!!!!!!!!SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!
Sea of Stars wears its inspiration firmly on its sleeves. And heck, there's nothing wrong with that. Make no mistake, the game stands on its own, but it's also chock full of cute and clever references to the RPGs that helped create it. You're not going to tell me that a town of sentient mole men isn't a reference to THAT area from Mario RPG. But I don't consider myself an expert on that game. Let's talk about the one I am an expert on and the one that most strongly drives Sea of Star's vision, Chrono Trigger. You'll be pleasantly surprised by just how many cheeky nods Sea of Stars makes. Some of them are DEEP cuts. Here is each one I've been able to find so far. Let me know if you caught even more!
. Rainbow conch
The most obvious nod has to be the game's primary collectible, the rainbow conches. They thought they were so clever changing it from shell to conches, didn't they? Okay... Probably not, but what a wonderful addition to the game. And fittingly enough, it also contributes to some of the best stuff you can get!
. Gato, is that you?
The very first "boss" of Sea of Stars is a robot designed specifically for... Training. And he sure is a plump little guy. I wonder if he has metal joints...
. Lavos, is that you?
Did it feel weird fighting the final boss of Chrono Trigger as the first true boss in Sea of Stars? It sure felt weird to me. To be fair, it could just be a Lavos spawn...
Sabotage knew exactly what they were doing.
. Mountains're nice
This was the first one I noticed, and I can't tell you the size of the grin on my face when it happened. Toward the end of the Moorlands, players will encounter this lone enemy as he takes a break from killing to enjoy the sights. After all, mountains are nice. He wants to bask, so please don't bother him... 5 times. Yes, it's exactly 5 times that you have to do it. This is a game after my own heart.
. Don't spoil our ambush
Before even entering the clockwork castle, players will find these hooligans getting ready to cause some trouble on the left-hand side. I don't imagine any game after Chrono Trigger has referenced this one. What an obscure and awesome callback!
. Silver sword
Alright, I admit that this is a stretch given the fact that many games have swords that are, you know, freaking silver, but I also wouldn't be surprised for a second if the comparison was recognized while the developers added it in. Sadly, it does not cost 4000 gold.
. Not one but THREE move references
Zale and Serai can team up for a double tech called X-strike... Must be a coincidence. Maybe it would be, if there wasn't also a frog enemy that uses a move called slurp kiss, and a bird with a sword that hits you with one called spincut.
I have to give a special mention to slurp kiss. It's nice to see the developers are fans of the obviously best Chrono Trigger party combo.
. Dweller of Woe
Too obscure to notice? Heck no! This may be my only skill in life, but darn it I'm gonna toot my horn. The dweller of woe is very clearly a reference to the mountain of woe, located in Antiquity 1200 B.C. Oh, and by the way, one of Mitsuda's only battle tracks in Sea of Stars is used for the boss that has "woe" in the title.
. Gaspar
There might be some similarities between the two characters as well that I'm not seeing, but this one is pretty self-explanatory.
. The painting has been punished by his brother. Why? Because he stole his lunch
And as the painting explains, he didn't even know it was someone's lunch!
. B'st can't equip a weapon
After all, fist fighters don't need em! Just ask everyone's favorite prehistoric woman. She strong. She no lose. And neither does my favorite Sea of Stars party member. I will say, however, it was a slightly missed opportunity not to make his fists level up.
. The Kingdom of Zeal shows up
Lots of games have floating islands. But you know what those games don't have all at once? Floating waterfalls, teleporters to reach your destination, and a powerful race of beings that look down on the world. I'm shocked it didn't fall from the sky.
. I'm betting my money!
I admit this one could definitely be a coincidence. But both have a game with a man who is very confident about a winner in a competition.
. Derelict Factory
The exact same name! Ya gotta love it. And it's set in a dystopian area of the game where the sun is blocked out. Oh, and both even have a crane, and a computer operating them! The Queen that was is likely a slight reference to Mother Brain as well.
. Andross, I mean, Queen Zeal, is that you?
Okay, actually, the Queen of Zeal came before Andross was given limbs, but this classic boss design shows up in Sea of Stars as well. And just like in Chrono Trigger, it's the penultimate boss, and it's a woman obsessed with power...
. The Fated Hour
Of all the references used in the game, this one may have made me squeal the loudest. In both Chrono Trigger and Sea of Stars, the players are told they've come to the end of the adventure and are given one last chance to tie up all loose ends. If that wasn't enough, both games also introduce entirely new quests specific to each character's storyline. This is where you can get all of the best weapons for each party member. It's amazing.
. Having fun
Blink and you'll miss this one! Wow, what a callback! For a brief moment in the amazing Glacial Peak stage, players will come across these little tykes just having a ball. It's almost depressing breaking up their fun. But hey, we did it once already, didn't we, Chrono fans?
--- Credit to MightyMax for helping me discover this one!
. Save the samurai/Save the cook
In perhaps Sea of Star's most mindblowing callback, players are able to save the late and lovable Garl from his untimely death via a device called the Chronophage. Time is frozen in a single pocket of opportunity, and if you look carefully, you'll notice the way Valera/Zale grabs Garl's body is almost exactly the same way Crono's is swapped out for the Bekkler doll. In order to save Garl, B'st must take the hit and chill in the warrior cook's grave until his friends come to retrieve him. He takes the long way around, just as a certain robot did in order to bring life back to a field of flowers.
And I may be looking too deeply into this, but I can't help but wonder if Garl's character is in fact, a direct reaction to Crono's. One of Chrono Trigger's only complaints amongst fans is that Crono is not enough of a character to care about when he dies. Was making Garl the most lovable guy possible a way of fixing that?
. The Dream Team
I thought I was done. I thought I had surely found it all. But then, some crazy fan found the mother of all secrets in Sea of Stars. In a direct nod to the famous Dream Team ending of Chrono Trigger, you can find a secret area of the crypt (only accessible once the game is basically complete) that lets Sabotage's team show off a bit. The team, in full adorable sprite-form, gets to thank you for playing their game, and offer a little insight into what it was like to make it. A truly wholesome moment.
There are, of course, other really obvious little nods such as the "vial of time," but they're so loose that I did not include them here. Be on the lookout for more, friends! I'm gonna go take a closer look at enemy names, because I feel like something had to have slipped by! I'm starting my second playthrough as we speak... Excuse me, I mean my New Game +
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