FAN MASTERS PART 7- CHRONO TRIGGER

Interviewees:

EliroX904
Legendary_Biologist

Welcome to the seventh issue of Fan Master!

Yes, it is time to revisit the world of Chrono Trigger, a series that many RPG players hold very near and dear to their hearts.

Of the four people I emailed for this one, none of them got back to me :( BUT! I was emailed by EliroX904 a couple weeks ago, and he told me of a gamepage he would soon be uploading to RMN called “Crono Returns”, and so I was able to conduct interviews both with the two co-developers of that project. The article, in other words, was saved!

I have included some shots from other Chrono fangames for anyone interested in seeing more of these.



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So, why a fan game? And why Chrono Trigger?

Legendary_Biologist: Well, actually I played Cross first before Trigger, but then, Cross’ complexity had me search the Internet to understand the story more. That’s when I found out that Cross was a ‘sequel’ to Trigger. I downloaded the ISO file and played Trigger in a PSX emulator (my console broke down a few years ago), and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The music is great. The characters are well-rounded and I can almost think them as our ‘friends’. The simplicity of the plot and battle system is what that intrigues me the most. I read a lot about the DS version of Trigger and am interested, but I just can’t get my emulator working.

I always think that Trigger seems to be too short after completing the game. There are just a few loose ends that can still be tied up in a sequel fanfic or fan game. I write fanfics, but I’m also wondering about making a fan game. The good thing is, later on, I’m glad to be able to participate in creating a fan game.

EliroX904: While I'm not really all that into fangames, like everyone else I get annoyed when there's a game I love and hope to see more of in the future, but you never see any sequels get made. This has happened to many of my favorite games, some of which I would consider the pinnacle of their console (Some good examples would Ristar, Crystalis, and Conker's Bad Fur Day), and unfortunately it has also happened to my favorite game Chrono Trigger. Yes, I know that there is such a thing as Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross, but I wanted to see more adventures from Crono and the gang, not this Serge person.

Since Square Enix is just plain god awful nowadays (Seriously, they complained about Chrono Trigger not selling well, which is stupid because a goddamn DS PORT sold over a million units!), even if they were to ever make a direct sequel to Chrono Trigger, it probably wouldn't turn out very well. Since Square Enix abandoned Chrono Break and probably won't be working on any Chrono-related projects within the near fututre, I decided that I would just take matters into my own hands. Thus, the project Chrono Returns was born.


Image from their game, Crono Returns.

What is the single most amazing thing about Chrono Trigger that got you hooked?

Legendary_Biologist: Trigger’s simplicity. The story is quick, simple and interesting. In addition, Trigger’s storyline is balanced between the humorous and emotional moments, as well as the suspense. There are only seven playable characters, but all of them have distinct personalities and some have interesting back stories. Also, since I was young, I had always been interested in time travel stories like what I had read in Donald Duck comics. Trigger’s principle of time travel is executed well, and I love it. The plot is not perfect as there are some paradoxes, but nevertheless, they are minor when compared to the other aspects above.

EliroX904: That's the thing about Chrono Trigger; there's no one thing that just got me hooked. For most good SNES RPGs, I can indeed name the one thing that got me hooked. For Earthbound, it was the humor that was so childish, but also managed to be really funny. For Final Fantasy 6, it was the fitting (not to mention kickass) music. For Live a Live it was the diversity of each different time period. For Dragon Quest 5, it was the story so strong that it made you feel emotionally attached to a generic silent protagonist. For Final Fantasy 5, it was the unique gameplay complete with a huge load of replay value. For Breath of Fire 2, it was the colorful setting and graphics. For Final Fantasy 4, it was the unforgettable cast of characters that went through actual development throughout the game with death scenes that managed to make you shed tears.

Well, take the aspect from each of those games that got me hooked, improve it by a bit, and then blend it all together. With that, you have what is perhaps the greatest game experience of all time. Final Fantasy 6 has music by Nobuo Uematsu? Chrono Trigger has music by Nobuo Uematsu AND Yasunori Mitsuda! Characters seem to die in Final Fantasy 4 only to have the game cop-out a few scenes later and reveal that they're still alive? Chrono Trigger made you earn your happy ending and get your hero back. I could go on, really, but I think everyone gets the point.



Image from The Real Brickroad's game, "With His Father's Sword".

Can you (briefly) describe your game for us?

