Is this a sequel or prequel to chrono trigger?

[KFCBUCKETS9000]

I know nothing about it.

[Stormy Dawn]

Uh... on a technicality you could call it a sequel.

But in practice it's more like a spiritual successor?

Not really sure how to describe it without getting into spoiler territory. I guess consider it in an alternate reality story.

[knarflook]

It's neither, but it is connected.

It's difficult to explain without spoiling it, but the story of CC ties into CT, though in a complicated (even convoluted) manner. Moreover, from what I remember from my play-though long ago is that you can easily miss the key plot points where the link between both story-lines is explained.

[Jakiroquai]

It's a really, really bad attempt at a sequel that tries to subvert Trigger in really clumsy and ill-conceived ways. It's a decent game, but its story is pretty awful.

[Turbo Nozomix]

Chrono Cross Was A Bad Sequel, But A Brilliant Game

[Stormy Dawn]

Originally posted by Big Green Jobbing Machine:

It's a really, really bad attempt at a sequel that tries to subvert Trigger in really clumsy and ill-conceived ways. It's a decent game, but its story is pretty awful.

Eh.. debatable.

As a self-contained experience I can't argue with that.

However, if you don't mind having to read in between the lines and fill in some gaps with lore and suppositions, it's actually a fantastic story. But yeah, if you are a person that prefers a more coherent, linear story it is definitely not the greatest.

[Jakiroquai]

Originally posted by Tsurayu:

However, if you don't mind having to read in between the lines and fill in some gaps with lore and suppositions, it's actually a fantastic story. But yeah, if you are a person that prefers a more coherent, linear story it is definitely not the greatest.

On the contrary, I think it's when you start reading between the lines that the story gets really bad. Especially when it comes to its connections with Chrono Trigger and how it invents some massive retcons to try and tie the two games together.

[Stormy Dawn]

I suppose I can see that.

I don't mind suspending my disbelief with a convenient hand wave that is "alternate reality" or "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" in this particular case, probably because I enjoy the experience throughout in other forms that I'm willing to overlook some of the more head scratching moments.

[Ezio92]

It expands the chrono universe in interesting ways and leans heavily on player's knowledge about Chrono Trigger towards the end but ultimately tells its own story with its own cast of characters. It's definitely not a prequel but it's debatable whether it really counts as a sequel either.

[Soulkitchen]

The events of CC were put in motion by characters in CT, you literally meet Lucca and you fight the same main antagonist. By definition - it's a sequel.

[Zunnoab #931]

Basically, it's absolutely a sequel but quite impossible to explain how without things you learn at almost the end of the entire game.

[frowningmirror]

Two thirds of the game Chrono Cross is doing its own experience, the other third has a mind bending Chrono Trigger subplot that has deep lore, and you'll probably only figure it out with multiple playthroughs and talking to others online. But that 1/3rd mostly comes at the end, so don't expect anything until then.

The game itself is a lot darker and tonally nihilistic. The Lead Writer* of Chrono Trigger had free artistic reign without supervisors and it shows.

Mechanically, Chrono Trigger is defined by its simplicity, it took from more traditional sources while adding a combo system....Chrono Cross flys in the face of this and does the opposite, it's almost totally unique, has a complex layered system, did away with most of the combos, although its still pretty easy and added and anti-grinding leveling system.

[Sharticus:DestroyerOfToilets]

It's a Sequel.

[frowningmirror]

Originally posted by Big Green Jobbing Machine:

Originally posted by Tsurayu:

However, if you don't mind having to read in between the lines and fill in some gaps with lore and suppositions, it's actually a fantastic story. But yeah, if you are a person that prefers a more coherent, linear story it is definitely not the greatest.

On the contrary, I think it's when you start reading between the lines that the story gets really bad. Especially when it comes to its connections with Chrono Trigger and how it invents some massive retcons to try and tie the two games together.

I'll disagree to disagree. That's where a lot of fun people had with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, it's so popular people made their living off their channels delving into lore.

[Turbo Nozomix]

Originally posted by frowningmirror:

The game itself is a lot darker and tonally nihilistic. The Lead Designer of Chrono Trigger had free artistic rein without supervisors and it shows.

You mean lead writer. Masato Kato wasn't CT's lead designer. The lead designers were Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yūji Horii, and Akira Toriyama. Yūji Horii and Akira Toriyama created the preliminary outline for CT's story, which Masato Kato and other writers then worked from.

[Seraphita]

For the record, it does use references to Chrono Trigger in some ways. Don't expect a direct sequel here because you will be disappointed. Radical dreamers is what it's a sequel of, or something like that. Not only story wise but the gameplay is also totally different from CT.