Chrono Compendium
Enhasa Halls - Chrono Series Analysis => Characters, Plot, and Themes => Topic started by: chrono.source on May 23, 2018, 03:56:42 pm
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This is something i thought of when a topic was posted on reddit about the game mechanics of each Chrono Game. Trigger being time travel, and Cross being dimensional hopping.
A slightly skewed idea came to mind (although time travel related).
What if the dynamic of time travel was to reverse engineer what time travel had done.
Main character is actually one that has time travelled before. He/she has maintained the memories of said time travelling experience due to TTI, but because of something that happened, a sort of amnesia overcomes them and is now unaware of the events that transpired.
Through their travels they begin to uncover bits of their memory which points to the fact that they have indeed time travelled, and that their own adventures have caused the dilapidated reality they live in now. They must...."uncover" their memories to help undo their own time travelling mistake and fix the world.
...Thoughts? Opinions?
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Interesting idea, actually! So they were directly involved in timeline changes that results in the current timeline they find themselves, but now they have to work backwards to understand what occurred in the original timelines? Did I get that right?
Sounds like counter-time shenanigans. I posited around here somewhere about the counter-time experiment, and that it could have been attempt to reach erased timelines that had been discarded to the Darkness Beyond Time. It doesn't really fit with current multiverse theory, but from a gameplay mechanics could be a unique read. I can't find the original thread, but it was added to the official theorizing board here:
https://www.chronocompendium.com/wiki/index.php/Frozen_Flame_(Anti-annihilation_Energy_within)#Scientific_Explanation
As for this, there's another thread concerning the next iteration of the Chrono series and what it could/should be. This is ripe for conversation there (or here), and fit with my own counter-time theory. Goodness, I can't find that thread, either.
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Yes indeed you have that correct good sir. I do love the counter-time theory and everything to do with alternate timelines being "lost" to the DBT. If the thread you are referring to is the one where members are pining oer thoughts of doing another ROM hack I am active on that already, if not I'd love to know which one you are referring to.
Imagine if you will, obtaining the use of (or being part of) AAE and having the main party visit the DBT at will, or at least at certain points, being able to alter different "lost" timelines, and alternately changing how they exist, and even bringing them back.
Hmm...
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I like it, confusing as it will be. Granted I played Crimson Echoes like 5 times and even with my graph paper of timelines, have no idea what Zeality was explaining.
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Reminds me a bit of the premise of Planescape: Torment. An immortal guy who forgets everything and becomes a new person each time he "dies" has to backtrack his previous lives to figure out why he's in this situation. I haven't actually played it, but it's one of those games that always ranks highly in "best of all time" lists, so this idea is in good company.
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I really love this idea!!
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Now that's an original one!
It's not what I had in mind for a sequel, but it's sure worth toying with for fun.
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Reminds me a bit of the premise of Planescape: Torment. An immortal guy who forgets everything and becomes a new person each time he "dies" has to backtrack his previous lives to figure out why he's in this situation. I haven't actually played it, but it's one of those games that always ranks highly in "best of all time" lists, so this idea is in good company.
I really like this concept for a game as well. I actually youtube'd this and got a buddy at work to buy it based on this.
Now that's an original one!
It's not what I had in mind for a sequel, but it's sure worth toying with for fun.
What concepts did you have in mind for a sequel?
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Well, I have other posts about it somewhere... all over, probably.
I've long flirted with the idea of Lavos going from a time-hopping, possibly galaxy-traversing being... to one that moves between dimensions. Kind of a way to take things to the next level.
I also wanted to have the sequel star Crono and Marle's children. See this post... https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=12581.0
I also really REALLY like the idea of Schala being the entity Robo posits existing. How beautiful would it be if, after fusing with Lavos, she was able, just barely able, to see the one fighting chance the planet had... by opening the gates and sending Crono and co. on their adventure. (Keep in mind it was her pendant that opened the first one at the fair- a channel, of sorts, that Schala could have tapped into.)
I ALSO prefer to largely disregard Crono Cross's plot because it sucked, in my opinion. Although, if you look at my idea for starting with C/M's kids, I don't disrupt it. Guardia is overthrown, etc.
Now, circling back to your idea, what I like about it is that it isn't just a next-level multiverse Lavos, but keeps things on the same scale, but different, and new and interesting. It also makes me think... what if there were beings trying to undo what Crono and co. did? Like, beings who don't like timelines being messed with? Hell, maybe that ties into a character with amnesia somehow? Someone trying to figure out what "happened" because the timeline being reestablished as the original timeline screwed with his/her mind? Wrong place wrong time kind of thing?
K I'm about to spiral out of control with random ideas, better stop.
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:?
Why random ideas are bad?
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They're not. Going crazy with them is...
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They're not. Going crazy with them is...
