RPG design thoughts

Throughout the course of the game, the player is let to believe that Crono is the main character of the game, for example by not letting the player move Crono out from the party's lead position. The player is likely to give Crono their own name.
Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Crono dies. Crono's body shatters to pieces; there doesn't seem to be any possibility for him to survive.

When this happens, the player is kept in shock for a while. But as soon as the player can catch their breath, the ray of hope is given: a time egg possibly can get Crono back.

This technique actually has a name and an article in Wikipedia.

Through the game, the goal has been built towards preventing a terrible apocalypse that destroys the entire world. Then the apocalypse happens. The whole world is destroyed. Continents shatter. Plants wither. Friends are lost.

It looks utterly hopeless at first. However, a ray of hope is given. A little raft may carry Celes out from a little island, possibly to find something to live on.

The town of Totus is destroyed, along with the family of the hero and his friend, Chester. This happens in the beginning of the game so that much emotional attachment has not yet been invested. However, it is all there is, so it has a larger relative value. The scene is very emotional with darkness and rain and thunder and a desperate music. The dialog of the characters enforces the sensation of loss.

Later in the game, entire towns are disingerated.

Faris's pet seamonster drowns into the sea. Later, entire towns are disintegrated.

A catastrophe that the heroes struggle to avert, happens nevertheless.

Palom and Porom, two very lively children, turn themselves into stone statues to save the others. Despite attempts to save them, they remain as statues until the game end.

The layers of the story in Chrono Cross could be laid as follows:

1. The hero needs to please his girlfriend. This can hardly be counted as a layer, as it serves merely as an introduction to the world.
2. LAYER: The hero needs to find a way back to his own world. Here the story begins.
3. A mysterious character, Lynx, seems to known more about the hero than the hero himself. Why?
4. The hero needs to regain his own body back. Why did Lynx wants to steal his body and give his own in return?
5. LAYER: The world is governed by FATE, an apparently malicious a supercomputer from the future.
6. LAYER: FATE was actually a protector of humanity, and the dragons were seeking to disable FATE so they can start exacting a revenge upon humanity.
7. LAYER: The dragons were a means (unbeknowns to themselves) to acquire a relic that can separate Schala and Lavos, an extradimensional and -terrestial creature bent on devouring all of existence.

The layers of the story in Final Fantasy IX could be laid as follows:

1. A team of bandits goes to kidnap Princess Garnet.
2. A factory is producing Mages for Queen Alexandria.
3. LAYER: Queen Alexandria seems to be mad, bent on conquering countries using those mages.
4. The Queen is insignificant, the real culprit is Kuja.
5. Kuja himself seems to be overshadowed by another mysterious character.
6. Kuja is from another world, Terra. The home world is Gaia.
7. LAYER: Terra is planning to attack Gaia, and populate Terra with souls freed from Gaia.
   • The main character is also from Terra.
8. Kuja throws off Terra's plans, becomes greedy with power, now is a greater threat.
9. LAYER: A godly entity, "Necron", takes Kuja's actions as a sign that all of existence must to be destroyed.

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See also:

• MUD/RPG/MMORPG idea collection
• You have been playing too much adventure RPGs when...
• How to make good quests