I'll be honest... It wasn't the sequel I was hoping for. I wanted more of the same - time travel, fun characters, a great soundtrack, and I got half of what I was looking for. Too many characters I didn't care about, a wonky magic system (and no proper level up / exp system), and an incredibly convoluted plot. The Chrono Trigger world was forgotten, the entire game isolated to a small archipelago that didn't exist in Chrono Trigger, and the characters I loved from Chrono Trigger were killed off or entirely absent. I enjoyed the game, but I wasn't enamored with.
Time has softened me, however.
The archipelago of El Nido is probably my favorite jRPG world of all time. The vibrant colors, the coral reefs, the tropical tribal village of Arni -- it's such a unique and refreshing take on the fantasy genre. Many of the characters I once loathed I grew to enjoy -- Funguy, Orcha, Norris, and the others actually turned out to be fairly likable, albeit still a bit shallow. The graphics, the music, and the new additions to lore were worthy of the Chrono titlage. The story line, once it finally made sense, was (mostly) satisfying.
Was it as good as Chrono Trigger? No, not for me. Was it an amazing game, and one I love going back to? Absolutely.
I do wish that there was more Chrono Trigger inclusion, whether in the form of returning characters or locations. Lucca's house and a dead Gato simply weren't enough.
![Very Happy :D](https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/Smileys/default/icon_biggrin.gif)
All that being said... Man, that brings me back to the Chrono Cross hack we had worked on.
Chrono Cross: The Darkness Beyond Time. We had some models of Lucca, Marle, Ayla, and a few others and a story line that would have made minor adjustments to Chrono Cross in order to make room for the Chrono gang. Another unrealized opportunity.
![Sad :(](https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/Smileys/default/icon_sad.gif)
* And Korcha. I utterly despise Korcha.
Was it the banana hammock? In all seriousness, Orcha was the only family member I could tolerate. Macha, Korcha, and his bratty little sister could all bite me.