Legendary_Biologist: I help my friend creating a fan game, Crono Returns, in the plot and storyline. The story is a direct sequel to Trigger, which takes place three years after the game. The entire story is divided into three arcs, and mostly, it is focused on the characterization of the playable characters (as well as the villains). It started from the main characters’ son being kidnapped by someone who used to be their friends. The plot is dark-toned, but there will be some jokes. Friendship is the main aspect of the entire storyline. There are five playable characters (all of them are from Trigger except one, who is a minor character in the canon), and if you complete a certain side quest, you will have six playable characters (the character you recruit after the side quest is from Trigger) in the end. We still keep the aspects from Trigger, such as the time travel, the environment, etc.

EliroX904: Crono Returns is a fangame that is being made with RPG Maker VX (I originally planned on using VX Ace, but I decided to stay with VX since more scripts were available. Plus I've already purchased VX.) and it is based off of a fanfiction I've been writing since the September of 2012. The game is split into three arcs. The first arc follows the fanfiction accurately, but then the second and third arc split into a different direction from the fanfic. I originally wanted to write the game's storyline myself, but during the planning process I developed tunnel-vision and whenever I tried writing the game's storyline, I ended up making it too similar.to how I envisioned the future chapters of my fanfiction, and that was a problem since I didn't want the fanfiction to be spoiled if the fangame was played first. That was when I asked Legendary Biologist if she'd like to help me with the game's plot, after all she was already familiar with the fanfiction. So far, she's doing a great job with it.

Storyline aside, one thing I'm trying to do with this game is make it feel like a sequel to Chrono Trigger. Chrono Trigger is popular for its new game+ feature, multiple endings and of course the combination attacks. Of course, those features being present in the fangame are a given, but I also want to capture the little things. For example, in Chrono Trigger enemies are encountered on the map and fought directly on the field rather than on some battle background like in Final Fantasy 6. To emulate that, Claimh's battle background script is being used. At the same time, I also want to do some things differently, such as using VX-style graphics rather than graphics from the SNES game, the main reasons being that the sprites don't look particularly good when used in RPG Maker VX and that ripping graphics from the game is boring, tedious and overall just flat-out cliche since it's been done so many times. Also, there will be music from both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross as well as music from other series' such as Earthbound and Final Fantasy. Music from other series', however, will NOT be used excessively and most of the music will be from the Chrono series itself.

TL;DR: This will be a direct sequel to Chrono Trigger and an adaptation of my fanfiction. Many features will be kept in (Multiple endings, dual techs, etc.), but I'll also be taking a few controversial liberties as well (The two big ones probably being that Crono won't be a silent protagonist and I'm using VX-style graphics rather than ripping art from the SNES game).


Another's image from Crono Returns.

What are the major advantages and disadvantages, in your opinion, of working within the frameworks of a work that isn’t entirely your own?

Legendary_Biologist: The advantage is the joy. You get the chance to work on something you like, and of course, if the game is too short, this is the opportunity for you to expand more. This also gives you the chance to let the minor characters in the game come to prominence.
The disadvantage is often the ‘doubt’. Sometimes I feel that the characters are going out of characters when compared to the canon. It’s also common that I feel like the plot may be inconsistent to the canon.

EliroX904: When you're making a fangame (Especially if it's based off of a popular work), it causes fans of the original work to get curious when they hear about it or see it, so naturally quite a few of them will check it out. So right there, making a fangame can get you easy attention and probably more downloads/views than an original indie game by you would have gotten.

A big advantage is that making fangames is easier than making your own game due to the fact that a lot of the work is already laid out for you; you've got the characters, their designs, the setting, etc. already determined for the most part. Plus, ripping music and/or graphics is definitely more simple than making your own (Assuming you're ripping graphics/music from somewhere, that is.).

However, it can also be annoying to automatically have your game branded as shit by some people for the mere fact that it is a fangame, but then again there is a vocal minority complaining about everything. Even Chrono Trigger has been called shit simply for being an RPG.

Also, there's the fact that you can't sell the game for cash since you really don't own the rights. This isn't actually a big deal for me, but it does bring me to my next point:

Square Enix can send you an order to cease and desist, and as we all know Square Enix is infamous for this kind of stuff. Just ask the creators of Chrono Trigger Ressurection or Crimson Echoes (The latter of which was a mere ROM hack!). Hopefully, however, Square Enix has cooled down a bit by now. Chrono Alter, another Chrono fangame on this site, was completed without Square Enix getting pissed off, so this probably means that Crono Returns will be safe here... probably...



