Pros:
+A very well done storyline
+A good battle system
+Several sidequests to undertake
+Some new content to experience
+Lots of replay value
Cons:
-There's a good amount of new content but it might not be worthwhile to those who've already experienced Chrono Trigger before; likewise, there's no improvement in the visuals... this may or may not please some gamers
In 1995 Square released Chrono Trigger. A game commonly hailed as one of the greatest games of all time. In the years following it became one of the most highly sought after Super Nintendo games of all time. The game saw a rerelease on the Playstation in 2001 along with Final Fantasy IV in the Final Fantasy Chronicles package. This marks the third time Chrono Trigger has seen a release since it first debuted. The game has aged very well but some gamers may find there needs to be more of an update.
Chrono Trigger has a well known story but it never hurts to go over it for some who may not have played this gem. In the year 1000 AD, the Kingdom of Guardia has the Millennial Fair. You play as Crono, who goes to the fair and bumps into a girl named Marle. After wandering the fair with her for a while, Crono and Marle decide to check out his friend Lucca's new invention, a teleportation device. When Marle steps into the device, it reacts to her pendent and she is suddenly transported through time. Feeling somewhat responsible, Crono decides to go through time after her. What begins as a simple rescue mission turns into something so much more when you go into the distant future and see that the world has ended. Now, in an attempt to save the future, Crono and his friends will stop the apocalypse from happening. Their adventure will take them through time and they'll meet several interesting characters.
It is because of the characters and the well put together story that Chrono Trigger is so memorable. This version features a newly translated script that is much better than the original (as if the original needed a tune up).
Another aspect that makes Chrono Trigger stand the test of time is the gameplay. You'll roam the field normally until you come into contact with an enemy. Where as most RPGs have to transition from the field mode to the battle mode, Chrono Trigger instead has your characters spread out and pull out their weapons. The battle system itself utilizes the ATB battle system from Final Fantasy for some fast paced action.
Where the game truly shines, however, is its Tech system. Every character has a series of unique techniques that they can utilize. At first the system doesn't sound that interesting, but your characters can combine their techniques together to pull off double and triple techs. It helps to make battling more interesting and fun. It also assures that you'll try using every character at least once just to uncover all the double and triple techniques out there. More than that, however, it adds a lot of strategy to the game given that each characters techniques are unique to them. You may find that what makes the difference between sending a character into battle and not has to do more with their techniques than their base statistics.
There are plenty of side quests to keep you busy, and the time traveling element makes some of them more fun to partake in than others. As if that wasn't enough, the DS version also includes all the animated cutscenes from the Playstation release. If you'd prefer to enjoy the game in a completely classic way, you can turn them off if you desire. There are also a few extras added to the DS version such as new dungeons and touch screen controls. The touch screen controls themselves work fairly well, although you may still find that using the buttons and D-pad is still much easier.
Chrono Trigger is by no means a challenging game. It's also a fairly short one. At most you'll probably take twenty hours to complete it your first time through. Veterans may find themselves completing the game in less than fifteen hours. Chrono Trigger makes up for being a short game by having a lot of replay value. First there's the New Game+ feature which lets you go through the game again carrying over your techniques, items and equipment. The game also throws in multiple endings, which will encourage you to play the game again.
Musically, Chrono Trigger has one of the best soundtracks around. Some of it sounds better than the original Super Nintendo game. Many tunes will be stuck in your head for years to come, mainly because so much of it can convey so much emotion.
Graphically, however, is where Chrono Trigger can be a mixed bag. The character models and backgrounds look incredibly detailed, and in the DS port some things have been smoothed out. Artistically, Chrono Trigger will probably never fade into oblivion. On the other hand, Square-Enix released Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV earlier this year with improved graphics, bringing the games into 3D. Final Fantasy IV, in particular, showed major improvements in its presentation that made the story more emotionally gripping. It's a wonder why Square-Enix wouldn't do the same with Chrono Trigger. It would've been stunning to see some of Chrono Trigger's best moments in a new light.
The good news, however, is that Chrono Trigger hasn't had many releases, and there's so much more added than simply a new dungeon. This means even if you did play an older version of the game, there's a good berth of new content worth checking out. Whether or not it's worth forty dollars is subjective.
Chrono Trigger is a remarkable game. If you've played it before, one more go can't hurt. If you've never played it, this is the definitive version. Every RPGer should play this timeless classic at least once. Age has not slowed Chrono Trigger down one bit.
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Finding Chrono Trigger for the DS was like finding a free $100 bill on the ground when you're starving for a dollar cheeseburger.
This game is an immense breath of fresh air, and is a time-tested classic RPG that delivers on every element of what a good RPG should be.
