Hello Hello Hello

[Asocksual]

Sup, I'm Katie. I like to draw stuff and have a moderate case of Chrono Trigger brainrot, I picked it up like a month ago because I knew it had influenced other games I like, and I thought that the pixel art was really beautiful and then, oh dear, I have fallen head over heels in love with this cult classic JRPG that's 8 years older than I am! Anyway I've been stuck on the final phase of the Lavos battle f o r e v e r but I WILL kick this guy's ass eventually! Might hold off on posting more until I accomplish the feat. So uh yeah! That's me. Have some silly drawings!


Oh yeah and I forgot to mention that Frog is my favorite character and I love him a lot. Okay, that's all folks!

[Acacia Sgt]

Hi there. Welcome to the Compendium!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Dang, I had asked you if you had Chrono art in the generic Welcome thread. Again, welcome!

So I'm an old fart and played Chrono Trigger not long after it was first released, in the spring of 1996. It really is a classic and is arguably the pinnacle jRPG of the 16-bit era. The story, pacing, characters, combat, graphics, and music are all really top-tier, and it's no wonder the game is known for it's Dream Team!

Once you beat the game, you definitely need to do a New Game Plus run and try to acquire all the different endings. There are also some really fun ROM hacks of Chrono Trigger you can pick up, including Chrono Trigger Plus, Chrono Trigger: Schala Edition, and there's even an interquel between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross called Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes (you may also find a ROM hack called Flames of Eternity, which is just where a few guys took Crimson Echoes and made some changes - the two are largely still the same story).

[Asocksual]

Hey, sorry for being so late to reply, but yeah! I'm definitely going to go for NG+ and check out some romhacks. I was kinda worried that my post would just get forgotten about, so thanks for saying hi! I'm more used to hanging out on Discord and not used to this older style of message board yet, and I was a little bit worried that no one used this place anymore, so it feels good to be proven wrong in that regard! Also I am considering joining the Compendium Discord server, but I'm a little shy and would prefer to join after I find the time to actually finish Trigger first. Usually what I do when I get hopelessly stuck in games is to just make a new save file and try again from the beginning.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I was kinda worried that my post would just get forgotten about, so thanks for saying hi! I'm more used to hanging out on Discord and not used to this older style of message board yet, and I was a little bit worried that no one used this place anymore, so it feels good to be proven wrong in that regard!

Yeah, admittedly, the Compendium forum isn't in high use at the moment. Generally whenever there is Chrono news we spike in activity as either newcomers join or the old guard returns (such as with the remaster of Chrono Cross last year). And most of the activity here is ROM hacking relating. Definitely check out the Discord -- I can provide the link if you want (when you're ready). It's much, much more lively.

Usually what I do when I get hopelessly stuck in games is to just make a new save file and try again from the beginning.

I do this, too! I quit playing a game for a few months and when I want to return to the game, I am apt to just create a new save game. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a jRPG that has helped me break that -- the game is so massive that I sometimes needed a break, and it was just to massive the thought of starting a new game was exhausting, haha...

Same with sequels -- I don't like to play new games in a series without playing the earlier game(s) first. I've tried getting into the Persona series but only got through Persona 1 and part of Persona 2, so I've never felt the motivation to continue on to the later Persona games. And I know that Person 3 is where the series really starts picking up speed, but I'm just weird like that!

What are your favorite video games?

[Asocksual]

Favorite games, huh? Let's see...
The Portal series, the Half-Life Series (but mostly HL2, I only played the original Half-Life once and while it was a fun ride, I really prefer the focus on characters and story that 2 was able to have because of the advance in technology. That being said, I really adore Crowbar Collective's Black Mesa, especially its Xen!) Undertale and Deltarune, Disco Elysium, the Psychonauts games, To the Moon and its sequels, Omori, Inscryption, Celeste, Night In the Woods, Anodyne and Anodyne 2, The Talos Principle, Oneshot, and the very weird and SUPREMELY underrated visual novels Milk Inside a Bag Of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk and Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk!
...I have a lot of favorites, and my taste in mechanics and genre is pretty all over the place. I mostly play games to get wrapped up in stories, but there are some exceptions where I also just enjoy how good the gameplay feels, like Celeste and Inscryption. I've noticed that I have a special love for games that use character's minds/dreams/memories as settings, To The Moon, Omori, and Psychonauts all take the concept in radically different directions and they're all games I adore.
If I had to pick one favorite game, it'd probably be Portal 2, because when I was younger it really changed my perception of what video games were like, what they could do, and just how funny they could be, even if they looked "serious"!
Also, shoutout to this game! Holy crap I have never felt so seen by any piece of media before what the heck

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Dang, nice! You've definitely got a very diverse range of game types on that list. I've played almost all of them! I'm also a big fan of the Valve games, namely the Half-Life and Portal series. I actually picked up the "Black Mesa" remake of Half-Life remakes ages ago but was putting off playing them until the Xen chapters released and it was all patched up. I re-downloaded a few weeks ago to give it a play, but I'm wrapping up my current gaming project before I dive into it. I hear it's a GREAT remake!

Also... Can we just talk about how great the Anodyne series are? I know the two games (and really anything by Analgesic Productions) are indie darlings, but this series is one of my favorites. They're existential nightmares in the best possible way. I didn't get to play Anodyne 2 until this past summer and the themes about religious indoctrination really stuck with me. It was such a haunting and beautiful game. I also follow Melos Han-Tani on YouTube and I'm slightly intimidated by him, but he's such a fascinating and unique individual. He and Marina Kittaka make an excellent team and their games are definitely in that "video games as art" category.

As for the Milk series... I keep hearing about them, and I may have to bite and go play them a bit. Haha!

I'm definitely a jRPG nut, but I do like to vary things up. I've always loved RPG-lite games like Zelda, and recently I played through a little gem called Hob. I bought it on a whim for a Nintendo Switch sale and it's one of my favorite games that I played in 2021.

We're definitely glad to have ya! I hope you get to beat Lavos soon! I know the first time I fought him the Bits left my super confused and it took me an insanely long time to figure out the mysterious trick to that battle. Hopefully you will or already have figured it out much easier than I did, haha