Chrono Trigger

"It was a great game then, and it's still a great game now."

Porting a game from an older generation is a tricky wire for a gaming company to walk across: it can either successfully capture the magic and charm of the era from whence it came, or it can feel stale and far too old and gone for it to be enjoyable in this day and age. Twenty-five hours into the game, I can certainly say that it's not the latter. While I certainly don't find some of the new features very captivating, the game is every bit as fun and enjoyable as it was years ago, and akin to its plot, it withstands the test of time that others have failed to endure.

For players who have played its previous incarnations on the Super Nintendo and the Playstation, you will find that it takes the best of both releases and throws in a few touches that make use of the Nintendo DS's two screens. From a visual perspective, the game's levels and character design remain virtually untouched. One would think that 16-bit graphics would look out of place on a modern-day console but they look clean and crisp on the DS. If anything, the graphics are comparable to that of Megaman ZX, if just slightly darker. The only prominent signs of age are in the spell animations, which mimics the SNES's Mode-7 graphics as opposed to the 3D effects that many 2D-based games use today.

You will also notice that Square-Enix integrated video clips that were included in the Playstation release. These cutscenes have some noticeable pixels--and I can't tell whether it's due to the video compression or the age of the clips themselves--but it's not so severe that it looks like a cheap, low-grade mpeg. While they do little more than reiterate events that occur as you play, it's a nice act of fan-service for gamers that played it on the PS1. For those of you who are fans of Dragonball Z or Blue Dragon, you will notice that Akira Toriyama's unique style of art is very prominent in these video clips.

One major feature that's exclusive to this release is the game's use of the two screens. Unlike previous releases in which everything occurred on one screen, the game's user interface is predominantly on the bottom screen while all of the action occurs on the top screen. All of your data is conveniently positioned on the bottom half, with which you can use your stylus to sift through the menus, though the traditional D-pad works just as well. If anything, the D-pad is the better choice simply because you don't have to have the stylus clutched in one hand the entire time.

As a result of having all of your menu options on the bottom screen, the top screen ends up being neat and clutter-free, save for combat text and dialog boxes. Because you can continually walk while talking to most NPCs, you would think that a large dialog box could get in your way but I can't recall any moment in the game where that was a problem. In fact, most of the heavy dialog is found in areas that don't have any hazardous obstacles such as pits and hidden monsters.

The gameplay itself has remained virtually untouched as well but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Battles use the typical time-based combat system that became a staple to the Final Fantasy franchise during the 16-bit era but what set Chrono Trigger apart was its use of Dual- and Triple-Techs, which used character combos to produce hard-hitting spells and techniques, many of which were dazzling to watch back in the 90's. While they've lost a significant bit of luster since then, they still look good today, and the concept of double- and triple-teaming your targets for high numbers is still a fun part of the battle system.

Outside of battles, the bottom screen features a very handy map of your current location, which makes exploration much easier than ever before. While Chrono Trigger's locales were never really complex to begin with, having a map available at all times makes it easy to backtrack through different parts of a dungeon, and having key locations dotted on the world map makes traveling a lot easier.

The story and plot development is also still as solid as ever. It's fairly linear for most of the game but once you reach a certain point, the side quests and multiple endings give you a lot more room to explore. The story is now actually easier to understand, thanks to the rewritten dialog. When the game was first localized on the SNES, the script was limited by technical limitations and P.R. restrictions, but with both of these obstacles lifted, Square-Enix was free to flesh out the script, and it shows. The dialog definitely flows better than I last recall. A few of the quips from back in the day such as Frog's Old-English accent are noticeably gone but the resulting clarity in the script is a fair trade-off.

The audio, like the visuals, is untouched but is also very clear and crisp, unlike the PS1 port which suffered from a low-quality audio output that made it seem like it were muffled by pillows. As an added touch, the game makes great use of directional sound through the DS's stereo speakers, likewise with headphones. A few of the audio effects that were impressive in the 16-bit era--such as Ozzie's digitized laughter--sound dated by today's standards but for gamers that grew up with a SNES, those little quips are nostalgic gems that are better left alone. The compelling soundtrack is also still just as powerful today as it was years ago. Squaresoft knew how to compose memorable scores, and even in its 16-bit rendition, Chrono Trigger's music creates an astounding atmosphere as you travel from one place to another.

While the core gameplay is still just as good as ever, I can't say the same about some of the new content, which include some new dungeons and an arena system. Just as in Square-Enix's other ports, the new dungeons can reward you with some very powerful items but the items that you receive from the original side quests make your characters feel powerful enough that there isn't really a strong incentive to visit them, though there is one dungeon in particular that leads the way to a new--but very familiar--boss and a new ending. That and the difficulty level of the monsters in these dungeons are set to such an extreme that after a while, the fun quickly dies down.

The arena system is also very unpleasing. You are given the chance to raise a monster and have it duel against other monsters a la Pokemon. You can even set up wireless arena battles against other players. While this sounds like an interesting concept, it doesn't work well for this particular game because of how quickly the story moves. Oftentimes, I found myself wanting to advance the story and level my characters rather than sit around and raise my monster. If anything, this new arena system is a tedious and boring time sink, one that I can do without.

While this game remains more or less the same from its previous releases, there is little else that you can add to this game to make it any better than it already is. It was a good game then, and it's still a good game now. Whether or not you've played the game in previous years, it's a worthy purchase for anyone looking for a good role-playing game.

Breakdown of Scores
Gameplay: 9/10
Audio: 9/10
Controls: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Difficulty: Normal
Replay Value: Moderately High

High Points: Still a great game by today's standards; interesting new ending.
Low Points: New dungeons are okay but not great; arena is not interesting.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/08

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