Images from Lance VII's game, "Chrono Alter".

What did you think of Chrono Cross?

Legendary_Biologist: It is a good game as it has great graphics and soundtracks, but unfortunately, the flaws make the game fall flat. The battle system is complex and due to the ‘element’ system, physical attackers in the party are often overpowering in combats, and the game becomes boring. Also, with the odd level up system (only level up after beating a boss), regular battles become boring too as you gain nothing other than a few stats and the loot (money and materials to forge equipments), and after several battles, you'll only get the loot. The plot is intriguing, but there are some places where it can use some improvements. The revelation in the end of the game feels bland as it is like an info-dump.

The fatal flaws are the number of the characters and their development. Instead of Trigger’s seven well-rounded characters, we get forty-four playable characters with almost no development. There are some well-developed characters in the game, but most of them only increase the complexity of the plot with the side quests as they have almost no relation to the plot. Another fatal flaw is, there is supposed to be a returning character from Trigger, but for some reasons, this idea is scrapped. This further jumbles the complex plot.

The positive side is, with the reason that most of the characters are underdeveloped, it provides opportunity for us to write fanfics centering on the minor characters. However, the weird accents that most minor characters have are annoying. In the end, I will just write an ‘Alternate Universe’ featuring some characters from Cross while still linking it to Trigger (and the returning Trigger casts are there too).

EliroX904: The funny thing about Chrono Cross is that I'm not quite sure what to think about it. On one hand, it's a terrible sequel. On the other hand, it might actually be a pretty good game. I, however, am at a loss for what to say about the game. There are some things that I liked about it (the combo attack system, a few of the characters such as Harle and Kid, Magus making a return as Guile and of course the soundtrack along with the beautfiully-painted backgrounds.), but then there are also a lot of things I absolutely despise about it (Its weak connections to Chrono Trigger that implies the heroes of 1000 AD were just up and killed offscreen, Magus/Guile not being used to his full potentional, the sacrificing of character quality for quantity, and of that the game is, like, over 100 hours long but provides me with little motivation to play through it since I absolutely hate the element system.).

So yeah, as strange as it sounds I'm not sure whether I like it or dislike it. However, I can definitely say that it was a disappointment. Now, why do I think it was a disappointment you ask?

Am I part of the group that thinks the game flat-out sucks and the flaws overwhelm the good things about the game heavily? No, definitely not.

Am I part of the group that thinks it was a disappointment because it failed to measure up to Chrono Trigger? No, I could never blame the game for failing to live up to its predecessor.

So then, am I part of the group that was disappointed with it because it barely felt like a Chrono Trigger sequel at all? Well...

Yes, indeed I am part of the third group! In fact, the whole reason I'm working on Crono Returns is because I've wanted a true sequel to the game for 18 years now. Chrono Cross might have made a good type of gaiden game or something, but the fact that it's the only real "sequel" to Chrono Trigger all these years later can be kind of annoying and make you less appreciative about the game.


Image from MrBekkler's game, "Chrono Shift".

What advice do you have for other creators who are trying to make their own fan games?

Legendary_Biologist: Work together. Working on a fan game alone is difficult and takes a long time to finish, but discussing with some friends speeds up your progress. Also, don’t forget the fun! You have the chance to create a sequel or a remake of a game you love!

EliroX904: Always accept and consider constructive criticism, because if you can't accept that you make mistakes you're never going to get any better. Don't listen to trolls and whiners on the other hand; they always find something to bitch about and honestly aren't worth your time.


Any plans to expand your fanfic and further?

Legendary_Biologist: The actual fanfic is still incomplete, but we try to make the fan game with an interesting approach: before the actual fanfic is finished, the fan game is already there and when compared to the fanfic, they will have interesting branches. As for the fanfic that this game is based on, my friend writes it (which is the majority of the first arc in the game), and to make a fan game, we discuss what can be added/removed/improved. Starting from the end of the first arc, I write and we discuss what can be added/removed/improved. I try to develop all the playable characters the best I could, either through the side quests or naturally as the story progresses.

EliroX904: Actually yes; the fanfiction that Crono Returns is based off of will probably be going on for quite a while after this game is finished, but as for any plans on a sequel to the RPG, no.


Yet another image from Crono Returns.

Any final thoughts?

Legendary_Biologist: I think I have elaborated quite a lot up there… Thanks for asking!

EliroX904: You just read all of this interview.

But you're still hungry.

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Until next time!