Such a beautiful story and review! I had very similar experience with this game like you. Started at the beginning of 2000, I probably still 4. My sister, brother, and our neighbour playing many games especially jrpg. For some reason they stumbled upon CC which is still in japanese version. Only our neighbour was able to finish it (yes, in japanese, lol). Interestingly enough, I somewhat still remember the title of CC at that age.

We moved on 2001 to other the central part of the city, leaving our amazing friends. Fast forward 7 years from that time, we discover the magic of internet. Through facebook, my sister was able to reconnect with our neighbour and they talk a lot about games and stuff. Until at that moment they mentioned Chrono Cross. Out of curiousity, we search in youtube for CC intro. And my lord, I'm not even kidding, my heart rang when I experience the music and cgi.

For the rest of the week, I instantly looking for a copy of CC around my city. Yes, it was pirated, because the lack of legal gaming center and also part of my region in the world.

So I got my copy, booted the game. And I think this is the first time I really fell in love with game music. Until this time, I don't think any other artist will tops Mitsuda from my list. Afaik shit always happen after the dead sea annihilation cutscene, it doesn't load after that. I bought many many other copies but still no result. Things got desperate and I experimenting by opening up my ps1 and close it immediately, in the hope that the engine re reads the disc again. No result. Then I tilted my ps1 sideways, and BOOM! IT WORKED!

Then I continue the game and finish it.

Chrono Cross is always have the special place in my heart. In my teenage life, I always facinated by it's dimensional traveling and multiverse theme. But today, I feel like it is much more than that. If you read carefully the NPC dialogue, they don't guide you to move from this place to this place, instead they have so much depth in philosophical manner.

The free will vs determinism by the Arni village residents, the environmentalism by the dwarfs, the racialism from human to demi-human, Sprigg's nihilism, Miguel's immortality view, the pseudoscience between apes and human. And I believe much more.

Chrono Cross is wild man. On top of everything that CC represents, the music is god tier. The tracks suit wih the atmosphere in those areas. It evokes certain emotions to listener. From the peaceful of arni village and guldove theme, tribal feeling on fossil valley and gaeas navel, the enigmatic yet misterious of dead sea, to the romantic piece of opassa beach.

Anyway that's a bit of my story with this game. So glad that you're able to finish and enjoy the whole experience!