]

• Here is a run-down of each character:

1. Crono: The game's katana-wielding principle protagonist features an excellent blend of strong physical attacks along with powerful magic. He uses light-based magic which means that his spells usually involve lightning. His ultimate spell, Luminaire, is one of the most devastating in the game. His physical techs such as Cleave and Frenzy are also quite damaging. Along with these attacks he also possesses Raise, a spell that, as the name suggests, raises a party member from the dead and restores some HP. His double techs, particularly those involving Ayla and Frog, are also some of the best. His only real drawback is a lack of defensive abilities. This makes him reliant upon the other characters and inventory items for healing and stat boosts.
2. Marle: Marle (a.k.a. Princess Nadia) fires at enemies from afar using a crossbow, but will also bash them in the face with the weapon at close range. She can also attack with her water-based Ice magic. All in all she is more of a defensive character. Her abilities are focused on supporting her fellow teammates. Of these, her best are powerful healing spells like Cure and Cure II. She also uses Arise, an upgraded version of Crono's Raise ability which resurrects a fallen party member and fully restores their HP. Haste, another useful spell in her arsenal, cuts the time a character must wait to attack in half. The only downside of her enchantments is that they can only be cast on one character at a time. She lacks a healing spell that resores HP to all three characters at once.
3. Lucca: She is another strong offensive character, although not as well-rounded as Crono. Her normal blaster attacks are not as damaging as those of other characters. Fortunately her fire-based magic makes up for this deficiency. Her spells, especially Flare, are quite effective. She also can cast Protect on her fellow party members. This enchantment reduces the amount of damage the character takes from physical attacks.
4. Robo: While this robot's lasers inflict shadow damage, he does not have any true magic of his own. Luckily his physical attacks are quite good, especially Rapid-fire Punch and Robo Tackle. He also has two healing techs -- Heal Beam and Cure Beam. The former is useful because it heals all three party members at once. These healing abilities and his strength make him a good character to include in your party. He can, however, be a liability if the fight necessitates that you use magic.
5. Frog: This amphibious swordsman is another good all-around character. He features strong physical attacks like Crono and Robo. His tech, Aerial Strike is quite effective. Likewise Frog Squash is a unique finisher. The tech hits all enemies on the screen and deals more damage with the less HP Frog has. His offensive magic, like Marle's, is somewhat weaker than that of Crono, Lucca, or Magus. His highest offensive spell is Water II, a fact that makes him somewhat obsolete (at least when it comes to magical attacks) later in the game. That being said, his double techs, especially X-Strike and Lightning Rod (both with Crono) are some of the best. He is also a good healer, possessing both Heal (which heals all characters) and Cure II (which like Marle's spell, heals one character).
6. Ayla: While this cavegirl does not use magic, she employs some terrific physical attacks. Triple Kick rivals Frenzy as one of the best single techs. She also has some great double techs with other characters. Falcon Strike, one of her double techs with Crono, is particularly useful as it can hit two enemies at once. Perhaps Ayla's most useful ability is Charm. With this ability you can steal items from enemies. Think of it as pick-pocketing with sex appeal. Charm can yield you anything from the odd potion to powerful suits of armor.
7. Magus: Being a master magician, Magus is not restricted to spells of any particular alignment. He can cast second tier water, fire, and lightning based spells. His specialty, however, is shadow magic. Dark Matter, his ultimate magical attack, ranks with Luminaire and Flare as the game's great third-tier offensive spells. He can also cast Barrier on fellow party members which cuts down on the amount of damage they take from magic. Unfortunately this versatility comes with some downsides. Since all his techs involve magic, he is not useful against enemies who are more vulnerable to physical attacks. Likewise, most of his magic spells hit all targets on the screen. This can make him a liability when you are forced to target specific enemies and/or body parts. Finally, Magus has no double techs and only two triple techs, both of which can only be used after finding the correct Gemstones that are hidden throughout the game.

• You may only have three characters in your party at any given time. Therefore, party formation is important. Ultimately you want the three characters in your party to make up for one another's deficiencies. This is not always possible because the game often forces you into situations where you cannot change party members. Likewise, your party will have to change at times to better meet a new threat. All this aside, here are a few general recommendations on party formation:

1. It is always a good idea to reserve one of your three slots to a character with decent healing abilities. This will cut down on the amount of healing items you have to buy. In general Robo, Marle, and Frog are the best healers. Marle, however, is mostly a defensive character who possesses weaker attacks. Robo or Frog are better choices if you want to play more aggressively.
2. Crono is hands-down the best character in the game. His physical and magical attacks are both devastating. Whenever possible you should include him in your party.
3. Ayla's Charm tech is useful beyond words. It will give you a great deal of items and save you money in the long run. It is recommended that you include her in your party as much as possible to take advantage of this ability.
4. Despite his aforementioned drawbacks, Magus is a great character to include in your party due to his magical versatility. His presence allows you to more openly use non-magic users like Robo or Ayla.

• The game gives you an option of naming each playable character. For the purposes of this walkthrough, each character will be called by his or her default name (Crono, Lucca, Frog, etc.)

YouTube: Marle Vanishes! Must Get to the Cathedral! (Time: 10:55)

1. Two guards will try to stop you from entering the castle. Queen Leene, however, will intervene and invite you inside.
2. When you regain control, head north, up the stairs, and through the double doors at the top.
3. Speak to the king and the chancellor. Walk to the left and head up the stairs ahead.
4. You will pass several rooms as you ascend the stairs. The second with have a treasure chest with 100 gold inside.
5. Eventually you will reach the top. Talk to the Chancellor. Now head south to the adjacent hallway. Walk through the double doors at the end of the hall. Collect the Bronze Armor from the treasure chest you find here. Equip it.
6. Return to the throne room. Now head up the stairs to the right.
7. You will again pass several rooms. The second one you pass will have a treasure chest containing a Potion inside of it.
8. When you reach the top, talk to the knight guarding the entryway. He'll move aside. Walk down the hallway and through the double doors. Walk to the queen. She reveals that she is actually Marle in disguise. After a brief conversation she will blink out of existence. Take the Ether from the nearby treasure chest before exiting.
9. Retrace your steps to the throne room. When you arrive downstairs you will encounter Lucca. She says that the two of you need to rescue Queen Leene.
10. NOTE: Before leaving the castle, you may want to pay a visit to the dining hall. From where you entered the castle, turn right. Follow the hallway around to the stairs. Once downstairs you will see two tables. Stand in the front of the upper left hand chair of the closest table to order food. The salad fully restores your MP, the stew your HP, and the roast restores both.
11. Exit the castle.
12. Retrace your steps back through the forest. You will encounter two groups of enemies along the way (assuming you are following the same path).
13. Once at the overworld, head to the town shop. Buy some items for Lucca. Now head to the Cathedral to the west of the castle. Enter the Cathedral.

• Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16