Agreed. The amount of sheer theory on possibilities is seemingly endless. That's one things I love about this place, is that there are many people with varying thoughts and different views, and all are brought to the table, discussed, and welcomed.
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Well on that note, why don't you expand on your amnesia idea?
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Bad reference but this is kinda sorta like Back to the Future 2, in that you have to figure first what happened before fixing it?
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Bad reference but this is kinda sorta like Back to the Future 2, in that you have to figure first what happened before fixing it?
Hmm definitely possible, unfortunately I"m one of the few souls out there that haven't seen that movie.... or have completely forgotten it if I have.Well on that note, why don't you expand on your amnesia idea?
As for this, to continue on this idea, I would need to start writing a plotline, basic script, character dev ideas etc... which currently I wish I had time for but do not. It would basically be the beginnings of a game creation which although I would love to divulge in, I cannot take on something that massive right now.
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You know one thing I personally wouldn't do? Make the main character immortal. Limitations are always more interesting than abilities, and the more vulnerable a character, the more we side with him/her. It's more conflict if they're mortal, it's more adversity to overcome, it just makes for a better story.
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You know one thing I personally wouldn't do? Make the main character immortal. Limitations are always more interesting than abilities, and the more vulnerable a character, the more we side with him/her. It's more conflict if they're mortal, it's more adversity to overcome, it just makes for a better story.
Immortality would be a deal breaker for sure. If anything, the character may be reaching to attain immortality..... but having it always JUST out of reach.
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You know one thing I personally wouldn't do? Make the main character immortal. Limitations are always more interesting than abilities, and the more vulnerable a character, the more we side with him/her. It's more conflict if they're mortal, it's more adversity to overcome, it just makes for a better story.
Immortality would be a deal breaker for sure. If anything, the character may be reaching to attain immortality..... but having it always JUST out of reach.
Or finding out that after all of that hard work a determination that immortality is unobtainable?
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Immortality, huh...
*Flashbacks of Crusader Kings*
Probably not on the main protagonist, but in a setting with, say, time travel, having an immortal character around has potential, I'd say.
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One could be really nasty by pulling the two concepts in together. Frex: Character A is tricked into believing that they have to offer up a human sacrifice in order to acheive immortality, and Character B walks into it willingly because they know that unless Character A does this and finds out that they've been lied to, they won't become the person who [does important thing in the future that saves Character B's life/family/country].
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One could be really nasty by pulling the two concepts in together. Frex: Character A is tricked into believing that they have to offer up a human sacrifice in order to acheive immortality, and Character B walks into it willingly because they know that unless Character A does this and finds out that they've been lied to, they won't become the person who [does important thing in the future that saves Character B's life/family/country].
That's just mean.
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That is mean, and I love it. Pull all the heartstrings! :D
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I never did get far into Final Fantasy Dimensions II (which was sort of based off of some unused Chrono Trigger sequel concepts), but the intro to the game clearly shows that the various characters are in timeline misalignment.
If my memory serves correctly, one character already knows the hero because they met in her timeline vantage point, but from his perspective they have never met before.
I had never even thought how it tied into my previous hero/villain concept, which you all enhanced with it being a hero/love interest (a la Dr. Who).
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You ever watch a show called "quantum leap"? If not, go do it. Its a similar premise, might be what your looking for. a man can traverse time by 'leaping' his conciousness, from a sealed room, into the past into people's bodies. he can see them when he looks in a mirror. he cant leap to another person until he does something to alter time, like stop a murder, or prevent a disaster or something.
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You ever watch a show called "quantum leap"? If not, go do it. Its a similar premise, might be what your looking for. a man can traverse time by 'leaping' his conciousness, from a sealed room, into the past into people's bodies. he can see them when he looks in a mirror. he cant leap to another person until he does something to alter time, like stop a murder, or prevent a disaster or something.
Wonderful show. Except for the final episode. Eff that.
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I dunno where is more fit. This theme or Breaak theme. Anyway. There is a game. Great JRPG Radiant Historia. THIS must be Chrono Break. Why? Hero travels from dimensions and times.
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What about a Skywalker-esque plot in which the hero is avenging his parents killed by the villain only to find out later that the villain was his real parent all along, and that hero's family was actually his step-family. In this case the hero was either moved as a baby to prevent the villain for locating them, or that the villain (before he/she fully turned to evil) had sent the hero away to keep in away from participating in the conflict.
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What about a Skywalker-esque plot in which the hero is avenging his parents killed by the villain only to find out later that the villain was his real parent all along, and that hero's family was actually his step-family. In this case the hero was either moved as a baby to prevent the villain for locating them, or that the villain (before he/she fully turned to evil) had sent the hero away to keep in away from participating in the conflict.
I do usually enjoy this type of plot. I think this would definitely fit more into a Cross story rather than a Trigger story.