Retro Review - Chrono Trigger
Updated
Editor’s note: I originally authored and published the below post on a now defunct site called “The Cool Ship,” where it ran on January 8, 2012. Enjoy this reprised content!
I just had one of the most fulfilling and despairing experiences of my life, I beat the Japanese RPG Chrono Trigger for the first time. I beat it only to discover that there are 13 different endings, only one of which I unlocked. This is normally good news, but I got Skyrim for Christmas. I need to play Skyrim!
Summary
Chrono Trigger fulfills almost every requirement I have for an RPG and it plays better than hundreds of titles that have been made since. I like it more than Final Fantasy I & II, the only games of that series that I have played (please don’t garrote me with a dragon bow string). It has always been an example in my mind of how a game can combine all the best attributes of fun into an experience without losing the necessary components of dungeon crawling and leveling up. That’s gamer speak for saying the game missions are varied and unique and the character’s progression through the game doesn’t feel like a job.
So why am I despairing? It took about 40 hours to beat the game, and to go back and unlock additional endings might add 10 hours to that. If I had neglected to play over Christmas break, I might never have finished this game. That would be a shame, this game is worth every minute. Here are a few reasons why.
The story is woven into every moment of the game. Whether you’re fighting a minion or facing the clumsy Ozzie monster, you always know how your actions are part of the greater story. You learn early on that the entire world is imperiled by Lavos, so you (Chrono) seek to gain more power to defeat him and save your planet from destruction. Along the way you meet quirky companions who pledge their assistance to you and eventually become great friends and allies.
The combat doesn’t get boring. My gosh, some RPG’s could take note from this game. Pay attention to the following few lines if you play World of Warcraft. Chrono Trigger allows for smooth, linear character progression from puny kid to invincible hero, but the process is never boring. Tired of the same dungeons and randomly triggered battle events? Try this game.
You still need more reasons why this game knocks your socks off, then washes, rinses and dries them? Fine. I loved playing because the game would reward my efforts with more powerful items and spells as I beat harder and scarier bosses or quests. I don’t think I’m saying this right. Ok, you know when you’re playing a game and you beat something, then you say out loud for no one to hear, “Oh my gosh did that just happen?” Somehow Chrono Trigger managed to make me say that a lot, as if the designers knew they had to keep upping the ante.
The nostalgic perspective
I played Chrono Trigger for the first time in 2005 when I was looking through my list of games trying to find something to play. I didn’t even know what it was, can you believe that? How naive could I be? I was so impressed on my first try that I never stopped playing until I ran into a game bug and got stuck in 65,000,000 B.C. That was heart breaking enough to distract me from starting over.
Fortunately this game is all about time travel, from the start of civilization to the distant future of 2300 A.D. When I picked the game up again in 2011, it was like no time had passed at all. I just stepped through a dimensional time gate and zap! I’m back in the game.
Probably my favorite memory from the first time I played was the combat. It’s a real time combat system that allows up to three companions to perform mega spells, instead of each character performing their own dinky spells like fire or ice. Mega spells make you feel cool, and they do a ton and a half of damage.
The now perspective
I was afraid that I would start playing and I would get stuck and need a walkthrough to complete the main quest storyline. Final Fantasy games are horrible in that regard. I shouldn’t have worried though, I got to the end of the game without once getting stuck on anything for more than 30 minutes. I did get stuck on side quests, but since those aren’t necessary for beating the game, I don’t consider that a negative.
I should also mention that there is humor scattered throughout the dialogue. I’ll spoil one instance for you. You end up walking directly on the roof of a giant flying ship, and the evil captain sends his pet monster to kill you amidst the danger of falling thousands of feet to the earth. The monster looms, and you fire off the first few spells, hoping to weaken it. He begins counting down, 5..4..3..2..1..building up energy for a massive, life ending strike. Fear wells up in your throat as he gets to zero and he says, “I can’t do it, I’m afraid of heights!”
Final thoughts
I could write an entire second review about all the symbolism within the game and all the different aspects that make this game unique, but you’ve already fallen asleep. Let me just recommend that you put this game on your bucket list, and if you have kids, let them play it too.
Buy the DS version for two reasons, one, the DS is super cheap, and two, the game has extra features that actually matter. Now that I’ve clearly shown how this is the best game Square Enix ever made, I open the floor to you to tell me how you think I’m wrong.
Let the flaming begin.