https://www.neogaf.com/threads/shmuplations-com-releases-massive-chrono-trigger-interview-compilation.1272117/#post-215537484
Considering Secret of Mana originally had areas from Trials of Mana and plot points from Chrono Trigger I wonder what the original story was.
I strongly suspect the True Queen AKA the Queen of Reason was originally Queen Zeal(explaining why her model was more imposing than the other duped rulers of the various kingdoms) and that we were originally going to fight her in the Mana Fortress in the final era.
I also suspect the Scorpion Army ship was going to be encountered in the Dark Mana-less future correlating with the recruition of Robo(who would be the Guardian/Kilroy) and the disappearance of Marle(in the case of Secret of Mana it would obviously be Popoi disappearing) with the Underground City correlating with the Mother Brain Dungeon.
https://tcrf.net/Secret_of_Mana_(SNES)#Diary_Entry
https://tcrf.net/Trials_of_Mana#Squid_Boss
I assume by the existence of Kraken in Trials of Mana’s data and by Vandole being implied to have used Julius’s Shadow as a body double in Sword of Mana that Sword of Mana was going to be an era visited and the protagonists were going to out Vandole’s disguise to Cibba(how Vandole would have banished the characters in a way that makes them drop the Mana Sword so that the Gemma Knights get it is beyond me).
I also imagine Dyluck would have been deposited into Lorimar while frozen(explaining why he was there in Sword of Mana as a prince) while Thanatos would be reduced to hiding in a magic cave in order to survive without his perfect body.
It’s truly a shame the original Secret of Mana hasn’t been released… Someone tell the interviewers to get the developers to rectify this! The developers did state that they could have gotten the original Secret of Mana Remade but instead decided to appease the purists!
An interview pointing out how bad that worked out and that they should just give the fans the originally planned Secret of Mana would probably work in the fans’ favor! Considering how popular Trials of Mana is going and how it’s remake is getting modifications suggesting the originally planned Secret of Mana may work!