I remember being really confused the first time I played the game but then I read a bunch of fan sites that broke down the story for me and then I replayed it and loved it. I agree that the game is overly convoluted but it's still a pretty good story with a pretty good battle system and has a great soundtrack.
In my opinion, it is hard to compare Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross because they felt like completely different games. Chrono Trigger seemed more light-hearted with serious elements and Chrono Cross was more serious with light-hearted moments.







