Ok, you asked for it!!
Why Chrono Trigger is GOAT

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐐" title="Ziege" aria-label="Emoji: Ziege">

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Squaresoft at the top of their game

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">The Dream Team, stronger together

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">Mitsuda AND Uematsu on one soundtrack

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">Some of the music came to Mitsuda in dreams

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">No grinding

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">No random encounters
thread 1/X

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤎" title="Braunes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Braunes Herz">No JRPG voice acting cringe

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">Story doesn&
#39;t rely on a ton of JRPG tropes/cliches

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Not a sequel/part of an existing franchise: no baggage of tradition

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Strong female characters

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">Accessible gameplay

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">Square&
#39;s classic ATB system combining tactics & time
2/X
(art: AbyssWolf)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">Tasteful use of Mode 7

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">Dual/Triple Techs

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">Cast not stock characters only differentiated by the color of their hair

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤎" title="Braunes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Braunes Herz">Time travel mechanics

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">Meaningful end game sidequests that develop characters or tie up plot threads, not merely a list of chores
3/X
(art: unknown)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Not a ton of boring exposition to sit through

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Akira Toriyama&
#39;s cutscenes (they&
#39;re on YouTube!)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">At the crest of the 90s JRPG golden age

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">Not early 3D (sorry, polygonal Cloud)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">Multiple endings

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">Balanced linearity and freedom
4/X
(art: Robert Porter)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">Doesn&
#39;t take 100 hours to complete or drag itself out

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤎" title="Braunes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Braunes Herz">What padding? (Plz don&
#39;t Remake it, SE)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">Story makes sense and is presented with clarity (I&
#39;m looking at you Chrono Cross)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Quasi-sequel/spin off Chrono Cross one of the best PS1 JRPGs
5/X
(art: Xavier Garcia)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Religious imagery isn&
#39;t ham-fisted

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">Roster of playable characters is the right size for each character to receive development and background (again, Cross or even yon holy FF6)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">Coined the term New Game + and it actually thematically fits
6/X
(art: amade)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">Lavos scream one of the most unique 16-bit sounds ever

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">Villain wins

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">You can set the text speed (thanks for nothing, Xenogears)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤎" title="Braunes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Braunes Herz">Didn&
#39;t take 15 years to finish and it shows

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">No Kingdom Hearts melodrama
7/X
(art: Dave Rapoza)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Not a button-mashing ARPG like nearly every JRPG these days

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">No microtransactions, amirite

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">No need for character development DLC

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">No empty open world waste of time

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">No insane fandom

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">No uncanny valley faces

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">On the SNES

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤎" title="Braunes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Braunes Herz">The best Final Fantasy
8/X
(art: chesterocampo)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">The best Dragon Quest & Dragon Ball, too

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Localization not a mess

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Not one moody emo Hot Topic protagonist in sight

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">Impresses new players today

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">No politicization

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">No preachy themes

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">No anime perv

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">No quest markers, lets you figure things out
9/X
(art: HeavyMetalHanzo)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤎" title="Braunes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Braunes Herz">Cinematic without being a movie interrupted by moments of interactivity

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">No having to fuss with disc swapping

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Deft use of silence for dramatic effect

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Balance: humor, comedy, drama

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz">Longer musical tracks mean songs don&
#39;t become annoying/repetitive
10/X
(concept art)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">Active or Wait, play at your speed

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Grünes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Herz">Hasn&
#39;t been milked to death or infected with sequelitis

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">Not formulaic

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧡" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">Replay value

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">Made the best use of the hardware available to it

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤍" title="Weißes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Weißes Herz">Still visually stunning

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🖤" title="Schwarzes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Schwarzes Herz">Not Square Enix
11/X
(artist: unknown)
If you know of the artists for any of the unattributed fanart images, please let me know.
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