Chrono Trigger

"Timeless"

Time has a funny way of passing. One minute you're purchasing Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS; the next, your waking up at twelve in the afternoon because you spent all night playing it. Hello, and welcome to one of the best role-playing games of all time.

Dating back to the Super Nintendo era, the choice in gaming (at least when it come to role-playing) was dominated by titles like Final Fantasy III (now VI.) When Chrono Trigger arrived, it became a fun alternative to turn-based combat. That and it's unique animation gave generated a whole new system of it's own. And with that, became one of the most popular games of all time.

Speaking of time, this game has a lot to do with that. With history woven by your actions, events change, people differ, and the world is saved. But is it for me? The veteran who used to own the game? Or me, the child playing it for the first time. Allow me to answer that question right off the bat.

A Quick Note To Veterans...
Yes, you. Those who carry a deep respect for pendulum clocks, and those who can never look at an egg the same way again. This game may not be for you. Seeing as though I am a veteran I can tell you that the port offers too little. If the inclusion of an extra dungeon, Arena Mode, FMV sequences, and extra endings can sate you, then by all means. Play.

On a personal level, I found the game lacking the means to draw me back. I won't hold it against them though, we're simply not their target demographic.

A Quick Note To Parents...
Oh my god, get this game for your kid. This is the best role-playing game money can buy. It will entertain your children for hours on end, as it did for me. On a small scale, it's a little more violent then Pokemon. Where the characters do attack other creatures, no blood is shown. Instead a red aura dissipates said enemy after being defeated. Simple as that.

In summary, buy, don't rent. This will be a game that some will remember for long time. It's just that good.

Summary
Story: One of the best of all time. With robots, mutants, time traveling, frog-men, ghosts, and oodles more who could ask for a more colorful quest?

Gameplay: With a cast of seven characters, each one compatible with dual and even triple technique combos. The gameplay allows incredible versatility depending on how you choose to play.

Graphics: Not on par with major titles, but true to the original SNES version. While looking well-polished, the SNES veterans will notice the inclusion of short FMV sequences. Sequences once exclusive to the remake on the PSX.

Overall: Non-stop fun from start to end. With more then ten different endings, you'll be scrambling to finish each one of them!

Story
Our story begins on the day of the Millennial Fair. Our hero Crono visits his haughty friend Lucca who is showcasing her invention; a teleporter. As soon as the event begins, things go awry and Crono is forced into an adventure of a lifetime. On his way, he meets the tomboyish Marle, the man-frog named Frog, the robot named Robo, the prehistoric woman Ayla, and the nemesis Magus. All provide insight and aid during your quest, showing you their simple, yet admirable traits.

As you progress, you learn of the Day of Lavos. The day when a venomous creature arose from the center of the earth spelling doomday for all. In order to counter this menace, Crono and his friends struggle against time to pinpoint the parasites arrival. In doing so they encounter many strange creatures and fearsome beasts. And as you progress, you'll find each characters story unfold. Diving deeper into each character, all revolving around the quest. And not just the main characters either, along the way you'll find that nearly everyone in this game has a solid base. Whether your in an advance society where most have a conflicting 'high-and-mighty' attitude, or your visiting a humble family in the middle ages.

On a personal level, I can't get enough. It's like a trip to the fair, filled with strange reptiles, gargantuan robots, odd frog-men, iron-clad knights, and more! You'll see more, and fight more in this game then most titles out there! A role-playing roller-coaster ride that will tug on your heartstrings and put a smile on your face. That's what a good story does.

Gameplay
In order to discuss Gameplay, I need to discuss several things beginning with battle. Fighting isn't the ordinary turn-based combat you know from Final Fantasy. While still being turn-based, the enemies are placed around the map. What does this mean? No random encounters. You can see the enemy, ergo can maneuver to avoid it. Granted, this doesn't work all the time.

