Chrono Trigger Review

Okay, today’s review is gonna be big. I mean, we’re talking about one of the two best RPGs to come off the Super Ninetendo. Are you curious what the other one is? Well, you’ll have to wait a good while, because I’m not reviewing that game so soon after Chrono Trigger! Oh, I’m so happy they re-released this game as part of Final Fantasy Chronicles. Never mind the added cut scenes (though those are nice) this game is a ton of fun. Without further ado, Chrono Trigger.

The story starts with Chrono, typical silent protagonist, going to the fair. There, his friend Lucca’s newest machine sends him into the past, where he learns many secrets affecting the future of his world. To save the world from its current future, he has to change events in the past, and entirely remove something from the world. Something big. This summary doesn’t really do the plot justice, because every time you think you’ve got things figured out there’s a new twist. Some of them you’ll see coming, some will be genuinely surprising. My plot summary is vague precisely so that I don’t inadvertently spoil the plot for anyone. Ultimately, I think Chrono Trigger’s plot is one of the few truly original plots for an RPG.

The characters you meet in the game are mostly pretty cool. Chrono’s a bit bland, but Marle is a refreshingly robust tomboy princess, and Robo the robot is remarkably likeable. But Frog, the human knight turned amphibian, is probably my favorite of the non-secret characters. There’s a secret character, but don’t worry, it’s pretty hard to miss getting them.

Part of what makes the characters fun is the way in which they can perform special attacks together. Each character has their own set of special attacks, which they gain by reaching a certain level. Some of these techs can be combined with other characters’ special attacks to form double and even triple techs. It’s not too outrageous to say that mastering the appropriate use of techs is the key to beating the game. It certainly makes party selection vitally important. For example, two of the main physical attackers, Frog and Ayla, have a double tech that restores lots of hp, making them great healers. Anyhow, when you’re walking around in a dungeon, you can usually see the enemies coming, and sometimes avoid them. However, there’s times when you’ll get ambushed at a certain spot, so you can’t avoid all battles. Still, it’s a refreshing change from random battles. Also, in battles, there’s some interesting dynamics. Some monsters will attack or eat other monsters, rewarding you for observing your enemies and deciding, “No, I’m not going to attack you until you’ve eaten all of them.”

Replay value? Chrono Trigger defined replay value for RPGs. The New Game + feature was absolutely revolutionary when it came out, and has become a trend for games that want serious replay value. But did it really work for Chrono Trigger, or was it an idea ahead of its time? Well, there’s a lot going for Chrono Trigger. The multiple endings to the game give a pretty good reason to play things through another time, and add a little bit of a puzzle element to the game. It’s tough to figure out how to trigger some of the endings. It’s nice that the game saves them for you, and saves your stats, so that you can focus on blasting through the game rather than power leveling or anything. Heck, you can even try out different combinations of characters, though with story mandated pairings that you’ll have to work with at various points, there’s not many that you’ll never have tried before. So, yeah, the New Game + system worked pretty well for Chrono Trigger, all told. I’ll give it a “Play it normally once, and then New Game + until you can beat Lavos with just Chrono.”

Well, gosh, already to the rating? Time flies. Chrono Trigger is an older game, which does tend to mean a little bit of a shorter playtime. It’s not unreasonable to expect 30 hours or less to a playthrough, and new game+s are even faster. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just that Chrono Trigger will likely leave you faster than you might like. Then again, there is some good stuff in further replays. I think that I’d give this game a 9.1 out of 10. It’s a great game, and there’s a lot going for it, but it feels a little too short for my liking. I don’t know why, I’ve played shorter games, but this one feels like it should be longer. Not like there’s a lack of sidequests either. Oh well.

Quick Tip: If you encounter sealed chests in the past, examine them, but don’t open them! You’ll get a better item if you open the same chest in the future. After you’ve done that, you might head back to the past for the goodies.

Fun Fact: Ozzie, Flea, and Slash are all named after musicians, from the bands Black Sabbath, Guns N Roses, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, respectively. And Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, did the character designs for this game. Really, you should know these already. There’s another fun one. Listen to Robo's Theme ("instrumental"). Now listen to "Robo's Theme". Yes. That’s right. They Rick Rolled people years before it was popular. They must be able to travel through TIME! (Or perhaps they just sound kinda similar, happens all the time. Oh well.)

If you liked this game, you might want to try one of these games. Chrono Cross, so long as you think of it as a completely separate game, has a few cameos and some similar battle elements. Breath of Fire III has a lot of the interesting monster dynamics type things. Suikoden also has a bunch of characters who have combination attacks, though most only have one or two at most.