Chrono Trigger
Release Date: 03/11/1995 Japan, 08/22/1995 North America
Platforms: SNES, Playstation 1, Android, Apple Store (IOS), Nintendo DS, Steam,
Developer: Squaresoft
Publisher: Squaresoft
Genre: JRPG
Prep: There are few ways to purchase it. I found a helpful website that compares the different versions for the pros and cons.
Pre-Game: by MsMoon
Frequently hailed as one of the best JRPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger was brought to life through a unique, collaborative effort by a group of developers known as the “Dream Team.” Some of the most notable names in the genre at that time included Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of FF), Yuji Horii (creator of Dragon Quest) and Akira Toriyama (creator of the Dragon Ball series). Others involved were Yoshinori Kitase as one of the Directors, Yasunori Mitusda as first-time composer along with FF series composer Nobuo Uematsu who contributed 10 tracks. Even Tetsuya Nomura assisted with Field Graphics.
First Encounter
I discovered Chrono Trigger on one fateful day at my local rental store in 1995. The cool logo design along with Akira’s signature art style depicting a battle scene on the box art, it immediately jumped out to me and my older brother. From then on this, along with FFVI, became some of my earliest experiences with JRPGs and with it, compelling storytelling in games. The music, characters, and world building started a lifelong love affair with this genre that has influenced tremendously.
Story
It’s a simple premise; a demonstration of a teleporter at a local fair goes wrong, causing Crono, Lucca, and Marle to discover the ability to time travel. Along the way, they learn about a global catastrophe hundreds of years into the future that will end their world as they know it unless they can change history. This and Chrono Cross, have to be some of my favorite storylines about the concept of time travel. It has often had me thinking about the bittersweet nature of time on a few occasions in my life and how much about and around you could change just by making a different choice, even down to the smallest ones if you had the ability to do it. What’s so awesome about Chrono Trigger is that you feel the weight of a lot those outcomes. Stories like these can get lost in their own writing with difficulties keeping various plot points consistent and with threads that don’t ultimately tie together in the end but Chrono Trigger for me is one of the exceptions. It felt like it had purpose and payoff. There’s a lot more I want to mention but you know…spoilers haha
The one cool thing I will mention is that there are 13 unique endings. They can be achieved by defeating the final boss at different points in the game or with different conditions during the final battle. They’re accessible in New Game+ after the first playthrough. I recommend looking up those endings on Youtube if you want to check them out!
Battle System
The battle system is your classic turn-based where you control three characters at a time. One of the fun aspects is the dual/triple tech attacks you can do with your party in different combinations. It’s a nice initiative to experiment and use different party combinations. Another notable feature is that enemy encounters are openly visible on field maps or lie in wait to ambush the party. Contact with enemies on a field map initiates a battle that occurs directly on the map rather than on a separate battle screen.
Conclusion
I haven’t played Chrono Trigger in a number of years so I’m very excited for this month’s EXP Monthly to revisit it with others and get their perspectives. Is it still the JRPG classic I consider it to be down to this day or an aged, nostalgic relic of the past? Only time will tell... -MsMoon
