Part 95: Overtime G: A Look at New Game Plus (Part 3) - The Reunion

Overtime G: A Look at New Game Plus (Part 3) - The Reunion


The very last little feature of New Game + requires Serge to have obtained the Chrono Cross and for him to take a return visit to the Hydra Marshes one final time.


If he returns to the spot where Team Lynx first re-entered the world from the Dimensional Vortex in the swamp, he can use the Astral Amulet to return to the fabled Vincent van Gogh Dimension.

Music: A Narrow Space Between Dimensions


Indeed, the party will pop out of a water bowl in Sprigg's hut. Sure, why not?


"I don't believe this...!!! Me precious barrel I've been usin' all these yearz to ferment Saururacea juice... It'z connected to the dirty, filthy, Hydra Marshes!!!"
"I dunno what that even is but...I'm guessin' I ought to give it a pass next time I get offered it..."
"Boo hoo... This was me only enjoyment in life... Could this, too, 'ave been influenced by the dimensional distortion...?"
"The hell are you even doing back here...? Weren't you thrilled to be out of this weird dump before?"
"'ave you seen the rent pricez in tropical townz? I'd 'ave to work for yearz just to afford meself a hovel in Arni."
"Hey...I live in Arni..."


"All I can do is cry meself to sleep!"


And Sprigg will stomp off and do just that. Oh well.


So, the reason we returned here is to utilize the last of the Chrono Cross' vague magical functions. Using it in the center of Sprigg's hut will have quite the effect.




Namely: All the party members from previous playthroughs will be added to Serge's party in the current run. This is the only way to obtain all the 43 recruitable characters in a single run. It requires beating the game three times to do it, though.

Optimally, for our second and third game we would:

• Pick up Pierre or Guile
  
• Complete the game via defeating the Time Devourer early.
  
• Start over and pick up the one the one we didn't get the first or second time from the Viper Manor break-in.
  
• Do the Save Kid plotline and pick-up Korcha, Mel, and Razzly.
  
• Continue until the Lynx-Serge party swap so Harle is in our party.
  
• Complete the game via defeating the Time Devourer early again.
  
• Play until we get the Chrono Cross and get all characters here.
  

You don't have to make a fresh playthrough for each completion of the game. You can just make a save before one of the branching points, make a separate game completion save, and then use Continue + to load the save before the branching point. The obtained characters will stack even if you don't do the Chrono Cross thing to get them in that particular playthrough.


And I mentioned Harle can be gotten this way. Yes, even after she leaves the party and merges with the Time Devourer dragon she can still rejoin the party and be used in battle. She lacks any dialogue beyond some generic lines and doesn't have an Epilogue for the proper ending though...being dead and all. But, it is a neat little thing if you liked using her in battle.


And that is that for New Game Plus.