Chrono Trigger

"I'm surprised Square's best game doesn't carry the name of its most treasured license"

I'm not very big on RPG's, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Chrono Trigger is one of the best games ever created. Squaresoft has been more famous for its creation of the famous Final Fantasy series, but Chrono Trigger exceeds them all. The reason why Chrono Trigger is so good is because of the people that had been working on it; people from Enix and Squaresoft were working on this project together, who were both the top RPG developers at the time. Even Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on the Dragonball and Dragonball Z series contributed to Chrono Trigger, so don't be surprised to find characters that look awfully similar to his famous anime series. Not only is the gameplay so polished and refined, but its personality is truly what stands out the most.

The game starts off with a bird's eye view of the local town. A fair is being held, and anyone who was anyone was there. The main character Crono was awaken by his mother, informing him of the millenium fair that he has anticipated for so long. Such a beautiful scene this was; the character models look a lot like your daily anime characters, the lighting effects were very astonishing, the music was bliss, and it was simply a great introduction to one of the best games ever. Though it's quite awkward how Crono walks; it appears as if he is dragging his feet rather than walking, even though when looked closely he is walking normal. Though nonetheless, Crono's model is very impressive. His outfit is crisp, and Akira does a lot of shadow effects that you can relate with Goku's clothes.

Later when Crono reaches the fair, he quickly meets up with a gypsy looking girl that he literally runs into, causing them both to fall. As they exchange apologies, they both decide to enjoy the fair together. Her name was Marle. Little does Crono realize the adventure he is about to get himself into meeting this girl. They both eventually meet up with another character Luca, who was in the process of demonstrating her new invention, the telepod. Everything goes well when Crono successfully tests it out, but when its Marle's turn, everything goes haywire, and you'll eventually be saving the world.

The story is pretty interesting, which involves a lot of time travelling, but I don't want to spoil anything major. Usually in RPG's, the goal of the game is to create an intriguing storyline, also with a cast full of personality. Chrono Trigger does this exactly, and it does it so well. The characters have a lot of personality in them; sometimes you'll feel sorry for them, and at other moments you're as determined as they are. Chrono Trigger absorbs you in almost every aspect; the graphics are nothing less than astonishing, the soundtrack is the best you'll ever hear from a video game, and the gameplay so polished, you'll always feel comfortable playing it. I was never comfortable with the active time battle system that a lot of other Final Fantasy games use, but Chrono Trigger molds it to meet your preference.

One of the unique things about the battle system is instead of shifting to another arena when encountering a fight, you'll be battling on the dungeon floor. This eliminates the need for random encounters. This marks the first time when an RPG uses visible enemy encounters. This is one major difference between Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasies. But those that have played Final Fantasy will have a firm grasp on Chrono Trigger.

The magic system and spells are all the same; there's a spell to poison an enemy, a spell to quicken your turns, a spell to cast fire/lighting/water, etc. The magic system may seem recycled from previous Final Fantasy installments, but if it ain't broke then don't fix it. Though the new technique system will surely catch your eyes. Basically, techniques are non magical attacks. So you're probably wondering why this will catch your eye? The innovative thing here is that you can perform techniques with other party members to combine your powers into a superior one. So let's say Crono and Frog (a character you eventually meet up with later on) want to perform a double technique. Seeing as they're both swordsman, some of their double techniques will consist of powerful sword attacks. You can mix and match techniques with different party members, and the only disadvantage is that all those characters turn are used. But for what it's worth, it's worth it. Magic and techniques can also be used in dual and delta attacks.

As usual, you can equip different armours and weapons on all your party members. The different weapons and armours here don't only change in stats, but their effects change as well. One armour is immune to fire, while another to the side effect sleep. It's not only about what equipment has the higher stats, but who you are facing. Never before have I put so much consideration on the equipment I was going to equip my characters with. These can also add new techniques to your list. The only complaint I have is that these equipment don't look much different from the previous. They're pretty much the same things with different colour and different stats.

One of the most memorable things is the amazing boss battles. There's so many of them, but they're all fun as hell. You'll be using a lot of different strategies against all the bosses, and you'll be having fun while you're thinking of something to counter with. The amount of different bosses you'll encounter give you so much strategies to use, you'll never once get bored of it despite going through it the fourteenth time. This game is that fun and rewarding. There's just so much variety, it feels like the ultimate RPG package.

Another satisfying factor are the side-quests. Although you'll be mainly getting them for the game's most powerful weapons, their stories behind them is quite interesting, covering the origins and backgrounds of your characters. It's always nice to know where your character came from. And besides, you're gonna do it anyways to liberate the world from bad guys, right? Time travelling also plays a big part here aside from the storyline and main courses. You'll be constantly travelling through the many different eras in time to gain the many items and equipment. Sometimes you can use time to alter and completely change the future. For example, a town full of monsters despise humans, but ridding their boss in the past will create a bond between them and the monsters in the future.

As said before, even though the gameplay is amazing, the personality is what stood out the most for me. The characters are very emotional, especially the robot Robo. The other characters are all great that are very distinct. The Frog character of the feudal age talks in a very formal, and feudal type of voice. Thou art nay the' sword. That's exactly how he talks, but with more sense. The only thing I have against is on the main character Crono. Don't you hate it when the main character never talks? Crono, despite everyone understanding his desires never talked once. I have nothing against mutes, but this is a video game!

But even without a voice, Crono's actions are what speaks for him. A lot of people that are big anime fans will quickly recognize Crono as Son Goku from Dragonball Z. Some of his hysteric animations are also shared, which gives him at least some character traits, though pretty much every character has the same hysteric animations, such as a jaws dropping to the floor, gigantic eyes when surprised, those huge water droppings on the back of the character's heads. Crono is also just a really cool character, mostly because he's the leader.

The environments and locations are also as detailed as the ones you see on TV. Even to todays standards where 3D is almost everything, Chrono Trigger is still graphically amazing. Not only are the characters well detailed and modeled, but the environments are very life like with a personality of their own. Leaves will suddenly fall from their trees, the sun's ray will light up specific spots within the forest, and the snow reflects the light shining on it, appearing as if it's glittering. The sounds add to this, with silent whispers from nature, dropping waters from a waterfall, squeaking sounds from surrounding monsters, and rustling bushes. I'm amazed how much the Super Nintendo is capable of.

The graphics and sounds are also moody. When walking around the era when the world was controlled by robots, you'll be in an awkward mood. The wind's hisses and the endless storms that run rampart in this world is the cause for this. While during the age feudal age, you'll feel in a medievil mood because of the foggy environment. The music also contribute to this factor, and they do a good job of setting you in the mood.

There's also the many mini games that are much more constructed than other 2 minute appeal mini games. A lot of them are available in the millenium fair, but there's also a stand out mini game where you actually race in a car! The only downside is that there's only one car and one track, but still, at least it lasts more than 2 minutes. You'll find a variety of activities such as drinking the most amount of pop before your opponent, gambling, protecting marle from monsters, etc. Nothing of the calibur of Final Fantasy VII though.

Chrono Trigger excels in all areas; its gameplay, its storyline, its character, personality, graphics and sounds. If that weren't enough, there are fourteen different endings you can watch, so there will be a lot of replay value to look forward to. There's very few flaws in this game, that I would go as far as saying it's flawless. The game feels so comfortable, that it molds into you. And the battle system feels so polished, you'll never get bored of it. The beautiful cast in Chrono Trigger is unforgettable, and when departing with them, you'll feel kind of sad that the game finally ends.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05, Updated 01/04/05