Chrono Trigger is one of those games that i've been meaning to play for forever but just haven't had the chance to get to with how massive my backlog is and how many new games i'm being introduced to constantly. But now, seeing how much more the sequel appeals to me aesthetically, i think i finally have some extra insentive to actually play through the original, so, thanks a ton for that!
One nice note for chrono trigger is its only about 15-20 hours, super short by JRPG standards. I also think Chrono Cross not having the "Chrono" name would have made it be better review at time of release.
No two RPG's have the catalogue of great music than both Chrono games have. I play guitar and often finding myself going to Chrono Cross for inspiration. The sights and sounds stand the test of time. But the story is often disrespected in reviews and I think you nailed it here. People mistake the lack of depth of story with all of the side characters being an example of where Chrono Cross story fails. I always felt the game focused on 2 dimensions, 2 characters. It showed the impact a person can have on others when they are around or losing that person how far reaching that loss actually is, being more impactful. The extra characters were a bonus, just not super important. I think that was jarring for people after Chrono Triggers large cast of characters with deep backstory and how unforgettable they were. But the emotional depth of who you had to focus on in Cross made the experience look at our own lives rather then wishing to be apart of our own adventure. Another part that people complain about is how confusing the story is. I always felt the majority of the beginning of the game is a mystery. It's meant to be confusing but keep you intrigued to keep finding answers. But then people are going to Chrono Cross as the sequel to Chrono Trigger and hyper focused on finding that connection which really isn't revealed til much later in the game, causing people to not focus on the actual story in front of them. I agree the last quarter puts things together in a sloppy way and if you don't know Chrono Trigger then it comes off confusing. But it's often said the story in Chrono Cross is a mess, and that is such a disservice. I played both games when they came out and loved them so much. But Chrono Cross made more if an impact to me in a much more solemn way. The story was dark, but the music and amazingly beautiful environments (still to this day) take part of that burden away in such a needed contrast that takes away the burden Of getting through a game that can get so heavy. Really enjoyed this video and look forward to more in the future. This isn't a RPG, but I feel is in a similar vein as Chrono Cross, but I would love to see your thoughts on the adventure game Riven. A game lost in time.
cant thank you enough for this incredible in depth comment and you summed up so many feelings i share really well. riven looks really aesthetically interesting imma check it out thnx for the recomendation :)
@@yoppimedia That makes me very happy to read and was inspired to write that because it was a really enjoyable watch. Take care and I look forward to see you grow.
Great vid! I've just finished playing the remaster after having played the original way back when. It's great finding all these "retrospective" videos on RUclips. I would love to hear your thoughts on the themes and motifs in Chrono Cross👍
Thanks so much for doing this review! I played Chrono Cross when it was first released, and you did a perfect job of capturing my experience from back then. The look and feel, and especially the music are unforgettable. I feel like it's an often overlooked title, but well worth the time for any JRPG fan.
glad you liked the vid and thanks for the nice comment :) yeah as the sequel to the most highly regarded classic jrpg idk why its not talked about more
Before reading my lengthy criticism of the game, keep in mind that I played it years before playing Chrono Trigger and am judging it on its own merits rather than being bitter about its tonal differences from the previous game. That seems to be a common response to people being dissatisfied with it and it's not the case here. It's also going to be extremely negative, but it comes from thinking about it a lot, and I wouldn't spend so much time thinking about a game if I hated it or didn't find its shortcomings interesting to examine rather than just bash it for fun. A lot of Japanese game and animation storytelling from this time period seems to think that making a story as lore-heavy and complicated as possible is the same thing as making it compelling, something I strongly disagree with. Events that happen in a plot should support a character arc or a theme, or get the characters where they need to be for either of those to be demonstrated in a scene. What thematic purpose is there of a rogue AI causing a hurricane to stop/make a random boy get killed by a panther to make them the catalyst for their energy source and freeze a city in time in order to better position itself for a war with a technologically advanced dinosaur military base displaced from an alternate dimension or some such nonsense? To what end does all of this stuff happen? How does this make me care about the 40+ characters that get about a sentence of character development followed by literally interchangeable dialogue where the same lines are parsed through an accent-substitution algorithm? Sorry if I got any of those details wrong, but would getting all of that lore sorted out unpack what theme it all amounts to? Chrono Cross's story feels less like a meaningful narrative and more like a series of dispassionate events that just... happen, for some convoluted reason. Characters feel less like characters and more like one-note concepts that are just... there, at the whims of the Rube-Goldberg machine that is the plot. Oh and the lovable compelling characters from the last game? Yeah, they're all either dead or reduced to cogs in machines or time-eating spiders for no reason (yes, I know I said I was judging the game by its own merits rather than Chrono Trigger, but what it does with established characters demonstrates how this game approaches storytelling and the bizarre loathing and dispassion it seems to have for the players in its plot). Everything has been reduced to lore rather than story with anything meaningful to take away from it. And you could say that this dispassion towards the characters demonstrates some theme of people being at the whims of circumstance or something, but I don't really need an 40-hour romp to get the theme that small extrapolated events can change a lot of things. It's a shame because many of the aspects of the game, the music (my god the music), environments, and character designs are gorgeous when considered on their own. However, the game as a whole feels less than the sum of its parts. None of the amazing parts the creative team put so much passion into come together for me in the end. The spectacle stays with me, but that's about it.
