Yes. It is an excellent game. Those who didn't like it were just mad that it wasn't literally Chrono Trigger 2. Also, the large cast of characters is a dumb reason to hate the game, as well.

The game had a very cool story that didn't pull punches. Aside from the cumbersome set up time with elements, the battle system was also unique, original, and entertaining. I also like how the whole world is simply set in a small group of islands, but still feels very grand in scale. I played it when it was brand new on day one, and many times since.

And the soundtrack? One of the best in the jRPG genre--easily.