Chrono Trigger

"Classic reborn or ancient relic?"

It seemed like it would never happen, but that time has finally come. Square-Enix has released Chrono Trigger on a Nintendo console once again. After years of being one of the top games that game critics and gamers alike have wanted to see be released again, it has happened. Not only have the original narrative and game play remained intact, so have the graphics and audio. Now when this game was released at the end of the Super Nintendo's life cycle in 1995, it was quickly lauded as one of the greatest games ever. This was the marriage of the greatest JRPG game designers of all time, Hironobu Sakaguchi of Final Fantasy fame, Yuji Horii of Dragon Quest, famed character designer Akira Toriyama from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Quest and music composer Nobuo Uematsu, known because of his work on Final Fantasy. CT was the magnum opus of all JRPGs. So, in the interest of fairness to the original and to this release, I will present you with two scores in each section, a 1995 score for when the game was originally released and compared to the competition at that time and a 2008 score, as if this game were being released for the first time right now. So let the mud-slinging begin!

Visual: 1995: 9/10; 2008: 6/10
Back on the Super Nintendo, few games could surpass the graphical prowess of this beast. From the fantastic character design and wonderful backgrounds to the amazing amount of detail in the enemies, who look suspiciously like they are from the DBZ world, and the different locations on the world map, the look of this game is unique and top notch. While games like Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy III and Super Mario World, as well as a few others, were better looking, CT still had great graphics. If this game were released as brand new in 2008, so many critics would be chastising Square-Enix for their sloppy lack of refinement, saying perhaps, that this game could have and probably should have been, released on the GBA rather than the DS. I mean compared to other games on the DS, CT's sprites are blocky, the backgrounds are sparse and not very detailed at all, especially on the world map. Only the cut scenes and a few minor scenes look like they even belong on the DS. Unfortunately as a current release, CT would be lambasted as an eyesore. I think this game should have been the GBA's swansong, instead of being released for the DS, but that may have meant dropping the cut scenes, which really flesh out the whole story. So maybe it is for the better that CT is on the DS.

Audio: 1995: 10/10; 2008: 8/10
While the graphics side of CT may have suffered the worst from 1995 to 2008, the audio didn't fare much better. Back on the SNES, the music was epic and immersive. It gave a sense of depth that the graphics alone could not convey. It was as good, if not better than it's contemporary cousins, Final Fantasy II and III as well as Super Mario World and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Every piece drew the gamer into the situation, from the lighthearted Millennial Fair, to the grim apocalyptical future. Boss music was amazing and gave you a sense of urgency, hitting it's highest points in battles verses Magus early in the game and finishing with a fantastic ending score during the battle with Lavos. Now with that said, many games on the DS have topped CT in it's musical endeavors. The 16 bit music present on CT does not measure up to the smoother sounding games on the DS. All three of the DS Castlevania games surpass CT, as well as the two Luminous Arc games and several others. Again, if CT was being released now as a new IP, we would be saying that this was not Uematsu's greatest work. While the game still hits it highs, it is still just 16 bit music, again better suited for the GBA.

Game play: 1995: 10/10; 2008: 10/10
So the graphics and audio have not aged very well, but that really is to be expected considering it has been 13 years since the original, but how is the game play? Well in a word, fantastic. Just like in 1995, the active time battle (or ATB) system keeps the game moving at a quick pace. Every once in a while you have to be patient and wait for your next move, but that is mostly during early battles and boss battles, but other than those times, battles are easy to get through and rarely a nuisance. Another thing that keeps the game play so good, is the fact that there are no random battles, flashing screens or battle intro to interrupt exploration and traveling. The enemies are right on the screen, and in most cases, easy to avoid. If you don't want to fight that goblin kicking that roundillo to the other goblin, don't. Now, there are some planned ambushes that are unavoidable and can be a bit annoying when you have to do the inevitable back-tracking that is required in most RPGs, but like I said before, the ATB makes it quick and easy to finish off the baddies and move on, especially when you are close to the end of the game. The battles are even played out in the same view as the game proper, no static background resembling your location, instead it is exactly where you stand in the game. If CT was released today, while it's battle system would be labeled a copycat, it is still a great battle system. The character's Tech's also lend some freshness to the game as well. Yes I realize that in every RPG there is some sort of magic system, however, even now, very few have the ability to combine multiple character's "magic" together for new, more powerful spells, but that is exactly what CT had over a decade ago.