a very thoughtful breakdown of why the story doesnt work for a lot of people thanks for this great comment. yeah i agree that the overly convoluted lore seemed to serve no purpose other than to feel like a mystery reveal when it was all dumped out at the end. i was not bothered by the huge roster not getting developed and mostly only focusing on a couple charachters, but when you stack it next to trigger it does seem weak. overall i didnt have as negative of an experience with this story as your comment makes me think you might have, but i do see a lot of validity in your complaints
@@yoppimedia I wouldn't say I had an overall negative experience while playing it. Thinking about it as a postmortem years later just got me thinking about how writing works in a way that is still valuable to me. I think the experience benefits a lot from being a video game. I can understand enjoying it if you let the beautiful atmosphere and fun gameplay wash over you. The writing wouldn't hold up in another medium, but video games do have the benefit of letting you live in the setting and look past shortcomings in the writing. It would just be nice if more games could have both, like many of the other games you've reviewed. Keep up the great work, by the way. I've really enjoyed your content, particularly the Analgesic game retrospectives.
Hello there, I read your lengthy critique and there are some things that I agree with you on, there is a lot I don't. If you're interested in hearing what those things are, let me know and I'll try and form a nice rebuttal to your comment above👍
Cool video. I played Chrono Cross a long while ago and I'll admit, I'm not really a huge fan of it (not a fan of Chrono Trigger, either). The music and the battle system were cool but I came to find the story disappointing. It starts off interesting but imo, it went downhill as the game went on. It became needlessly convoluted and by the end I just stopped caring about it. I also feel like there were too many characters and a lot of them don't have a lot of depth in their character. It's cool that you like it but for me, Chrono Cross wasn't that great.
![Arc the Lad 2 Retrospective [PS1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dNn1JE11Pic/mqdefault.jpg)
Chrono Trigger is one of those games that i've been meaning to play for forever but just haven't had the chance to get to with how massive my backlog is and how many new games i'm being introduced to constantly. But now, seeing how much more the sequel appeals to me aesthetically, i think i finally have some extra insentive to actually play through the original, so, thanks a ton for that!
you def should give them both a try! they hold up really well :)
One nice note for chrono trigger is its only about 15-20 hours, super short by JRPG standards.
I also think Chrono Cross not having the "Chrono" name would have made it be better review at time of release.
you'll never play it
No two RPG's have the catalogue of great music than both Chrono games have. I play guitar and often finding myself going to Chrono Cross for inspiration. The sights and sounds stand the test of time. But the story is often disrespected in reviews and I think you nailed it here.
People mistake the lack of depth of story with all of the side characters being an example of where Chrono Cross story fails. I always felt the game focused on 2 dimensions, 2 characters. It showed the impact a person can have on others when they are around or losing that person how far reaching that loss actually is, being more impactful. The extra characters were a bonus, just not super important. I think that was jarring for people after Chrono Triggers large cast of characters with deep backstory and how unforgettable they were. But the emotional depth of who you had to focus on in Cross made the experience look at our own lives rather then wishing to be apart of our own adventure.
Another part that people complain about is how confusing the story is. I always felt the majority of the beginning of the game is a mystery. It's meant to be confusing but keep you intrigued to keep finding answers. But then people are going to Chrono Cross as the sequel to Chrono Trigger and hyper focused on finding that connection which really isn't revealed til much later in the game, causing people to not focus on the actual story in front of them. I agree the last quarter puts things together in a sloppy way and if you don't know Chrono Trigger then it comes off confusing. But it's often said the story in Chrono Cross is a mess, and that is such a disservice.
I played both games when they came out and loved them so much. But Chrono Cross made more if an impact to me in a much more solemn way. The story was dark, but the music and amazingly beautiful environments (still to this day) take part of that burden away in such a needed contrast that takes away the burden Of getting through a game that can get so heavy.
Really enjoyed this video and look forward to more in the future.
This isn't a RPG, but I feel is in a similar vein as Chrono Cross, but I would love to see your thoughts on the adventure game Riven. A game lost in time.
cant thank you enough for this incredible in depth comment and you summed up so many feelings i share really well.
riven looks really aesthetically interesting imma check it out thnx for the recomendation :)
@@yoppimedia That makes me very happy to read and was inspired to write that because it was a really enjoyable watch. Take care and I look forward to see you grow.