The story is intricate, the characters are colorful and inviting, the gameplay is smooth and interesting, the graphics are pleasant and crisp for the DS, and there is never a dull moment. I found myself playing Chrono Trigger with the same ferocity as reading a good book you can't put down.
The menus are customizable and easily navigated, especially with the use of the touch screen (which is optional). The battle system flows in a very traditional style, with the options of using Active Time Battle or Wait styles. The story has a multitude of endings depending on the choices you make in the game and other factors, guaranteeing even more playability past the first run-through.
This is, hands-down, the best RPG for Nintendo DS (and maybe other platforms) I have played. It has a sense of beauty and intrigue that transcends modern RPGs, and will have you playing until your hands cramp up.
It has successfully been ported from the Super Nintendo to the Playstation Entertainment System and now to the Nintendo DS with new dungeons and touch-screen capability.
A must for RPG lovers everywhere, and a great Christmas gift idea!
Best Deals for Chrono Trigger
If you consider yourself a gamer, and have not experienced this title, you owe it too yourself to pick it up. It doesn't have to be on the DS, though I believe that version to be the definitive one.
The SNES version is the original masterpiece and I just bet you could find it here on Amazon.
The PSX (Play Station 1) version has all the extras of the DS version but loses stars for strange load times before and after battles and while opening the menus which can detract from the over all immersion of the experience.
Sound:
This is the only video game I have ever ordered the sound track for! Haunting melodies from the forests of Guardia, epic themes while rocketing through time, and a sweeping final theme you may find yourself humming for hours. The battle music is standard Final Fantasy fare, but hey, is that such a bad thing? The sound effects are witty and even though this is still midi sound you can tell a lot of thought went into putting it together.
Graphics:
This is a game for the Super Nintendo. It has sixteen-bit graphics. No particle effects, no bump/mip/or any other form of texturing, no specular lighting or bloom effects, but let me tell you... the art direction and simple, yet sometimes powerful animations of the characters convey a sense of nostalgia that's hard to come by these days.
Game play:
You won't find another Final Fantasy game like this. And I find that hard to understand. The tech system is brilliant, combining techs to create effects is sometimes a greater joy then that last 10 minute mega summons you pulled off in the last Final Fantasy game. you just can't wait to get to the next one and see whose battle strategies it will effect.
Presentation:
Highly customizable. Everything is tweakable right down to the backgrounds you look at on the text and menu screens. Battle speeds, active/wait battle gauges. Best of all the battle menus are now removed from the play field and pushed down onto the second screen so you can watch everything unfold without any clutter.
Lasting appeal:
If you grind through this epic game the first time, you'll find a feature waiting for you the next time you fire it up(and you will!!)on the menu screen called new game plus. It allows you to keep your stats and items collected from the previous game and go through for another round. Which is handy becuase beating this game at different stages of the story will give you new endings. There is a multi player mode for raising monsters(haven't had time to review this yet) and two new dungeons that seem to be placed just right for grinding out those 99 levels for each character. They also add some new story elements and a new ending.
Just go get this game...you won't regret it, and if you do, well, it makes a great christmas present for that other nerd you know with the DS....happy time traveling!!.....
Edit: I stand corrected....you will find all the extra content from the playstation version on here....as well as quite a bit more...including much much more powerful weapons and armor for each character...if you can put the time in to find it. And if that doesn't tweek an RPG enthusiasts interest, I don't know what will....
Honest reviews on Chrono Trigger
There's something to be said for nostalgia in games; the games that were awesome then might be a little formulaic and even boring now but still, that game managed to entertain for long, long periods of time back when cartridges had to be blown into to get to run and the war was either Sonic or Mario. Now with so many high-tech graphics, vast amounts of sidequests and things to do as well as multiplayer options, is it worth going through "Chrono Trigger", an old-school RPG with appropriately old-school graphics. Well if you're a DS owner, the question isn't "why would you" to "why haven't you by now?"
Story: Taking place literally across all ages, Crono and his friends Lucca, Marle and several others they encounter throughout time have to prevent a possible future from happening: that of the being Lavos and his complete destruction of the world in 1999. Together, you'll travel from the dinosaur-laden Prehistoric times to apocalyptic 2300 A.D. and hopefully stop the world from falling into ruin.
Graphics: Square Enix released a port of "Final Fantasy IV" originally for the Gameboy Advance with some spiffier, less pixelly graphics while also providing a remake of the game with more improved graphics and CG sequences for cutscenes. What does Chrono Trigger do then? The former. Not that I mind since the game's a classic either way and the art style is still as strong as ever for each era and the cutscenes made for the "Final Fantasy Chronicles" package on the Playstation are here (though rather compressed quality), it's not the most technically accomplished game but I welcome keeping the original look intact despite cries of outdatedness...as opposed to the "why can't we have the original" cries.