Narrative/Premise: 1995: 10/10; 2008: 9/10
CT's story is the best part of the game, and was better than nearly all of it's contemporaries when it was originally released. A silent protagonist and his chatty buddies go on a time trekking adventure, and change things forever. The characters are likable and every one of them are deep and engaging, even the stand-offish defector, that is if you decide to take him along. Era by era and after many interactions with both playable characters and npcs, the story starts to weave together, intertwining the destiny's of all our protagonists. All of the scenarios and trouble our hero's get into seem (relatively) realistic for their current time and location. The game covers all the way from the age of dinosaurs to the desolate future. Every era has it's own feel and distinct look. Every action you take changes things one way or another in another time. Defeat an enemy in a certain era, the descendents of the people from that era still celebrate your victory, centuries later. Even little "good deeds" that you perform in the past can have lasting and sometimes drastic effects when you return to the present, sometimes resulting in changes in scenery and other times resulting in changes in attitude of certain NPCs. Even though the core element of this game stays intact and is enjoyable, 1 point is deducted because the main part of the story is fairly short, much shorter than that of current games. Although side quests and new dungeons add to the length and experience, the main quest still remains relatively short.

Replay: 1995: 10/10; 2008: 10/10
Despite being released over a decade ago, this game still has immense replay value. There are over a dozen different endings, each with their own set of circumstances that must be met in order to obtain them. Added features, such as the beastiary and item index, give you more reason and desire to go back and play the game again and again. Not even current games this side of some major home console releases, such as Fable, Knights of the Old Republic, Star Ocean and Radiata Stories, among others, can boast that many endings. One could almost count on one hand the number of DS or SNES games that have multiple endings or this much replay value.

Tilt: 1995: 10/10; 2008: 10/10
Just like when it was first released, CT is as easy to play now as it was back in '95. The menus are simple and straight forward. Shop menus give you the freedom to buy new armor or weapons and equip it straight away, without exiting to the game screen before entering the main menu, making it extremely easy to buy, equip and sell what you need. Really, I think more games should implement this in their shop menus (thank you Luminous Arc 2). One new feature that the DS version has over the original is the ability to move the menus and health bars that clutter up the main screen, to the bottom screen, making them easier to use and the action easier to see.

Conclusion:
While the game compares more favorably against it's 1995 competition, it still does very well against it's 2008 competition as well. True the graphics are not as good as they could have been if CT had been given the same 3D treatment that FF III or IV were given, but all the things that really made CT worth playing, are still there. From the wonderful story line and it's colorful characters, to it's extraordinary boss battles and multiple endings, CT really does have it all.

Final Rating: 1995: 10/10; 2008: 10/10
Yes, you read that 2008 rating correctly. "But you gave it a bad graphics and audio score, how can you still give it a 10?" Because I want to. I am not a graphics freak, I don't think that graphics are what make a game great. Graphics, to me, are just like icing on a cake. If you get a great-looking, professionally decorated cake that tastes horrible, it still sucks, even though it looked good. And vice versa, a homemade cake can look pretty shoddy and still be the best cake you ever had. That is how I feel about CT.

Rent/Buy
If you have other copies of this game that you would rather play, then don't even think about this version. If you have never had the chance to play Chrono Trigger before, please go get this as soon as possible. I promise you will not be disappointed. If you have other copies of this game that sit at home collecting dust while you are elsewhere with your DS, wanting to play it, buy this game immediately. It is just like those versions sitting at home, but better, it is there with you, all the time!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

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