Chrono Trigger

"Chrono Trigger is still of higher quality than many next-generation games."

Intro:
Chrono Trigger (aka CT) was originally for Super Nintendo back in 1995, about 13 years ago. It features a captivating, unforgettable story which includes a dozen separate endings, a few forms of time travel, and truly unforgettable characters. It is probably the most popular game of that era and it is still one of the most popular games ever. While the DS version of CT is essentially the same game as the one released in 1995 (Except for several major visual/interface tweaks, extra in-game and bonus content, a new and refreshing translation, and higher quality audio), Chrono Trigger holds up exceptionally well and beats out many high-definition, next-generation games in terms of plot, music, and overall enjoyment.

Audio:
Chrono Trigger's huge popularity is due partly to the amazing soundtrack. Many tracks are bass instrument oriented and others include clock like chimes of low and high tones. Violins and flutes are also very common and so are drums, you'll also get to hear keyboards and synthesizers. All songs except the high tempo and dramatic ones have beautiful, intricate melodies and harmony which are carried with a leisurely pace. The music also comes into play at well placed times and syncs up with the story in an amazing way which reminds me of Final Fantasy (Another game by the same company).

The sound effects are nicely dotted over the amazing music and make the game come alive. Most characters don't usually make any noise and don't have footstep sounds, but many enemies as well as "non-playable characters" have their own signature sound effects. All techniques and attacks also have their own signature sound effects and they add a lot to the visual displays of power, finesse, and magic. There are also many various sound effects outside of and in-between battle.

Gameplay:
Being a Role Playing Game, all characters in CT have unique stats which dictate what they are good at in battle. Enemies appear only in hostile environments and battles are triggered by bumping into them. Enemies are also highly avoidable, but some are tricky to avoid and others are completely unavoidable (Usually bosses and mini-bosses).

Aside from being able to do a standard attack on foes or using items to heal, characters can use "Techs" at the cost of magic points. Techs are either attack, status, or magic related. One of the most interesting things about combat in CT is that attack techs often have properties that allow them to hit multiple enemies in certain formations, such as enemies that are lined up with the character, enemies that are bunched up, enemies that are close to the character, or even enemies that sit on a horizontal line. Another of the most interesting things in CT combat is that any character can combine numerous techs with up to 2 other character's techs to create dozens upon dozens of new techs for use only when both or all characters are ready to attack. This means that when the fire innate female character "Lucca" learns her "Fire" tech, and the sword wielding light innate main protagonist "Crono" learns his "Cleave" tech, they can combine their techniques for higher damage and for tactically dispatching enemies weak to fire. What happens in this "Dual Tech" is Crono readies his blade and jumps high above the target wherein Lucca delivers a fireball to his blade and he comes down with his burning sword and slams it into the enemy. In short, the gameplay is well balanced, fun, and unforgettable.

During the course of the game you'll see the various stages of the future and past, but mostly the past. Actions in the past of course affect the future and doing certain things can change which of the endings you'll see. The plot unravels at a very nice pace and has a fun and interesting flow, it's personally one of my all time favorite stories because of it's feel good moments, emotional scenes, purity, and happy endings. The entire game is rather lengthy and will take around 20-25 hours to beat your first time, but with "New Game Plus" you can restart the story with all your equipment, stats, and techs. The DS version also includes a few extra features such as the art gallery, music box, and bestiary which increase the value of the game. CT has a healthy amount of replay value, doing all the side-quests (Which appear all at once towards the end of the game), maxing out the stats of your characters with "NG+" and/or enjoying the story and it's numerous endings help out a lot and can take 100+ hours of your time during the course of X amount of years. Basically, CT has a lot of bang for your buck.

Video:
In terms of graphics, nothing has changed since the SNES version of CT, but the game is and has been presented so well with nothing but cleanly detailed menus, characters, and locations, that it's visual quality is absolutely acceptable by most people's standards. Nintendo has been known to use many vibrant colors and does it very well. The character and environment designs are very impressive, detailed, and fairly stunning, even the art design in dark places looks very nice. The attacks and techniques all have solid effects and none of them are too simple or overdone. The higher level techniques usually take up the majority of the screen and they all look magnificent. The screen also slightly darkens when using most techniques which makes the technique pop out a little more. Remember though, the 2 dimensional beauty of Chrono Trigger is a double-edged sword; for it's time it was unsurpassed and many of us today favor it's mix of simplicity and potency, but now many people are practically addicted to high-definition graphics and unfortunately won't be able to enjoy the fruits of Chrono Trigger.

The menus have undergone a major overhaul, this makes almost the entire game playable with the DS' stylus and presents you with helpful information which wasn't present in the old version. You can select all your actions in combat, you can navigate by holding the stylus in the direction you want to travel, and you can select menu shortcuts which can come in handy (It's also possible to manage the arrangement and amount of shortcuts via the options menu). If you would rather play CT the way it was viewed up until now, you can change to "Classic" mode in the options menu and the touch screen will display extra stats and specs.

This version of CT also includes various animated cutscenes (Which were designed by the creator of the "Dragon Ball" TV series) throughout the game. These cutscenes actually first made an appearance in the first re-release of CT on the Sony PlayStation.

Synopsis:
Chrono Trigger is still very popular and well-known and is recognized as one of the greatest games of all time! If you have a DS, I recommend checking it out as soon as possible. If you don't have a DS and haven't yet seen or played CT, then you have to decide how much this experience is worth to you and/or your loved ones. Chrono Trigger isn't for everyone, some people aren't fond of RPGs and other people would rather play various first person shooter games or don't have the heart to play a game with "outdated graphics" no matter how well done and fantastic they are. Remember, official reviews are a superb source of info, but their opinions are just as important as yours and mine. Do some research and think about it, it's well worth looking into and in my opinion, well worth owning. It also makes a great gift for most age groups with it's ESRB rating of E10+ (Everyone ten and up). This game deserves a high score no matter which version we're talking about, but since there isn't a whole lot of new stuff in the DS version, some fans aren't likely to be satisfied, but having Chrono Trigger everywhere you go is something anyone can cheer about.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/08, Updated 12/04/08

Game Release: Chrono Trigger (US, 11/25/08)