Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition - Obtaining all characters in a single playthrough

Chrono Cross is a complicated game with many characters to recruit. Choosing different branching paths at some points and answering differently during certain conversations locks you out from getting some character, but you get different one instead. There is a way to transfer your character progress using a Continue+ method unlocked when you beat the game.

After beating a game and saving when prompted, you can do either a New Game Plus (NG+) or a Continue+ Game. They're two different things. The one you want is Continue+. Why? Because with that option you can transfer characters of that save into any other and you keep them in that file where you trasnfer your Continue+. This means that if you do a save before branching paths, get towards the end on a different save slot, beat the game; you can then transfer characters into that original save and continue getting other characters while keeping the ones you did with the Continue+ save. Neat!

Steps:

• Make 3 save files at the moment where you can choose a guide to Viper Manor, but do not recruit one yet! On one save file you will choose Nikki (SAVE_01), one the other Pierre(SAVE_02), and on the last - Guile (SAVE_03). This doesn't mean you have to finish the game on all save files, but more on that down below. So, play all 3 save files, choose a different guide on that point and save onto corresponding slot - this will leave you with 3 save files, each having a different guide.
• Play (SAVE_02) from the point explained above, play until you reach Fort Dragonia. After beating Lynx you will reach Temporal Vortex. Afterwards you need to go to Arni Village and you will battle Radius. Save somewhere on the Home World map between recruiting Harle and fighting Radius onto that slot.
• Play (SAVE_03) from the point explained in the first step all the way towards the end, choosing to save Kid if #2 didn't or choosing NOT to save Kid if #2 did.
• Create a (SAVE_04) as a branch off of number 3, save as soon as you can get the Chrono Cross key item and use it to grab the other characters

Once you have beaten the game in your SAVE_03 file:

• Continue Game+ onto SAVE_02, fight the Time Devourer. Make a save on a different slot so you can carry that one onto other prepared slots
• Continue Game+ onto SAVE_01, fight the Time Devourer. Make a save on a different slot so you can carry that one onto other prepared slots
• Continue Game+ onto SAVE_04, make a SAVE_05 file, grab everyone with the Chrono Cross

Once you have done these steps, if you just want to Fast Forward through the ending, don't beat the Time Devourer, leave Terra Tower, and go straight to the TD. After defeating the TD, Continue Game+ onto SAVE_04, get your characters back, repeat.