Chrono Trigger - Review

It's Time!

By: Dan Highwind

Review Breakdown
Battle System	9
Interface	10
Music/Sound	10
Originality	9
Plot	10
Localization	10
Replay Value	9
Visuals	10
Difficulty	Easy
Time to Complete	15-45 Hours
Overall
Criteria

   When I think about Chrono Trigger one thing comes to mind. That thing being the word perfection. Perfection is the only way to describe such a game. Chrono Trigger is a time traveling aventure made by SquareSoft's "dream team" back in 1995. The question on everyone's mind at that point was "Can Chrono Trigger possibly be better than Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan)?" When people first dove into this game their answers were an overwhelming yes! Chrono Trigger in my opinion is the best game ever.

   Chrono Trigger's battle system is superb in design and practice. Each and every battle flows smoothly thanks simple menu navigation ala Final Fantasy. The battles also include Active Time Battle meters which mean that when a character's bar fills up completely, after a short period of time, that he/she will be able to take action in battle. Another aspect of battle that really shines is the Tech system. Tech is short for technique, each character has their own set of Techs that can produce large amounts of damage. Characters can also team up and perform double and triple Techs! These are probably some of the most visually, and devistatingly spectacular attacks you'll see on a Super NES. Now don't think you can win a battle just by using Techs. Techs are just like magic spells (Techs and magic are on the same sub menu), the more you use it the lower your MP gets. Don't worry though, the battles really don't require a lot of heavy magical damage on your part, for the most part battles are fun, easy, and avoidable. Enemies appear on screen and therefore can be avoided if you can time your controls correctly. Chrono Trigger's battles are a blast!

Like a birdie in the sky up so high!

   Chrono Trigger's interface is top-notch. Easy menu navigation make selecting characters a breeze. Menu navigation is also heightened when you purchase weapons and armor, when you're on the shop menu you can equip the weapons you just bought onto the character of your choice, without having to go back into the main menu and equip them from there. Talk about easy! Also the game has a steady pace that can't be matched up by any RPG out there. You can be in the Middle Ages battling an evil magician, and then twenty or so minutes later, be battling an evil lizard in the prehistoric era. Even though the game has a fast pace the story can keep up. You can't beat this game's interface!

   Music is Chrono Trigger's major shinning point! I think most people who have played Chrono Trigger will agree with me that the music heard in this game can't be matched. The music encompasses a variety of different musical styles. There are many varieties of the main theme of the game, and there are unique themes for each character. Not to mention that all of the songs give the player a sense of emotion that can usually never be reached by normal means, without the help of music. The sounds are excellent too. For a Super NES game these sounds almost seem up to par with early PSX games! They are accurate, and don't get too annoying. The best sound effect in the whole game is probably the kitten :). Anyway, extremely good sound factor.

   Chrono Trigger is probably the most original RPG that you'll ever pick up! The plot is extremely original, and offers a lot of variety. The gameplay is superb, being able to perform double team actions in battle really helps out the originality. Don't forget about the fact that all the characters have an interesting background that you'll want to learn about as soon as you can. You'll really be amazed by this game's originality.

Is he dead yet?

   The plot of Chrono Trigger is incredible! As stated earlier in my review, Chrono Trigger is a time traveling adventure. Therefore the game doesn't necessarily take place in any one time period. Chrono Trigger has about five or so different time periods that can help to advance the story for you. For the most part, the world is low tech and is slightly medievil, unless you're in the future. Anyway, the story is non-linear and allows you to experience over twelve different endings! A feature that can help you experience all of these is the New Game+ feature. New Game+ is a feature that allows you to start a new game with all your data from a previous game, after you've played through the game at least once. This is how you'll be able to experience each ending with little to no effort!

   Chrono Trigger has incredibly good localization. Each character has his/her own accent catered to the time period in which he/she lives. There are no grammatical errors that I could find. Square should use Chrono Trigger as an example of how great all their titles should be localized when their games are hitting the localization process.

   Chrono Trigger is probably the only RPG that can be played multiple times without having the player get bored! The story line is so interesting, and there are so many endings that you'll find yourself playing this game for months. The New Game+ feature is what really helps out the replay. As stated earlier, you'll be able to start a new game with data from a previous game that you've already finished. This will help you to easily make it through Chrono Trigger multiple times so you can view all the endings. So many endings so little time.

Magus' Lair

Chrono Trigger is one Super NES game with attitude! The graphics in this game are incredible. The spell effects are some of the best ever seen in any Super NES game. The graphics are crisp, clean and clear. Each character also has many different features that set them a part from others on the world map. If you wait a few seconds, they'll do a little animation showing that they're getting impatient, a neat little touch I think. While you play through Chrono Trigger, you're bound to say, "I can't believe my eyes!" Trust me, you'll have to, these graphics are that good!

Chrono Trigger is an extremely easy game. Most of the boss battles offer little to no challenge what-so-ever. I think that an easy game is a good thing though. Even though you lose some strategic planning, you can still advance the story with little to no interuptions from a bad battle. Chrono Trigger could still use a little more difficulty though.

Chrono Trigger is an all around excellent RPG. It has been said to be the very best, and I tend to agree. You'll be blown completely away by the story, graphics and music. Once you've played Chrono Trigger once, you'll never want to stop. If you own a Super NES make sure you buy this game, no matter what the cost is!