Crono cross is the best game ever for me and final fantasy 9 nostagic ever for me bring back to old past life a super i miss it my childhood
Great vid! I've just finished playing the remaster after having played the original way back when. It's great finding all these "retrospective" videos on RUclips.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the themes and motifs in Chrono Cross👍
Thanks so much for doing this review! I played Chrono Cross when it was first released, and you did a perfect job of capturing my experience from back then. The look and feel, and especially the music are unforgettable. I feel like it's an often overlooked title, but well worth the time for any JRPG fan.
glad you liked the vid and thanks for the nice comment :) yeah as the sequel to the most highly regarded classic jrpg idk why its not talked about more
Have you heard the MP3 album of the Chrono Cross 2019 tour yet? :)
i checked it out just now, those are some awesome renditions of those songs!
@@yoppimedia For sure. I bought the album off Amazon awhile ago.
Well done review. Subbed!
thanks so much! :)
THE ONION
Another great video!
Before reading my lengthy criticism of the game, keep in mind that I played it years before playing Chrono Trigger and am judging it on its own merits rather than being bitter about its tonal differences from the previous game. That seems to be a common response to people being dissatisfied with it and it's not the case here. It's also going to be extremely negative, but it comes from thinking about it a lot, and I wouldn't spend so much time thinking about a game if I hated it or didn't find its shortcomings interesting to examine rather than just bash it for fun.
A lot of Japanese game and animation storytelling from this time period seems to think that making a story as lore-heavy and complicated as possible is the same thing as making it compelling, something I strongly disagree with. Events that happen in a plot should support a character arc or a theme, or get the characters where they need to be for either of those to be demonstrated in a scene.
What thematic purpose is there of a rogue AI causing a hurricane to stop/make a random boy get killed by a panther to make them the catalyst for their energy source and freeze a city in time in order to better position itself for a war with a technologically advanced dinosaur military base displaced from an alternate dimension or some such nonsense? To what end does all of this stuff happen? How does this make me care about the 40+ characters that get about a sentence of character development followed by literally interchangeable dialogue where the same lines are parsed through an accent-substitution algorithm? Sorry if I got any of those details wrong, but would getting all of that lore sorted out unpack what theme it all amounts to?
Chrono Cross's story feels less like a meaningful narrative and more like a series of dispassionate events that just... happen, for some convoluted reason. Characters feel less like characters and more like one-note concepts that are just... there, at the whims of the Rube-Goldberg machine that is the plot. Oh and the lovable compelling characters from the last game? Yeah, they're all either dead or reduced to cogs in machines or time-eating spiders for no reason (yes, I know I said I was judging the game by its own merits rather than Chrono Trigger, but what it does with established characters demonstrates how this game approaches storytelling and the bizarre loathing and dispassion it seems to have for the players in its plot). Everything has been reduced to lore rather than story with anything meaningful to take away from it. And you could say that this dispassion towards the characters demonstrates some theme of people being at the whims of circumstance or something, but I don't really need an 40-hour romp to get the theme that small extrapolated events can change a lot of things.
It's a shame because many of the aspects of the game, the music (my god the music), environments, and character designs are gorgeous when considered on their own. However, the game as a whole feels less than the sum of its parts. None of the amazing parts the creative team put so much passion into come together for me in the end. The spectacle stays with me, but that's about it.
a very thoughtful breakdown of why the story doesnt work for a lot of people thanks for this great comment. yeah i agree that the overly convoluted lore seemed to serve no purpose other than to feel like a mystery reveal when it was all dumped out at the end.
i was not bothered by the huge roster not getting developed and mostly only focusing on a couple charachters, but when you stack it next to trigger it does seem weak. overall i didnt have as negative of an experience with this story as your comment makes me think you might have, but i do see a lot of validity in your complaints
@@yoppimedia I wouldn't say I had an overall negative experience while playing it. Thinking about it as a postmortem years later just got me thinking about how writing works in a way that is still valuable to me. I think the experience benefits a lot from being a video game. I can understand enjoying it if you let the beautiful atmosphere and fun gameplay wash over you. The writing wouldn't hold up in another medium, but video games do have the benefit of letting you live in the setting and look past shortcomings in the writing. It would just be nice if more games could have both, like many of the other games you've reviewed.
Keep up the great work, by the way. I've really enjoyed your content, particularly the Analgesic game retrospectives.
Hello there, I read your lengthy critique and there are some things that I agree with you on, there is a lot I don't. If you're interested in hearing what those things are, let me know and I'll try and form a nice rebuttal to your comment above👍
Nice summary, it's a fun game and really reminds me of FF9 in terms of how it pushed the PS1
This was great!
Cool video. I played Chrono Cross a long while ago and I'll admit, I'm not really a huge fan of it (not a fan of Chrono Trigger, either). The music and the battle system were cool but I came to find the story disappointing. It starts off interesting but imo, it went downhill as the game went on. It became needlessly convoluted and by the end I just stopped caring about it. I also feel like there were too many characters and a lot of them don't have a lot of depth in their character. It's cool that you like it but for me, Chrono Cross wasn't that great.