Let's Play 2024 - Chrono Trigger

[Chris Cruz]

Hey, Boo. I was thinking for a few days about what to reply with.

So, in Chrono Trigger I'm at the Mountain of Woe. All of a sudden it hit me like 'this's kinda cool.' The game itself. I was trying to make a big deal about going to Zeal, the home of the Enlightened Ones, and seeing what kind of text the NPC's were gonna deliver. And it was mostly about how they sleep to dream, and your dreams are almost kinda truthful or prophetic in a way and it tells you a lot about yourself, and how all the inhabitants on Zeal just kinda sleep the day away. It kinda makes me think they are kinda 'rich' in a way because the Queen gives them everything they could ever have wanted? And in return they revere the Queen. But it is almost kind of interesting that all they ever do is sleep.. and they kinda record what their dreams tell them? I'm thinking you must have all the time in the world in order to be able to do that you know without having to work or anything. There was this post floating around on the internet I came upon one time about rich/poor people, and poor people describe rich people as "having time to think" you know cause they don't have to work as much. Poor people are always working, working they never have enough time to think about their next move? Whereas rich people have all the time in the world to relax, think about how they're gonna move in life's decisions and most of the time it pays off for them being able to think, and think ahead, and even think as far as retirement? I thought Zeal was gonna let me know more intimately about how Magic was created but they only had brief texts about it, unless I was just more focused on the sleep part. Sometimes I love playing RPGs cause it lets me figure out like 'How are they gonna explain where magic comes from in this world?' Mostly in CT, it's all about the elements. But I think in Zeal they managed to come up with something more powerful like a second-tier above that elements. So all that was really interesting.

The Earthbound Ones just makes me think about another favorite RPG of mine EarthBound, haha. lol It's funny cause all these RPGs pretty much all came out around the same time on the SNES. I LOVE that library of RPGs definitely one of the best!

Uh. Well, I was just thinking like 2-3 days about the cost of living crisis and stuff and it was honestly just like another reminder that I am here! I'm not in the US anymore. It was just like reminding me why I moved in the first place? I'm very "out of sight, out of mind" or my friends have a cruder saying: not my chair not my problem. You know it's not really a problem for me right now and I don't think I should feel bad that I'm doing ok. I try to be as humble as possible about it because obviously I'm still a proud American, and I do care how Americans are doing but I'm kinda like ignorance is bliss!.. right now about everything. I was watching the Tik Tok rants for a few nights while I was working-out, lol and I just had to turn it off eventually because I wasn't watching it and feeling bad for these people it was like I had no empathy I don't know why? lol My Mom's always taught me to save my money and don't buy frivolous things. A lot of the stuff people were ranting about I would probably never buy in my life, like that Trader Joe's stuff I'm thinking make your own food at home using cheap ingredients? Or this one breezy was raving about $50 basket of green grapes, - but, she bought it anyway? O_o

I was talking to a couple of friends who post news in our Discord and they're saying American national pride and morale is pretty low. And not a lot of people are proud anymore these days to live in America. I have a cousin back in S.F. who says he hates it life there now and when his children are 18 he's planning on moving here to The Philippines. I'm just grateful. I'm happy! I'm an American too I just don't happen to be living in the U.S., but I'm making things happen where I am. So

So right now, I'm kinda off the console/or more treating it like a DVD player for Survivor while I game on portables. I LOVE LUNAR: Silver Star Harmony, dude! It's like so cool. And I'm ducking around with my Switch. I saw Harvestella on the Nintendo eShop and I was like, ooh that was the game Boo was talking about and it does look pretty cool. Square-Enix seems to be pumping out a lot of games. Everytime I'm interested in a newer RPG I'm like oh Square-Enix did it. I'm kinda observing myself and playing an older game and see what kinda thoughts I have/then, I play a new-ass game and see if my thoughts like it, or whatever I'm thinking?

With Survivor, I'm kinda playing detox/rehab mode where I try to rest a lot, then work out, do a lot of cleaning-hygiene and just living a simple life. I kinda felt like Survivor was almost challenging me to live outside of the US, and to see if I can do it? On the show you see Americans living out of their comfort zone and without all the amenities that we're so used to back at home, so it's a nice little diversion for me.

