CT/CE/RD/CC/CB fan remake megagame

[b2therizzo]

I was thinking of starting a fan remake project that would combine elements of Chrono Trigger, Crimson Echoes, Radical Dreamers, Chrono Cross, and what I imagine Chrono Break might have been into a massive game ... I imagine there will be enough differences to avoid a C&D ... I attempted some ROM hacking but realized quickly that is very limited, like you can't add extra playable characters. I would probably have to use RPGMAKER.

I have a lot of notes and ideas, and would really love to talk with some artists who might want to get involved. I want to use a different style of artwork because Toriyama's style is so overused and not that good IMHO. Maybe a simplistic style like the Pokemon Gameboy games or quirky style like Adventure Time. Either way, I want to attempt something different, and add in more steampunk elements to match some of the newer story elements.

I want to set the environment around Leene's Fair to match the environment just before the French Revolution. There's a reason I call it Leene's Fair and not the Millenial Fair, because I also want remove story elements that make you believe you're on Earth, including AD and BC dates. Jesus Christ wasn't born after the fall of Zeal and I was alive in 1999, and Lavos didn't destroy the world then. I would like to just use general "Ages" ...

I also want to change the lead protagonist, and make him a cross (no pun intended) between Serge and Crono. This new protagonist will be named Serge and will have a father and mother, unlike Crono who was born like Anakin Skywalker (who names their kid Crono anyways). This new Serge will have a great backstory that really pushes him to be a hero.

I know some of what written here will make Squaresoft Can Do No Wrong Superfans to cry "Blasphemy" but I do believe my story will help eliminate plot holes and paradoxes and be a better all around story. I also have a secret idea for a new awesome ending. I will work on this on my own.

I'm looking for approval of a sub forum to begin some discussions with people who want more details ... As I said above as well, I'm looking to use the forum to meet at least some sketch artists too ...

Thank you for the consideration

[Schala Zeal]

ROM hacking is a sure fire C&D if it gets popular enough.

[b2therizzo]

Well, ROM hacking won't work for what I'd like to do anyways ... I want to add lots of extra playable characters and since you're stuck with 7 ( possibly 8 ) playable character choices, I'm gonna have to use RPGMAKER or something similar. It's a shame though because the battle system in the original is awesome and all the RPGMAKER cloned battle system are just not as good as the original.

[Mr Bekkler]

I won't cry "Blasphemy" but I would suggest you alter your idea into something original, with all the changes you seem to be planning you might as well avoid any legal issues.
Unfortunately I'm not particularly interested, because you haven't really conveyed much of what you plan to do except combine some but not all elements of existing games into one fan made game and substitute Serge for Chrono. I think it would be better to bring something new instead of rehash what others have already created.

PSZ, did you not read the actual post? He states right up front he's not planning a rom hack.

[b2therizzo]

Well, if I wrote everything I wanted to change this would be a very long post ... Haha

I don't think I could turn all my ideas into a completely new and different game, without calling it Chrono Trigger, that would be tough because it would still involve time travel and Lavos and the Zeal Kingdom.

Ok, well here's something else I would change ... I dislike when RPGs give you 900 playable characters but you can only travel with 3 at a time. There's always a group that you like playing with most. I would have members join and leave your party at particular times (like in the original FF2) and each grouping has its pluses and minuses. A good example in my story is when you climb the mountain to get the Masamune. At this point your party would be comprised of a Serge and Marle as well as Tata ... Tata will be so weak that he will act as an albatross making the climb to the peak much more challenging.

Maybe, I'll just use this thread to tease some changes and allow the community to tell me if they like what they hear.

[Mr Bekkler]

It just doesn't sound like Chrono Trigger to me. An art style like Adventure Time, Serge and Marle escorting a weakling Tata to get the Masamune, and generally trying to "improve" a game most think is already perfect by mashing it together with 2 other official games, 1 fan game, and whatever Chrono Break was supposed to be, all sound to me like missteps. By making a bunch of changes to canon you'll anger fans of the franchise, but by insisting to use the existing characters and story (and presumably the same graphics and music) you'll get a cease and desist quickly unless your project is completely underground, potentially causing you to lose years of work. If you really want to make a Chrono fan game, and you're serious about finishing it, my best suggestion would be to create something new that takes place in the same universe without rehashing what had already come before. Come up with some characters, a story, and a way to fit it all in somehow. Not every idea is a good one, different doesn't always mean better.

Good luck with your project, I hope you put a lot of thought into it before deciding to legitimately work on it. I don't mean to sound like I hate all your ideas, but I'm not a fan of what's been shared so far.

[b2therizzo]

I'm gonna write a little about the new composite protagonist named Serge in order to share my vision with the community.

