SQUARE SHIPS CHRONO CROSS FOR THE PLAYSTATION® GAME CONSOLE.

Sequel to Award -Winning Role-Playing Game Offers Supernatural Adventure and Action

COSTA MESA, CA August, 2000 -– Square Electronic ArtsSM L.L.C. (Square Electronic Arts), the exclusive publisher of all SQUARESOFT® products in North America, today announced the release of Chrono CrossTM for the PlayStation® game console. Chrono Cross, sequel to the award-winning Chrono Trigger™, is an action role-playing game that follows two young heroes on their search for a mysterious artifact. Chrono Cross offers players multiple endings, an extraordinary cast of more than 40 playable characters, and a combat system which allows players to customize characters with a variety of magical spells and combat techniques.

The story takes place 20 years after the events in Chrono Trigger and centers around a seemingly ordinary boy named Serge and a young woman named Kid. Serge's simple life in a small fishing village takes a turn for the worse when his presence suddenly triggers a portal to a parallel universe, leaving him in a strange yet familiar world where his alternate self has been dead for 10 years. Even before he has time to ponder his situation, he is confronted by bandits, and rescued by a young woman named Kid.

Caught up in events beyond his control, Serge agrees to follow Kid on her quest to retrieve an artifact, unwittingly embarking upon an adventure that will span time and space. Adding a new layer of complexity to his quest is the shadowy pursuit of an unknown entity bent upon his capture. In a race against time to find the artifact, Serge is forced to delve into his past for answers to the mystery posed by both his pursuers and the artifact itself. This mystery must be solved before the malevolent entity can bridge the gap between worlds, and bring ruin to both.

An epic saga spanning two worlds, Chrono Cross expands beyond the traditional linear plot line by providing players with multiple choices that can culminate in one of 10 different endings. Complimenting this dynamic story element is a cast of more than 40 interactive characters, each with its own particular strengths and weaknesses.

Players face their enemies using a combination battle system that provides flexible fighting options. For example, there are three levels of hand-to-hand combat and special fighting techniques that allow two or more party members to team-up and execute powerful combination moves. The battle system offers players variety and an added action element to the fighting that traditional turn-based fighting games don't. Players are further aided by an overhead view that shows enemies approaching. This gives players the option of choosing when to fight and eliminates random encounters for which they may not be prepared.

In addition to traditional combat, players can also use magic on their enemies. Chrono Cross' magic system incorporates supernatural elements that are strategically placed in a character's "grid", a panel of slots which can be assigned elements. The grid gives players the flexibility to tailor their spells to the mission at hand. As a character becomes more powerful, the number of slots on their grid increases, allowing access to more spell elements. Spell placement on the grid determines spell attributes. The higher on a grid a spell is placed, the more powerful, though it takes more effort to cast. Spells at the lower end of the grid don't pack as much power, but can be quickly executed.

Chrono Cross is compatible with the DUALSHOCK™ analog controller and has a suggested retail price of US $40. The game carries an ESRB rating of "T" (Teen).

Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. and Square Co., Ltd.
Square Co., Ltd. is the leading third-party developer and publisher of home video game console software in Japan with annual sales of more than US $687 million consolidated base (based on average annual exchange rate of 106 Japanese Yen per US Dollar during fiscal year 2000) and 1,200 employees worldwide. Square Co., Ltd. became famous for its role-playing games, including its world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series, which has sold more than 30 million units to date, and now publishes other titles under the SQUARESOFT brand spanning all genres. Square Co., Ltd. is based in Tokyo, Japan, and maintains a branch office in Osaka.

More information about Square Co., Ltd., can be found on the Internet at http://www.playstationandxbox.com/.

In North America, Square Co., Ltd. publishes its SQUARESOFT titles through Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., located in Costa Mesa, CA. Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. is a Limited Liability Company established on May 1, 1998 by Square Soft, Inc. and Electronic Arts to manage the marketing and distribution of SQUARESOFT products in North America. More information about SQUARESOFT products can be found on the Internet at http://www.squaresoft.com.





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