What makes this physical layout interesting is that it grants the player to ability to gage their attacks depending on where the enemy is located. A perfect example of this would be Crono's first Tech Cyclone. A Tech being shorthand for technique. The attack Cyclone, allows Crono to attack an enemy with a spinning attack similar to an actual cyclone. The benefit of this attack is that it hits other enemies who are close to the one you're targeting. In other words, Cyclone hits nearby enemies! Throughout the game you're characters will gain new and different attacks that take advantage of this rule.

At one point, you acquire the ability to cast spells. This means your characters will gain attacks like Fire, Lightening, Ice, and Shadow. Each spell has it's own element, and certain enemies are weak to certain elements. Most enemies, as you'll find, are simply weak to magic in general. Which crosses over to my next point, strategy.

Basic rules apply with most enemies. Some are weak to certain things, while others aren't. As you progress, you'll have to approach each foe with care. Before a dungeon, you may get a clever hint from a villager or whoever on an enemies weakness. Say for example, that certain enemies are only vulnerable to a certain element like Fire, or Water (Ice), or Lightening, or Shadow. Don't delve too deep into this though, as most foes can be beaten by simple physical attacks. Maybe even stronger attacks like Double and Triple Techs!

By now you have a good idea what Techs are. Now what about Double and Triple Techs? Say, you're at the start of a battle, and Crono and Lucca's turn comes up. At the same time, using both their turns, they can combine each of their techniques and make a Double Tech. Crono's Cleaver and Lucca's Fire become Fire Sword which deals Fire damage to an enemy. The benefit of Double and Triple Techs is that they deal more damage to an enemy then single Techs alone. Triple Techs are executed with an extra party member for an even greater amount. This adds a higher level of strategy to a fight as Techs can't be executed if the party member involved is under a status ailment (like Confused or Sleep.)

With battle so alive the dungeons must be dull, right? Wrong. Never have I journeyed through such an interactive environment. The scheme for dungeons are simple at times, while outwardly appearing complex. You'll be required to de-scramble passwords, push combinations of buttons in unison, and chase rodents. It'll give the Legend of Zelda a run for their money!

As for the actual environment, don't expect some darkly chasm or spooky castle (at least not much.) The portals of time provide a variety of dungeons, to abandoned futuristic domes to ancient prehistoric jungles! Rewarding? You bet, sure there are treasure chests but there are out of way places that hold different rewards. Monsters that give extra experience or TP (for learning Techs) or special items. These hold especially true for monsters like Nu, a timeless creature seen throughout the game.

I wished the dungeons were longer. That is my only concern. And this is coming from a guy who hates dungeon crawling. Also, at times, going to places seemed a little tedious and out of way. It was sort of like, they were attempting to prolong the short story. And it is. Gameplay for a veteran like me took eighteen hours. Beginners may squeeze an extra ten hours out it via side-quests.

About side-quests. You know they're the hallmark of an RPG. Towards the end of the game there are at least seven side-quests available for you to undertake. These shed more light on the surroundings of each character while at the same time sport some their best equipment. Win-win!

I have something serious to talk about now. The Arena of Ages. A place outside time and unavailable in the original SNES version or PSX remake. The Arena of Ages allows you to raise a monster (with the element of your choice) as your own. It's similar to Pokemon or Dragon Quest Monsters. Before I go any further, I got to tell you, this part is tedious. If you're in to 'raising' a monster then you may enjoy it. When raising a monster, you send it a certain time period with a certain item. The time period dictates what stats are increased and maybe what the monster 'class changes' into. While the item also helps raise stats, depending on what you give it, it will learn Techs as well. Training usually occurs in ten minute intervals and is meant to be passed by doing the story. Eventually you run out of story (at least I did.) Towards end-game you end up monitoring your little creature; waiting for those ten minutes to pass by.

