Well I am surprised no one has mentioned this but:
This is the best possible JRPG to do a retcon/reimagining of as is going on with FF7, but a bit differently.
Time travel!
So, start a new story with new characters, but intermix this with the old cast and story beats resulting in a completely new story that brings back old favorite settings and characters, introduces new ones.
Maybe you change significant plot points of the old story, maybe you don’t, maybe you doom the world to some entirely new kind of catastrophe, maybe you get stuck in what would otherwise be called a soft lock but is actually in this world an intentional plot device that just looks like a soft lock but isnt.
Hell, if you /really/ want to go hog wild with this:
Make the new set of characters generally opposed to the original set of characters, have their own method of time travelling, and make it so much of the game is actually about attempting to out-time-travel-wit the others, basically with certain characters attempting to be time demons ala DB Xenoverse and others trying to stop them… all mixed with the narrative possibilities at many points for many characters to switch allegiances, go rogue, or mostly team up.
even moooore possible endings
No I have no clue how you could actually write something this complicated, but the entirety of Kingdom Hearts exists and people tell me somehow that all makes sense, so I am confident a team of competent writers can pull off an absurdly complex multivariate story line.
I do not actually know as this is the first time I am even hearing of Chrono Cross.
Youre telling me theres a sequel?!?!?
I only ever managed to play Chrono Trigger on ZNES something like 20 years ago and remember being blown away by how different and more interesting it was from basically every other JRPG up to that point.
Sorry for the late reply (no push notifications yet on Sync for Lemmy).
Chrono Cross came out on the PS1. It delt more with alternate realities but it did connect to the original Chrono Trigger. If you get the Chrono Cross remaster released a few years back, it not only contains Chrono Cross but the Novelization that came between Cross and Trigger known as Radical Dreamers. It helps “stitch” the two games together and helps the plot/ending make more sense.
I don’t want to spoil it, but you will come across a few characters from both games in Cross.
There are even some characters that make an appearance in both games.
You’ve come up with a neat game. I’d enjoy playing it. I think you’ve moved beyond remake and into sequel territory, though. The multiple parties working at odds reminds me of the Golden Sun series.
I realized after writing this all out that it was closer to a sequel than a remake but… oh well, I thought it was a neat idea nonetheless.
And yes now that you mention it this is actually similar to the Golden Sun series irt the dueling groups of protagonists (antagonists?), but I swear I did not realize this and was going more from the DB Xenoverse time demon angle.
For whatever it’s worth, even if elements of the plot have been recognized as Good Story TM already by other games, that doesn’t take away from your idea. Tropes become tropes because people like them. Who knows if you’ll ever get to work on this particular idea you’ve had, but from hearing your idea I feel like you have that sort of knack for good story beats that a writer needs.
Well I am surprised no one has mentioned this but:
This is the best possible JRPG to do a retcon/reimagining of as is going on with FF7, but a bit differently.
Time travel!
So, start a new story with new characters, but intermix this with the old cast and story beats resulting in a completely new story that brings back old favorite settings and characters, introduces new ones.
Maybe you change significant plot points of the old story, maybe you don’t, maybe you doom the world to some entirely new kind of catastrophe, maybe you get stuck in what would otherwise be called a soft lock but is actually in this world an intentional plot device that just looks like a soft lock but isnt.
Hell, if you /really/ want to go hog wild with this:
Make the new set of characters generally opposed to the original set of characters, have their own method of time travelling, and make it so much of the game is actually about attempting to out-time-travel-wit the others, basically with certain characters attempting to be time demons ala DB Xenoverse and others trying to stop them… all mixed with the narrative possibilities at many points for many characters to switch allegiances, go rogue, or mostly team up.
even moooore possible endings
No I have no clue how you could actually write something this complicated, but the entirety of Kingdom Hearts exists and people tell me somehow that all makes sense, so I am confident a team of competent writers can pull off an absurdly complex multivariate story line.
Isn’t this what they did in Chrono Cross?
Normally I’m a fan of not messing with perfection, but adding content to integrate Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers better would be nice.
I do not actually know as this is the first time I am even hearing of Chrono Cross.
Youre telling me theres a sequel?!?!?
I only ever managed to play Chrono Trigger on ZNES something like 20 years ago and remember being blown away by how different and more interesting it was from basically every other JRPG up to that point.
Now I must find this sequel.
Sorry for the late reply (no push notifications yet on Sync for Lemmy).
Chrono Cross came out on the PS1. It delt more with alternate realities but it did connect to the original Chrono Trigger. If you get the Chrono Cross remaster released a few years back, it not only contains Chrono Cross but the Novelization that came between Cross and Trigger known as Radical Dreamers. It helps “stitch” the two games together and helps the plot/ending make more sense.
I don’t want to spoil it, but you will come across a few characters from both games in Cross.
There are even some characters that make an appearance in both games.
Chrono Triggered
You’ve come up with a neat game. I’d enjoy playing it. I think you’ve moved beyond remake and into sequel territory, though. The multiple parties working at odds reminds me of the Golden Sun series.
I realized after writing this all out that it was closer to a sequel than a remake but… oh well, I thought it was a neat idea nonetheless.
And yes now that you mention it this is actually similar to the Golden Sun series irt the dueling groups of protagonists (antagonists?), but I swear I did not realize this and was going more from the DB Xenoverse time demon angle.
For whatever it’s worth, even if elements of the plot have been recognized as Good Story TM already by other games, that doesn’t take away from your idea. Tropes become tropes because people like them. Who knows if you’ll ever get to work on this particular idea you’ve had, but from hearing your idea I feel like you have that sort of knack for good story beats that a writer needs.