Yeah, I was out on my walk this morning thinking about the Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers ver. I keep seeing advertised on the e-store and I'm totally down.

[Chris Cruz]

Hey, Boo. I have made in-roads with Chrono Trigger. Lemme just say it’s always a treat to boot up everyday I can see why you call it a masterpiece and why everyone here enjoys it so much? I just beat the Mt. of Woe, and I have to sneak into the palace again. I usually always remember just the beginning of all the RPGs I play, so this’s about the point where I forgot everything that happens.

Was just chillin’ on my thoughts today and had more on America, and what’s going on and stuff. So (I’m so far-gone from my old life there but I do remember a few poignant things) I remember I always had a big fear of all the tall buildings in downtown San Francisco, I hated all the traffic and one-way streets so confusing to navigate but I remember anytime I was in the middle of the street downtown with all the big, tall skyscrapers and I happened to look up I felt such a scary feeling everytime cause it made me feel so small in comparison and I would get a little lightheaded. I’m from another country so I believed all the stereotypes about the U.S.: Big, everything’s big. Sex, drugs & rock ‘n roll all that.

To be honest, a few things happened while I was living there that scared me. America was such a scary place. The 90s were really fun. But after say 2000 and the internet got popular I was starting to see what a scary and weird place it was. Most would probably say strange. I almost kinda felt like you had to be a model citizen at all times 24/7, and make no mistakes. Like I said before in past posts I felt unsafe even farting in my own house cause I felt like neighbors were listening to me (why do old people want the neighborhood to be so quiet?) I was scared of what America would do to you should you ever fall from grace and mess up. I just felt kinda like it was this Pleasantville which was really awkward. Sex and violence. Action movies with tons of blood, gore, guns and explosives. The tackles in football look so real to me.

I kinda caught the drift. That America’s a big, bad scary country and you don’t wanna mess with it.

I mean, I caught that. And I got the hell outta there. There’re times when I remember bits & pieces parts of it but I’m here in The Philippines now, my real home (never felt comfortable there) and I love it here. I’m such a simple maybe simple-minded traditional Filipino boy grandparents raised me I just never liked it there but really just so we could make money. I was thinking it doesn’t take a genius to realize when the struggle was gonna get real so it was time to leave? Anyway the point is just wham, bam thank you American ma’am for the school and being able to save up money, and it was like early retirement for me here. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.

It was kindof just like my old life left behind, things’re so much more simpler here, the people are (actually) nice, things is way cheaper… I just never really liked the people.

So ANYWAYS,

Been planning a trip with my driver to go to a bigger city, hit up a mall, eat & re-buy the PS4 Pro. I’m still on portables while I multitask either I watch Survivor on the DVD or I’ll watch like YouTube rants or something. Been messin’ arnd. with the Switch more and more. Mostly it’s CT for me first, then I’ll hit up LUNAR: SSH and if I’m feeling spicy I might fire up Octopath Traveler. Anyway das’ it

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Hey brother!

First, let's talk Chrono Trigger. I've finished all the main side quests and all I have to do is destroy Lavos. I'll wait for you on that one, and we can finish the game around the same time. I'm ready when you are!

This game really is such a gem. It's still my favorite jRPG for so many reasons - the graphics and art design are stellar, the music is amazing, the gameplay fun and, while simple, rocks. The story is amazing and it's not too short and not too long. This game really did capture lightning in a bottle and I don't think I've played another jRPG that has hit me in quite the same way.

Anyway, back to life...

I LOVE LUNAR: Silver Star Harmony, dude!

So glad you're enjoying LUNAR SSH! I actually thought it was a really good remake. The bonus prologue with the Four Heroes in their adventure was a great way to start things off.

The voice acting, while it won't be the SSSC, is on-par. I think I told you about it back when we were playing EBC, but I like Nall's voice acting better. A few other's as well. I think I liked Ghaleon's better, too, but it's been a long time, so I can't remember.

