Chrono Trigger

"Masterpiece isn't at a high enough word to be able to describe this phenomenal and spectacular game!!!"

Imagine the perfect life story put into motion. A plot that just doesn’t get any better than this. What begins like an average morning where an average Mother comes to wake her average teen up from bed ends at something much more unbelievable than any other story imagined nor combined. The story of Chrono Trigger is that perfect example. And so begins the average day of our hero as he sets out to go to the Millennium Fair – a once in a lifetime opportunity. Head outside to experience a gorgeous landscape, and your friends once again waiting for you, as you are the last to wake up. Wait forward towards the Fair and reach the center square of the Millennium Fair where all the inventions are taking place. There’s your friend waiting for you as she shows you her new ‘unique’ transporter. A girl whom you bumped into on accident will want to try out the invention but something in her pendant will open a portal to a different era and suck her in. Afraid of what might happen to her, you the brave explorer runs forward only to pick up her left-behind pendant and get sucked through again. The adventures of Crono will begin now as eerie music plays and you see only but purple light headed at you ten times the speed of life. A bright light fills the screen and you reintegrate only to see a vast land of forest in front of you of where the Fair had been…

Travel through a total of six different eras to the past, the present, and the future. You first start this game in the year of 1000 A.D. during a time of peaceful people and partying all night long. Your long time friend Lucca, the brilliant inventor discovers that she accidentally succeed in making a time traveling machine only to the era of 600 A.D. As mentioned before, Crono leaps into the time machine to try and rescue the cutie that got sent into another era before him and having no idea of where he just woke up. It is the time of the Lord – 600 A.D. to where humans battle fierce monsters and try to still claim the land. You of course have to help and assist, only to end up in several different other eras. One era is 65 million years B.C. to where dinosaurs still roam the planet, caveman are curious about land, and where a great monster named Lavos landed from space, fed on warmth from the Earth’s core, and was born at 1999 A.D. to destroy the planet. You’ll even see how it all turns out at 2300 A.D. to where the planet lies as a junkless crater. And you’ll get to visit one more era – 12,000 B.C. – an era where not much is known about except that mysteriously it was more advanced than Crono’s present time of 1000 A.D.

The character developments of Chrono Trigger are simply amazing. You’ll get to choose from seven different characters on their own. The main hero of course is Crono who has several things to worry about such as finding Marle, the girl who went into the machine before him, and come back home to his mother alive. Lucca, and Marle are both girls whom Crono befriends during his time period and tries and saves the world with. Lucca is the same brilliant inventor that sent the cocky Marle into a different era. You’ll also meet Ayla, a cavewoman during the age of 65 Million Years B.C. that can barely speak the English language but understands plenty of when it comes to save the planet. In the future, you’ll meet a broken down Robot whom you can repair and befriend as well. He is a great companion that even manages to feel the love by his friends. Frog is also a character with revenged planned towards the cruel man who turned him into what he is today. The last character you will have to undergo in battle – Magus one of the strongest bosses you will battle but for some reason, he is not that strong when in your party. He can choose to accept or reject him. Unlike Final Fantasy 3, you can only have three characters at once in your party, which I think is a better idea and easier management.

The battle system to Chrono Trigger is almost like the same as the previous Final Fantasy games. You take turns exchanging hits with your weapons and then pause to regain your strength until another attack. During that time, you can also a medicine to regain your health, an ether to regain your magic power, and simply prepare and increase your defense until the next attack. Also, whenever fighting bosses, you have the option of hitting something else in a boss. For instant, instead of directing all your attacks on the actual boss him, direct them towards his head, or hand which also helps heal or strength the defense on him. You can also do combo attacks called Double Techs instead of single attacks. For instant, find a powerful combo attack using Crono and Robo to do double, maybe even triple damage. The whole party can even do an attack altogether called a Triple Tech! This is best for maximum damage against the enemy and can even kill some enemies with one hit! Unbelievable! Also, thanks to Square, they’ve improved the over world. No more annoying battles in the over world when your trying to find your path to victory.

The graphics and soundtrack is one of the best heard and seen on any Super Nintendo game. The graphics are amazing themselves; you’ll even get a cutscene in 3D from time to time and race as well where the whole scenery is in 3D. The soundtrack was one of the best I’ve heard in a long time for any Old School or Next-Gen game. The sounds themselves provide the effect for feeling scared in the spooky forest and ready for fight to the maximum in super hard boss battles. Chrono Trigger has it all including mini games to play. My favorite mini game was racing against a worthy opponent in the future to an unbelievably crazy and very enjoyable action soundtrack feel. The controls are pretty amazing as well and easy to master within a minute’s notice. You’ll feel like the SNES control shapes to please your hands and enjoy the game. You’ll get the regular attack buttons, interact buttons, and movement. It shouldn’t take more than several minutes or so to master. Squaresoft did an amazing job with this game. This game literally becomes your favorite SNES Old School RPG of all time! And even once you’ve mastered and beat Chrono Trigger, go back to it using New Game+ where you start the game off but have the same exact level, and items from the last game. It’s perfect for reaching the level 100 and having Crono’s most unbelievable attack – Lumarine.

If you can find this game anywhere, buy it at all costs. It isn’t carrying the regular five dollars price tag, but instead it can be found for 100 dollars because of its value and the game itself is extremely rare. In about another five years or so, that price may even double or triple. That’s why you have to find a copy and keep it. Who knows, maybe it’ll even make you a millionaire (unlike), but the game’s value in my honest opinion is exactly that. And I recommend anyone to play it if you already haven’t done so.

Final Reviewed Score: 10/10 - Astonishing!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/31/03