I played the Steam version of Chrono Trigger. I've tried getting into old-school JRPG several times, but it's the first time I enjoy one of those.

Despite my distaste of turn-based combat, I had fun fighting enemies in that game. It's snappy and it never lasts for too long. The animations are quick and the music is dynamic.
As the party members level up, each of them unlocks more techs. And the more techs each character has, the more double & triple techs your team will have access to.
It was so satisfying to experiment new attacks as the game progresses, triple techs especially. They went out of their way to give these ones spectacular animations.
I also want to point out that I had the "active" mode enabled in combat, not the "wait" mode. So I had to make decisions as quickly as possible.
It's not entirely turn-based now that I think about it. It's kinda weird, like a mix of turn-based & real time combat.

Outside of combat, your character is fast aswell. And I appreciate that you can run away from most regular fights. It makes the random encounters more bearable.

You can trigger side quests by doing specific actions in the Past, and then seeing NPCs behaviors changing entirely once you go back in the Present.
Taking the time to talk to every NPC gives you valuable informations, such as specific enemies weaknesses, and locations of bonus items, which felt really rewarding. They can offer you consumables too, if you come talk to them later in the story.

The game had several events that were moving or wholesome. The moment when Robo is getting bullied by all his old friends in the underground facility was touching.
I also remember when the characters were partying with Ayla in the prehistoric era. It made the game much more lively & spirited.
Or sometimes, I just had to wait and watch silently as the event unfolds, for example when Bosch & Lucca were repairing Grandleon, which made those moments more enthralling.

The music never goes unnoticed, whether it's upbeat, melancholic or mysterious. I could name so many tracks that I kept listening to after I was done playing the game.
It really enhanced the events of the story, and put your adventure on a bigger scale. The soundtrack is grand.

Bosses weren't just damage sponges, and you need to perform specific actions on some of them to be able to damage them efficiently. It made the combat really engaging.
For example against the jugglers, you need to alternate physical & magic attacks; against Nizbel you have to figure out that you need to shock him with Chrono's Lightning to reduce his defense; or against Magus where you need to alternate the elements of your spells.

My favorite moment in the game has to be when Frog opens the path to the Magic Cave. His theme is so epic. He is my favorite character in Chrono Trigger!
The side quest where he finds Cyrus grave and gives him one final goodbye was also really touching.

Another noteworthy moment is when the party manages to resurrect Chrono. The scene leading up to it, with the beautiful background & music made it unforgettable. The game has some beautiful landscapes.

It was interesting to see the effects the party's accomplishments had on the different time periods. You witness the changes you make in each timeline as the game progresses, and it's really satisfying.

After Robo is done replanting the forest, we witness Lucca's Past in one of her dreams, and we understand what caused her to become a scientist. It taught us more about her motive, and it gave her more personality. It was a really nice moment, and the shot of the party resting around the camp fire was quite memorable.

The quests at the Lost Sanctum were AWFUL. Never again.
It took me 6 hours going up & down the Mount Emerald dozens of times to finish this optional content. I'll try erasing this part of the game from my memory because it's the complete opposite of the rest of the game in terms of fun. Please, just ignore that section of the game altogether, it's not worth the hassle.
It's crazy to think this wasn't in the original game, they decided to add it in later versions (DS & Steam). What a terrible decision!

All the endgame quests leading up to the encounter with Lavos delivered nice bits of story, while also giving you the best gear possible to deal with the final Boss.
Whether it's Robo and the encounters with Atropos & Mother brain; Glenn saying goodbye to his old friend Cyrus; or Marle making up with her father. All those quests were interesting and also had fun boss fights.

I really appreciate that I didn't have to grind at any point in the game. Every fight was manageable with my current gear, and I never got stuck against an impossibly hard Boss that forced me to come back after leveling up a bit.
Mind you, some Bosses were still challenging.

The ending was really moving, it almost made me cry. From the moment you defeat Lavos till the last second of the game was absolutely amazing.
The scene where they all have to say goodbye to each other before going back in their respective timeline, with the really sad music ("Epilogue ~ To Good Friends"); then you have the cutscene with Chrono & Marle's wedding; Glenn being made knight by the King; and then you can watch the characters flying the Epoch as the credits are rolling (with the music "To Far Away Times" playing in the background)... Everything just feels right. We really couldn't have a more perfect ending to this game.

In conclusion, this JRPG has aged incredibly well. If some of you are like me and have trouble getting into old-school JRPG, please trust me. What makes this one special is its combat system that is unique & truly enjoyable. Other aspects of the game are great aswell, but it's the gameplay that sets him apart from the rest.

----------Playtime & Completion----------

[Played in late May 2023]
Playtime: 40 hours
I got the "Beyond Time" ending. It's the main ending.
I didn't restart the game in ng+ yet, but I will probably try to complete a few more endings in the future!

I was reluctant to play that game for some reason. Probably because of its age, I guess... And I thought all the praise it got was exaggerated. But oh boy was I wrong!

It turned out to be one of my favorite zelda games. Definitely one of the best OST in the franchise.
The combat aged really well with the Z-targeting, and the dungeons have great puzzles.

The story is so captivating, with Link going back in time, getting help from Sheik and exploring a desolated Hyrule after the 7 years skip. By the way, I didn't see the plot twist coming, with Sheik who turned out to be Zelda. It was neat!

In retrospect, the thing I enjoyed the most about the game is being lost, having to figure out where to go, or what I have to do. There were so many moments where I was completely clueless, and had to get hints by talking to the NPCs, trying out different items in different parts of the map, etc...

----------Playtime & Completion----------

[Played between late July & early August 2021]
Playtime: 50 hours
Main story complete.

I played it right after finishing Portal 1.

I slightly prefered Portal 2, obviously because it has more content, and the puzzles were more elaborate with new game mechanics.
But also because there was more story involved in that game. The part where you go out of the laboratory and learn more about the Past, and the backstory of Cave Johnson was really cool.

----------Playtime & Completion----------

[Played in late June 2022]
Playtime: 14 hours
Main story complete.