The biggest complaints I had with it were the lack of a proper world map (I like to walk on the world map, even if there are no encounters), and the changed lyrics in the theme song. I dunno, the OG lyrics will always be better.

The Earthbound Ones just makes me think about another favorite RPG of mine EarthBound, haha. lol It's funny cause all these RPGs pretty much all came out around the same time on the SNES. I LOVE that library of RPGs definitely one of the best!

Funny you should mention it... Earthbound really is a great game. I played the original NES game two winters ago. Earthbound is actually one of those RPGs I've started several times but haven't finished, and I've been listening to podcasts and Youtube videos about it the past month or so. I really want to replay it and also play Mother 3. I've never played the GBA game.

I saw Harvestella on the Nintendo eShop and I was like, ooh that was the game Boo was talking about and it does look pretty cool.

I wouldn't call it a great game, but it's actually exceeded my expectations. It's definitely a AA-game and not top-tier, but I've put maybe 30 hours in since Christmas and it's been a good ride. I'm now in the last chapter, but I'm pretty sure there's some post-game content. There's definitely a lot to do, especially around the farming and cooking elements.

The story is cool because it actually ends up taking place in our world/universe, and there's time travel involved. I won't go into spoilers in case you ever play it, but the story is better than I thought it'd be.

Was just chillin’ on my thoughts today and had more on America, and what’s going on and stuff.

It's probably my mood, but I don't really have much more to say on the topic (at least not tonight). Things are tight financially for almost everyone. I just got a 5% pay and I swear that increase is already gone with increased grocery prices and rate increases, my house taxes went up because the home/land value went up, my utilities have all gone up... corporate greed is out of control. It's ridiculous; we're in late-stage capitalism at it's best, and I'm over it.

[Chris Cruz]

Hey, Boo-rother! Haha

So in CT, Crono just died so that’s where I am. So crazy whenever they kill the main character off and the party scrambles. I was also shocked that I had to do the Ocean Palace so early I thought it was way later in the game…

So in other news, I’m just enjoying life and relaxing. One of the workers on the farm got his driver’s license so he’s gonna be a driver that takes me to places all around the Philippines, prob hit up a few malls and electronic stores. Um, in the meantime I’m always watching Survivor so I pop on a ep. and chill relax hydrate myself with water, coffee just whatever liquids. Snack on something. Then I work out a little bit. I’ve lost some weight belly’s becoming flat thanks due to the push-ups I’ve been doing everynight so I’m quite please with myself.

Other than that, not really much else goin’ on just relaxing, doing random stuff online mostly I watch mukbangs of prople eating Idk..why? lol Just hanging out at the farm, kinda planning a future trip with the driver, I wanna re-buy the PS4 Pro but I’m having a good time on portables so. Conundrum. Anyway, das’ it Boo - Enjoy lifes, relax have fun 8D Peeeeeace

Edit: I forgot to tell you about the mangoes! So on the farm we have a couple like 5-6 fully-grown mango trees and they finally bore fruit! The kitchen is spread full of mangoes ready to ripen and I’ve just been stuffing my face with them! I think the in US the mangoes come from Mexico here they’re really super sweet and tastes really good! I’ve been dieting so of course like rice, chicken, whatever vegetable but I just had 2 mangoes for dessert and they were super sweet, sticky, juicy I might sneak out a little later and slice, slurp, toss some more

[Chris Cruz]

Hey, Boo just a small, short little update. I just got the Epoch back I didn’t realize there was so much story involving Dalton either I find him so annoying I put it out of mind or I genuinely don’t remember this deep into the game. Anyway I love RPGs where you can swap out the main character cause you can see what the rest of the party is up to and I hate having to be stuck with one person as the lead no matter how helpful they are.

I’ve been going a little slow I admit cause I’ve been prioritizing my health: I was like in such bad shape a month ago I couldn’t even move my upper half above my torso, plus head/neck pain and I decided to experiment w/my medication and eff’ed up my sleep. But now I believe I have everything situated again so I’m back on the sticks. I was also starting to get really excited to possibly play Chrono Cross I think if you’re having trouble getting through newer RPGs it’s nice to play a oldie but a goodie to kinda of get you in the mood to play again.