The Arena isn't all doom and gloom though. In fact, there's a silver lining. After all, there is a reason why it's called the “Arena.” Yes, you get to pit your monster against other monsters. How does this work? While you don't control the monster directly, you can aid it with items. Items like Slop to heal itself and Luxwing to enable it's Light Techs. With the proper strategy, it's possible to topple stronger enemies. It all rests on what stats you boosted with your monster. Prizes include hard-to-acquire varieties and even some exclusive ones like Nu Arcana. Bottom line, its worth it. My only complaint is the wait your forced to go through. Otherwise, the Arena is a neat addition to an already outstanding game!

Now we've reached the end of the game. Now what? Do we pick up a leave? Heck no! An option appears, New Game +. You may know what this is, a mode that allows you to keep all your items and levels. You'll be able to cruise the story once more, making good use of all you acquired last time. However this brings up my biggest concern. Lack of Hard Mode. Tis true! Chrono Trigger is without adjustable difficulty! Something I wanted bad with this port but the developers left it out. Without Hard Mode, the player decimates all that stand their way come New Game +. I'm disappointed.

Fun fact about New Game +, you can challenge the final boss at any time! Wicked huh? Depending on when you decide to beat it, unlocks a different ending! With over ten different endings whose complaining now? It's possible to merely get to a point, save it, beat the final boss, see the ending, and go back to your original save. That way you unlock the ending without having to start over!

Wrapping up gameplay, there is only one thing I have to ask you. Why aren't you playing this game yet? With an amazing battle system, vibrant dungeons, series side-quests and more, why haven't you picked up a copy yet?

Graphics & Sound
I have little to say concerning this section. As the both are true to the original soundtrack. These epic songs enchant us, and elicit emotions unlike any other game. When a tender, sad scene occurs, a tune that makes you feel some of their pain plays. It's not a “sad” song, but one that enables you to feel so. That's what most soundtracks are missing nowadays; songs that tell you what to feel, rather then trying to convince you. I'm apologize this doesn't make sense. This is how I see it.

As for graphics, they are a little above the sprites we would see in SNES titles like Final Fantasy III (now VI.) While not completely graphic, we at least see the characters expressions, whether it be laughter, surprise, or confusion. The battle stance of them and their foes. In fact, there are some moments when the sprites are quite massive! Though, I won't give anything away, they do astound and give off a surreal effect.

You may also notice that the way the characters are drawn is similar to that of Dragon Ball Z. This is because they're done by the same artist Akira Toriyama. His legendary artwork is also the base for most characters in Square-Enix's own Dragon Quest series. Why do I bring this up? Because the artist did a superb job rendering the characters. Their portraits and expressions.

You'll notice his work on the FMV sequences the most. Without interfering with the game, you'll see sequences not included in the original. Spaced between the storyline like wedges of cake. And I love cake! Most contain spoilers, so all I should tell you is that they are available in the Extras menu on the main menu.

For a fan of the generation, I was hoping for a complete remake. Like the titles Final Fantasy III and IV did. It's nearly identical to the original version, while there's nothing wrong with it, I was hoping for more.

The Good
+ Spectacular storyline.
+ Unique and innovative battle system.
+ Vibrant and interactive Dungeons.
+ Moderate length of eighteen to twenty-five hours.
+ New Game + allows you to play the adventure all over again.
+ Arena of Time allows you to raise a monster and compete for prizes.
+ Several entertaining side-quests.
+ New FMV sequences.
+ Emotional soundtrack.
+ Several unlockable endings, and even more not included in the original!
+ New Dungeon Lost Sanctum and Dimensional Vortex!

The Arguments
-- Lack of Hard Mode.
-- Short dungeons.
-- Arena of Ages can be tedious.
-- Offers little to returning veterans of the SNES generation.

Overall
Without a doubt, one of the best role-playing of the SNES generation, perhaps of all time. It's the little things about this game, things I'm unable to describe, that make this game what it is. So what are you waiting for? The wings of time are calling you. The portals are opening and time is being stretched. So help. Help Crono and gang defeat the creature Lavos and save the future! Because it belongs to us!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/08

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