Serge is the son of a fisherman from the tiny village of El Nido which exists in the Present Age and is under Guardia control. Serge dreams of being martial arts master swordsman but his parents are poor and, because the citizens of Guardia are under a class system, his class will always be fisherman unless they marry out of that class. This is sorta the same environment under which the French Revolution took place. Serge is always questioning the authority of Guardia.

Oh yeah, to make things more steampunk, Serge is missing an arm ... He lost it when he was young and was attacked by a sea monster while fishing with his father ... He has a robotic arm that was built by Lucca and her twin brother Lucas.

The game would actually start 1 day before Leene's Fair as Serge is helping his father gather trinkets from floor of the El Nido Sea so his father can sell them at the fair. Those trinkets will actually play a pivotal role in the story later on.

[b2therizzo]

@MrBekkler ... It doesn't have to be a style of artwork like Adventure Time, I just want to try something different because I'm not a fan of Toriyama's style. He's a one trick pony, DBZ looks like CT looks like DQ ...

I imagine a new style too because I want to set up a brand new world, I don't want the player to think they are on Earth ... I want to create new animals and new plant life, etc ... I actually toyed with the idea of using anthro characters just to be completely different, but anthro is so overdone too. Like Serge being a mouse, and Marle being a rabbit, and Frog being a ... Um ... Well ... A frog.

[Mr Bekkler]

Are anthropomorphic animal characters overdone though? I can't name anything of the top of my head except some Disney movies.
I feel my greater point is being ignored so I probably won't reply again, after this last attempt. A new art style, new plants and animals and a brand new world, new eras, new events, different gameplay mechanics, this all sounds like an original idea. I think you simply renamed the few remaining elements of the Chrono Trigger universe you want to use and call them something else, you'll have an entirely original property to do with as you please. What you're describing doesn't sound bad but doesn't sound like Chrono Trigger or Cross. It sounds like it's inspired by the series, maybe. But it just doesn't sound like it fits as part of the series. Not to me.

[b2therizzo]

I appreciate what your saying Mr Bekkler, I wish I could figure how to make totally my own, but Chrono Trigger pretty much owns the whole time travel thing ... Maybe I could go with the whole "Inspired By Chrono Trigger" thing ... Sorta like a fan fiction thing, I don't know ...

I think part of the problem is Chrono Trigger was almost perfect, I didn't like the Death Peek/Time Egg thing but that's it ... But then Chrono Cross is super hard to justify as is ... It's as if Square had an idea for a dimension traveling game that could've stood on its own two feet but decided to make it part of the Chrono series.

I feel the way I would incorporate Chrono Cross into the story would be much more believable and flow better into an overall mega-game. TEASER: Instead of basing CC on two worlds where either Serge lived or died, I would base it on the 3 way war between Guardia, Porre and Medina ... The majority of the game takes place in the world where Guardia wins, but at some point you'd cross into the Porre dimension, a brutal military dictatorship, and later cross into the Medina dimension where monsters rule the world ... After visiting those worlds you'd eventually end up in the Guardia dimension and finish the game there.

[b2therizzo]

Actually Mr Bekkler you do have a point ... So, your saying if I change the names and places, etc, I could come up with something completely new ... My only concern is how I would incorporate a malfunctioning machine sending people back in time to a place where someone who was turned into a frog helps save a princess ... Haha, I'm gonna get my pants sued off of me, knowing my luck

[Mr Bekkler]

Just try using your imagination to arrive at a similar place by different means. Some examples:
If you combine Lucca and her dad or Lucca and the gurus you get a new character Dr. Smartypants or Professor Foureyes or something, and he or she has been building a time machine but doesn't mention it's broken until after the player uses it.
If everyone's an animal them a fun twist might be a prince who used to be a frog but was turned into a person and desperately wants to be a frog again.

I don't expect you to use my ideas but I hope it helps spark some creativity for you while you think about your idea. Obviously I'm just one person with just one opinion, so what I'm suggesting isn't necessarily the mass consensus. Everyone who has tried to remake one of the Chrono games had gotten shut down by Square Enix. Most fan made games have either been cancelled, shut down by Square Enix, are really short, or take years to complete (which is where my project is right now). If you flesh out an original idea, taking heavy inspiration won't get you sued, and in the event that you complete it, you can sell and distribute it as you please. If you really want to make it a fan game I'll reiterate you should keep it private until it's ready, keep it low key even after release, and make your story fit into established canon rather than try to change too much that's already been done, regardless of what you like or don't like about it. If the intent is to please fans, don't reinvent the wheel.

Most important is figure out the story you want to tell and figure out how to do it effectively. Use your imagination, have fun, and again, good luck.

[EgyLynx]

intresting see that now?

[chrono.source]

This is an interesting idea, but would depend on how well it is executed.

Since I have already created a CT prequel on RPG maker XP (32x32 grid) I have all of my templates available from if you are thinking of using CT graphics.

I'm curious how this will pan out.

[EgyLynx]

Yeah... of course...