Anyway I’ve fucked my brains out with Survivor so I’m- a stop for rn. I’ve wholeheartedly gone back to just concentrating on video games so basically my routine is wake up early get some gametime in, do meals stuff like that and in between seshes do a couple sets of push-ups. I’ve been doing the push-ups regularly and it’s taken all the pain away and I’m like back to regular. I was thinking of how Japanese gamers is more into portables how they have busy work lifes so they play while commuting on the train and was kinda feeling it. Maybe I kinda got tired of the console-T.V. which I’ve -MOSTLY- been doing my whole life and decided to give portables a try. Still doing LUNAR: SSH I’m in Lann the fishing village with the fake Dragonmaster and I’m about to fire up the Switch and see my thoughts on it.

Have a good one! 8P

Edit: Boo you can go ahead and finish while I lag! I’ve just been busy with diet/fitting in my workout! Don’t worry about me, I’ll probably finish in a bit I think I’m at the part where you revive Crono and do sidequests… I’ll for sure finish and leave my thoughts doe!! 8P

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Sorry for the lack of response, we had a death in the family, so I've been handling a lot of the family stuff. I'll be traveling for the next few days, actually.

I still haven't finished Chrono Trigger, but I will soon. All I have to do is finish Robo's sidequest and then straight on to Lavos.

Not really much else going on here.

Also, mangoes are legit. They're probably my favorite fruit. I tend to like more tropical fruits like mango, dragonfruit, and pineapple. But mango is definitely the best!

[Chris Cruz]

I’m so sorry to hear that.

Nothing much going on over here neither, been doing push-ups still and the weight seems to just melt off I think if I keep it up I’ll end up with no more belly so I’m excited for that! Messing with my diet more tryna eat stuff I’m craving/actually want to try like today I tried ground beef and couscous,—it was actually really delicious. I saw a Tik Tok of bodybuilders eating just ground beef (stir-fried obvs, not raw) and at first I was like wh..??! But then the ground beef here is really fine and it pairs with the light couscous really well. I was thinking of stuffing a pita w/it. I’m also gonna try not to eat rice as much I’m getting kinda sick of it and I like the couscous a lot better. The maid also likes to experiment in the kitchen so I think she gets a kick out of my inventions and requests.

I’m abt. to fire up CT I do like 15 min sessions because it’s such-a special game I just got Magus. I got confused at the prompt and almost fought him but I’m about to talk to the Nu/Belthasar in the Future and go to Death Peak I think. I love the part about how everybody cherishes Crono and keeps him in their heart, even though he doesn’t talk at all I guess being around someone a lot is enough. I kinda do short story sequences and plot out where I need to go in my head.

I have the day all to myself and I’ve been clamoring to game so I was thinking abt firing up some random games. On the PS3 still, until I can re-buy the PS4 Pro and ditch it. Been also playing Link’s Awakening on Switch it’s such a throwback to the earlier Zelda games and it’s much more my speed. Also L: SSH the music lulls me to sleep since I know the game so well so I might try to avoid it if I can.

[Chris Cruz]

Hey, Boo ofc another dbl.-post from me w/my thoughts. :p Hope you don’t mind.

The game mechanics in Death Peak are so annoying like hiding behind the trees and the wind blowing you off the cliff I had to re-try it so many times! Anyway I loved the scene at the summit when Crono comes back you know him leaving always shocked me when I was younger, and it was touching how the rest of the party cares for him so much even when he doesn’t say a word! Even the Old Man at the End of Time had choice words to say about him. I wanted to mention the anime title screen where Crono’s in his room and picks up a picture of his friends to look at it,—I thought that was really nice. I guess one of the main themes in the game is friendship. I was thinking about it earlier and a lot of the RPGs I played when I was younger really taught me a lot given that a lot of the main protagonists in the games is always a young male. I was a young male, then, too. It kinda-sorta made me feel more appreciated, I dunno by who, but that maybe a lot of people look to me as reliable, and possibly as a good leader. I think RPGs influenced me in a good way moreso than not.