Sound/Music: Arguably, Square Enix's most well-known composer to work on their games is Nobuo Uematsu though they also have another musical weapon, that of Yasunori Mitsuda who also provided the soundtracks for "Chrono Cross" and "Xenogears", his 2 masterworks. His soundtrack here is just as noteworthy with several notable themes and unlike some soundtracks which work solely with the game, this is easily a soundtrack to own. Voice acting? Pssh, don't be silly.
Gameplay: Typical RPG with levelling up, new equipment, specialized attacks for certain characters though there's a couple unique features. The more popular "enemy on screen" system is here rather than random encounters and it doesn't take long to be thrown into battle so thankfully no stylish battle entrances here. Characters have unique attacks called "Techs" which can be combined with other characters for even more special attacks/benefits. The techs also can hit more than one enemy should the attack be close enough so for example, a straight fire attack by Lucca might eat one enemy but line up enough and it can nail them all. This adds a bit of strategy since a well-timed wide area attack can clear the battle arena much faster.
The usual sidequests are a-plenty here, not a single character is wasted and the story is quite engaging but is there more to see beyond just re-experiencing the game's greatness? Well it's common now but back then the concept of New Game + and multiple endings were relatively new if not brand-new and should you defeat the final boss at a certain point in the story the second time, you got to see a different ending which ranged from the interesting to hilarious. As far as new DS content, it's really just new dungeons, touch screen controls for battle (though being able to specifically click a menu page than scrolling like the original is welcome) and a handy map is good to see.
Ultimately,if you're a DS owner and you like RPG's, Chrono Trigger needs to be bought right now. I know its 10$ more than most but honestly, it beats the absurb Ebay prices. No longer an illegal download or a rare and expensive find, every DS owner can now experience the timeless game that is "Chrono Trigger".
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Ever since its debut on the Super Nintendo way back in 1995, Chrono Trigger has remained one of my favorite games of all time. I had played it over again so many times that I had the game script memorized. When Chrono Trigger (CT) was announced for the DS in 2008, I rushed out to pre-order a copy. In fact, this game was the reason I bought a DS. I was in no way disappointed in my decision!
What makes Chrono Trigger great
The original game was ahead of its time (no pun intended) and groundbreaking in many ways. The graphics and music were jaw-dropping in their day, and while they have no doubt aged, there's nothing ugly about them. Toriyama's style definitely comes through, characters' expressions are clear, and tech attacks look like they would actually hurt! The music is moving and always fits the situation. The story really shines; I have not seen another RPG (or any other game for that matter) before or since that has incorporated all of the aspects of time travel the way CT has. You travel back and forth through time, from prehistory to the post-apocalypse to try to find a way to stop the inevitable evil coming to destroy the planet. Your actions in one time period have consequences, affecting an individual or even an entire town in the future. And there's never a place in the story that feels slow or seems to drag on. The characters are also unique, ranging from a robot from the future to a feisty, barefisted cavewoman, to a chivalrous knightly frog-man. Each character's magic or "tech" attacks are unique to them and can even be combined with other teammates to perform devastating (and just plain cool looking) double or even triple tech attacks. This is such a fun and cool idea and adds so much more to the battle experience and game strategy; I wonder why Square hasn't incorporated this into other games.
As others have pointed out, the game is fairly short for an RPG, especially by today's standards. On my first play through, I completed every single side quest and the DS extra content (more on that later) and still finished the game in about 26 hours. But this isn't so bad. I've found that in RPGs of the last decade, there's usually a point in the latter part of the game where I'm just ready to be done with it and that the story feels unnecessarily dragged out just for the sake of having extra hours of gameplay (I'm looking at you Final Fantasy!). But as much as I've played CT, I've never felt that way. The story moves forward and concludes at a good pace. And this game is definitely meant for replay. CT was one of the first (if not the first) games to introduce the New Game + feature. This allows you to replay the game but with all of your previous experience and items. This makes subsequent playthroughs easier and faster, and you're also able to challenge the final boss at just about any time, which allows you to unlock the game's multiple endings. The game boasts 10 different endings, ranging from just silly (Good Night) to showing the consequences of beating the game before certain storylines or time periods were concluded. There are also variations on the standard ending, ranging from small to great, depending on how you faced the final boss and what actions you took or didn't take beforehand. And as much as I've played and re-played CT, it seems like I always find something new I had missed before.
