening theme.  This is one of two(the other being Radical Dreamers) songs in the soundtrack that are actually done with real instruments.  Anyhow, this is one of the best songs in the entire soundtrack, a dramatic and sweeping theme with fantastic use of the violin.  The melody here also reappears numerous times throughout the soundtrack, but it's definitely at its strongest in this track.  Next is The Brink of Death, the boss battle theme, which believe it or not, uses flutes to play the main melody.  It comes together quite well, and the addition of a semi choir really adds to it.  The two versions of the Arni Village theme, Home and Another, are both fantastic, with the Home version having acoustic guitar and flute doing the main melody, and the Another version replacing the flute with a piano.  The world map themes are quite different however, with Fields of Time ~Home World~ having a tropical feel to it and a melody lifted from the main theme of Chrono Trigger.  The another version, Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World, is one of the best songs in the entire album, with some more great violin work, and an effective synth choir to boot.  Just like Scars of Time, the melody in this piece also reappears throughout the soundtrack, but it's in its absolute best form here.  Reminiscence ~Feelings Not Erased~ is a beautiful solo piano piece, easily one of the most emotive in the album.  Another Termina is your archetypical town theme with a festival feel to it, with the use of the accordion(yes, you heard me right).  For all the people that have played Chrono Trigger, they will instantly recognize Victory ~Spring's Gift~, formerly Lucca's theme but now the Victory fanfare of Chrono Cross, with superior instrumentation and a slightly lowered tempo.  Another Guldove is another one of those minimalistic pieces, with only the guitar and oboe carrying on the melody, but it's a beautiful piece nonetheless.  Voyage ~Another World~ is one of the two ship themes, and provides a very nice contrast to the other one, which I'll review in the second disc.  Anyway, this is one of Mitsuda's most creative pieces yet, a very relaxed piece with the guitar and piano switching back and forth between the main melody, almost effortlessly.  Ancient Dragon's Fort is a fantastic dungeon track, with the melody being led by the piano and organ.  One of the best parts about this piece is that its imagery is so vivid: I remember asking several people who've never played the game what image came to their mind when I played them this song, and they all said "a tower", which is exactly when this piece plays in Chrono Cross.

Disc 2 is probably the weakest of the three, but there are still plenty of good songs to be had.  Dimension Breach, the theme for this game's version of the End of Time, is a simple and straightforward piece, with a very emotional guitar playing the main melody, with piano pushed way into the background.  Home Termina is a little different from its Another counterpart, but they are both very Celtic influenced, with heavier use of the bagpipe, and definitely less festive than the other, and with a much more interesting progression.  Then comes the best track on the entire album, hands down, which is the home version of the ship theme, Voyage ~Home World~.  Yes, I know, I stated that this was the worst disc in the soundtrack, but it just so happens that it has the best song on the album.  This theme just comes together perfectly, with a lead electric guitar and percussion used in all the right places to make a ship theme that conveys itself to be adventurous in mood, in contrast with the more laid back feel of the Another version.  Home Guldove is more upbeat than its Another counterpart, but it's more stripped down, with a single acoustic guitar leading the melody.  Chronomantique is the second time in this album where the main theme of Chrono Trigger makes an appearance, and it's just as beautiful as ever.  In contrast with Fields of Time ~Home World~, this version uses guitar and violin to play out the main melody.  Death Sea - Tower of Ruin is one of the most ambient pieces in this soundtrack, very depressing and very effective, complete with a wind effect in the background.  Next comes People Seized With Life, which is one of the weirdest pieces in the game.  Listening to it, it's a very dramatic and emotional theme that you'd normally expect to be played when a tragedy happens or something.  Instead, in the game, this piece plays when you fight a fisherman that enjoys kicking your ass with a lightsaber(or his SprDrgnSwd) and the hardest boss in the game, Dario, a knight that could destroy your whole party in seconds if you're not careful.  The regular battle theme also makes its appearance here, Gale, but I actually don't like it very much...  the melody is really annoying and I don't like the particular instrumentation used for it.  Victory ~Summer's Cry~ is the boss version of the victory fanfare, this time with a trumpet playing the melody.  Another Marbule is a really pretty piece, with a really light melody.  The disc finishes with Magical Dreamers, which, believe it or not, is a rock 'n roll version of the Marbule theme.  Maybe it's just my bias or something, but I really don't like this piece, as it's very repetitive and doesn't really develop into anything.

I notice that in most game soundtracks, the last disc is usually the best one.  Chrono Cross is no exception, with tons of fantastic compositions here.  We start things off with Garden of the Gods, the title screen theme, which is an absolutely beautiful piece, with a wonderful female chorus and a harp playing arpeggios in the background.  Fates ~Gods of Destiny~ is one of the most creative boss battle themes that Mitsuda has ever composed, and that's saying a lot.  I can't really describe this piece, you really have to listen to it to understand.  Star-Stealing Girl was a piece that was in the original Radical Dreamers game, and it sounds much, much better here, with a perfect mix of violin, piano, flute, and a female vocal to make the most emotional song in the entire soundtrack.  Dreamwatch of Time is a really cool piece, used in the opening demo of Chrono Cross, with some more of the Celtic influence, and combining two fantastic themes, the world map theme of Another World and the main theme of Chrono Trigger.  Dragon's Prayer is one of the best final level songs ever composed, starting off with a very dramatic and atmospheric melody with the violin, then transitioning into a really depressing and haunting melody led by the oboe and guitar.  Frozen Flame is a very mysterious and beautiful piece, with the oboe again taking the lead as the lead instrument.  Then comes Dragon God, one of the best final boss themes ever.  It's a very epic piece that has fantastic use of percussion, strings, and a female vocal.  And then finally, we have Radical Dreamers ~Unstolen Jewel~, with vocals from Noriko Mitose.  You'd expect an ending theme to an RPG to be sweeping and epic, but Mitsuda decided to break the mold and go for the minimalist approach here, with the acoustic guitar as the only instrument.  Anyway, this is just a beautiful song, with a truly majestic vocal performance from Mitose.

So all in all, this is a solid effort from Mitsuda.  It's his most stripped down and laid back album, which can be good or bad depending on your tastes, and while it may not be as diverse or experimental as the Chrono Trigger or Xenogears soundtracks, it has the most heart.