I felt like this game was so close to having incredible LGBT representation. Kanji is clearly gay until suddenly he goes through 'character development' and then later wants to date a tomboy instead. I do think it makes sense for him to like Naoto more than other girls but he really should've only been set up with a guy. Feels very homophobic that the game tries so hard to change him.

As for Naoto; I think a women trying to be successful in a typically man's career field is cool, but a few lines of her writing made it feel like the writers were unsure of the end result they wanted. Throughout the story they call themselves prince, wear male clothing, do not like their body (even after their 'character development' arc), etc. As the story progresses it's revealed that she only does this to fit in with coworkers. That makes sense and I think this would be good unique writing but the timing of a few lines did not sit well with me. One second before accepting herself as "just a women that wants to be a detective" she says something along the lines of "being a women doesn't fit the imagine I have of myself." That is supposedly, as the story implies, exactly how Naoto felt exactly as she 'accepted herself'. I think 1 of 2 things should've been different. Either A: if the writers REALLY wanted this line then make Naoto a trans man because that's what it implies or more realistically B: remove a few of these specific lines from moments where they don't make sense because they do not at all fit the narrative the writers seemingly wanted and keep everything else the same. I'm not saying Naoto needed or should've been trans, but if the end result was what they were truly going for, then some lines really should not have been in the game. Remove them then I think she'd be a very excellently written character.

Regardless, I do like the game. These are easily my two favorite characters even with what I think are poor writing decisions, the music is bussin, I liked the murder mystery storyline, I genuinely laughed at a scene, and I cried at a death.

I was expecting the game to be very disconnected from the original Chrono Trigger, but this contains many references to that game. In fact I think it is an amazing sequel that is not only great standalone, but also makes Trigger even better than it already was. The lore, massive cast of characters, villain plot twists, two worlds, and unique gameplay blend very well into a fantastic RPG that surpasses Trigger IMO.

Would definitely recommend to fans of Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest 6, PS1 era Final Fantasy, and Majora's Mask, as it gave me similar vibes to those games throughout.

Final Fantasy 1 was the first game in the series and brought new ideas to the genre but 2 didn't bring much. 3 brought summons which impacts the series but outside of that it wasn't impressive and this is where a pattern of "oh no the 4 crystals are in danger" becomes obvious. 4 and 5 also do this plotline and it honestly was getting a bit old. They did have unique ideas and were good (heck 4 is among my favorite FF games) but it felt like they were scared to really go all in. 6 rejects tradition. It not only cuts away from that repetitiveness but also embraces a new era of actually having a interesting story. The previous protagonists and party members weren't particularly that interesting outside of a few exceptions like Cecil (the protagonist of 4) actually had great character development. 6 doesn't necessarily have one main character but rather gives you many characters that all have depth to them. On top of a larger more interesting party it also has a much better villain. Kefka is intriguing from the start, is very effective at getting what he wants, and is overall just really rememberable. He gives off a iconic laugh as he commits mass genocide. This game is so much better than what came before and even rides above most that came after. The visuals, QoL, and most of all music are top tier for SNES. While it might not have some features that a few other games have like monsters in the overworld (Chrono Trigger, Mother 2, and a few others have his) it still aged very well and that feature in particular definitely wasn't a necessity in the era this released in. Something unique it does have is many party members have a extremely unique ability like a transformation, stealing items, copying abilities, etc. Almost all 14 characters (including optional) feel super unique and gives you so loads of customization unmatched by most RPGs at the time. There's tons of amazing SNES RPGs out there and this one is definitely among the best. If you're a Final Fantasy fan or a fan of older RPGs then this is definitely a game you should try.

This entry is very solid. The party members and villains are good (not the best though), there's a class system, and there's multiple worlds to explore.

What it lacks is the narrative and protagonist aren't as interesting as 4's. Additionally many minor plotlines are reused from previous games which makes it feel a little repetitive even if it arguably improved many of them.

Overall I'd say this entry ranks in the middle of the series. It's good but not particularly a must play like others are.