DS Version = better Chrono Trigger
In my opinion, the DS version is the definitive one. Keep in mind that this is a port of the original 16-bit game, not a complete remake like, say, Final Fantasy IV DS. The Playstation port was nice in that it included anime cutscenes by the game's art and character designer, Akira Toriyama (of Dragonball fame), and also the extras feature that allowed you to unlock art illustration, music, a catalog of the endings you unlocked, etc. But I didn't like how the game had to load between each "map" (sometimes a single room, walking from one door to another) or how the background music would reset itself if you went to your menu, got into a battle, changed rooms, etc. And the music is definitely great enough to want to listen to. The DS version has everything that the PS version had (cutscenes, extras feature already unlocked) plus new content, without any loading or slow down or resetting.
You can choose to play the game in classic mode or DS mode, which moves menu choices and enemy data in battle to the lower screen, effectively freeing up the top screen. Outside of battle (in both modes), the lower screen displays the map of whatever area you are in and also allows you easy access to different menu functions (items, magic, equipment, changing characters, etc.) with a simple tap. Wisely, the developers made the game so that you run by default while moving (because who walks all the time?) and only walk by holding down a button.
DS Extra Content
Had this game been released without any extra content, I still would have snatched it up and loved it. These extras that are included are nothing spectacular but a nice little bonus.
Arena of the Ages this is basically a monster raising/battling mini-game, where you train up a little monster that resembles a nu. I personally don't care for these type of games. I played with this the first playthrough and have not bothered doing it again since. For me, it distracted too much from the real fun of the game, which was the story!
Lost Sanctum This extra town/dungeon appears near the end of the game and spans two time periods. It involves a lot of "go-fer" quests that can get annoying. But doing so can earn you many rare and new items and weapons/armor that can even rival your already-ultimate weapons/armor.
Dimensional Vortex opens up after beating the game for the first time. The vortices span three time periods. It's a mixture of randomly-generated previous-dungeon rooms plus new areas with new monsters (mostly palette-swaps of previous enemies). Like the Lost Sanctum, completing these provides more better-than-ultimate gear and maxes out the stats of your present-age heroes. It also unlocks a new final boss (and ending) and works to tie together some story elements to the game's somewhat-sequel, Chrono Cross (another good but very different game). Very cool. Definitely the best of the extra content IMO.
New Translation Controversy
I feel like I should mention this since others here have brought this up. The DS version does have a new translation so that dialogue and the names of some items are different than how they were translated in the original game. I suspect this won't matter to anyone but people like me who have played the game enough times to have the original Ted Woolsey translation memorized.
I feel that, in some areas, the new translation has improved the game and in other ways it hasn't. I don't think it would be fair to call it a "bad" translation just because it isn't the original. On one hand, I think the original translation had a certain light-heartedness to it that added to the humor and fun of the experience while the new one seems to add some depth and seriousness to the game. The Woolsey translation was also overly PC in that it edited out references pertaining to alcohol, etc., which did cause some (unintentionally?) funny moments (Taban: "Yum! Lemonade sure tastes great outdoors!" when he's clearly chugging from a large beer stein. And soup races with Ayla??). I do miss some of the jokes from the original, such as the references to the Knights of the Square(soft/EA) Table. Frog's Shakespearean speech is also missed since it added so much to his chivalrous character. On the other hand, the new translation clarifies and adds humor to some otherwise odd moments in the game (Dalton's: "what's that behind you?" and Nizbel II explaining why you had to fight him after walking right past him).
The DS at least acknowledges Woolsey's creativity by letting most of the names of characters remain the same. For instance, the three villains from the Middle Ages, Ozzie, Slash, and Flea, are all named after rockers; in the original Japanese, they're named after condiments I believe. But why are Mystics renamed as Fiends? I'll never know.
All in all, there's nothing in the new translation that doesn't match the essence of what's contained in the original one. Sure, I admit I'm nostalgic and I miss the original one many times, but I personally don't think it's fair to knock an awesome game to a one star review just because of that.
The Verdict on Chrono Trigger DS
To summarize what I meant to be a shorter review: This is a truly great game. And this version of it on the DS is super. I have never come across another RPG (or game for that matter) before or since that has matched it in its variety and depth of story, its simplicity and fun, and its replayability. This version has everything that the PS version had and more. And it's going for such a bargain price right now. I bought the game at full price (30-something dollars!) in November 08. I just recently bought another copy here on Amazon when it was going for $16 (because three save slots doesn't seem like much sometimes). That should say something about how great a game it is. I can highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a superb RPG. If you haven't experienced CT before, you owe it to yourself to see what this game is all about!