So I’m doing sidequests now and just finished the Sunken Desert as I think it’s the easiest. I was thinking abt. possibly skipping or doing the bare minimum at this end-portion of the game and maybe try to defeat Lavos as fast as possible cause I keep getting the same ending in CT (the one where Mom runs after the cat into the gate) and I want to get another one. Any tips?

Anyway,-Just hanging around the house still doing my push-ups, went for a walk today, basically I sit down to game or browse YouTube then get up and do sets and I do that pretty much the whole day. How’s everything going on with you?

Edit: I tried out this new game for PS3 called Puppeteer and it’s SO, REALLY good. The voice acting is in that Renaissance Medieval English so that’s always really nice. It’s a platformer and takes place on a acting stage and each level is like a diff Act 1, Act 2… and it has Chapters. You’re like this doll of a boy and you get to wear different heads, while you control a floating cat at the same time and your weapons are magical scissors. My dad’s a barber so I was like, ohh..??!! Scissors 48! lol (MGS2)

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Hey man!

Welp, I finally finished the game! I chose to go to 1999ad, fight Lavos' shell, and then enter the shell for the final battle.

So I’m doing sidequests now and just finished the Sunken Desert as I think it’s the easiest. I was thinking abt. possibly skipping or doing the bare minimum at this end-portion of the game and maybe try to defeat Lavos as fast as possible cause I keep getting the same ending in CT (the one where Mom runs after the cat into the gate) and I want to get another one. Any tips?

For some reason, all the character side quests at the end of the game are probably my favorite parts of the game. Maybe because it gives resolution to the characters I care so much about. Robo's is probably my favorite, then Lucca's (make sure you save before you attempt it so you don't mess it up), then Marle's, and Frog's is my least favorite because of all the jumping back and forth in time to fix up the Hero's Grave. Magus' sidequest with the Black Omen is also excellent.

A little hint -- you can defeat the Black Omen at different time periods; if you start at 2300ad and then work backwards to each time period (2300ad, then 1000ad, then 600ad, then 13000bc) you can fight the panel enemies (I can't remember what they're called) and charm them for Speed Tabs.

My recommendation would be to complete all the sidequests so you can really get the full experience of the game, but you do what you feel you should at this point. If you're not really feeling the game any more, don't force it.

I only wish Ayla had more of an end-game sidequest.

Off topic, but the unused track 'Singer Mountain' (rumored to have been part of her side quest) is a banger of a tune. It's such a mysterious and enigmatic song. I've always liked it and thought it would have been a good fit for Death Peak or something. If you've never heard it, it's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BynwSnP-F4c

Going back to Magus' quest with the Black Omen -- you can defeat the Black Omen at different time periods; if you start at 2300ad and then work backwards to each time period (2300ad, then 1000ad, then 600ad, then 13000bc) you can fight the panel enemies (I can't remember what they're called) and charm them for Speed Tabs.

Been also playing Link’s Awakening on Switch it’s such a throwback to the earlier Zelda games and it’s much more my speed.

Man, Link's Awakening is one of my favorite Zelda games. In fact, it's one of my favorite games of all time. It's such a fever dream in the best possible way, and everything about it is excellent. I think out of all the Zelda games, it probably has the best soundtrack... Ballad of the Wind Fish... Richard's Villa... Sword's Search... Mabe Village... The Ghost House... I got this game when it first game out on the original GameBoy, and I used to go to some of those locations and just let it sit so I could hear the tunes.

I'm not sure if you've played it before, so I will avoid any spoilers and won't go into details.

One last thing -- when I was on my trip I booted up Yazuka 0 and gave it a try. I love the ambiance and it did a good job capturing the look and feel of Tokyo (or at least I guess Japan as it was in the late 1980's). I think it's fun, but it didn't capture me quite like I had hoped. I didn't get to do much, but I did walk around picking fights so I could get money and upgrade my skills. I'm still on Chapter 1 but not sure I'll continue playing.