Chrono Trigger: A Masterpiece
Written: Jan 25 '04 (Updated Feb 19 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Challenging, great story, beautiful graphics and music, over ten different endings, unique combo attacks
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Chrono Trigger is one of the best RPGs of all time. Buy it if at all possible.
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| brendan2's Full Review: Chrono Trigger for Super Nintendo |
1995 was the year when new Super NES games became few and far between in preparation for the Nintendo 64. But Square Soft released a truly fantastic game that year: Chrono Trigger. When the game first debuted, I rented it out so often that when I asked if I could purchase it from my local video store, they said no because it was renting really well (I was the one renting it). Luckily I purchased a new copy which I have enjoyed for years.
So what makes this game so great? Well some of the people who worked on Chrono Trigger were DragonBallZ artist Akira Toriyama, Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii and Final Fantasy's Hironobu Sakaguchi. It features a fantastic storyline, beautiful graphics and music, multiple endings, attacks which combine up to three characters' strengths, and a New Game + option which lets you go through the game again at the same level you were at when you beat the game last time.
The Story
The game begins with Crono, a young man living in 1000 A.D. One morning he heads off to the Millenial Fair to try his inventor friend Lucca's machine. Shortly after arriving at the fair, he bumps into a girl named Marle who wants to try out Lucca's machine. Marle's pendant has a strange reaction to the machine and she is sucked back in time to the year 600 A.D. Crono and Lucca must go back to save Marle and her ancestor or she will cease to exist. Crono and his friends soon discover that an evil alien named Lavos crashed into the earth many years ago and is plotting the destruction of the earth. Your party consists of three members, but you have seven characters to choose from: Crono, Marle, Lucca, the swordsman with a secret Frog, a robot from the future named Robo, prehistoric warrior Ayla, and Magus, a powerful magician and enemy of Frog. Story: 10/10
Graphics & Sound
Let me start by saying the graphics in this game are absolutely perfect. As soon as you pop the game in you are treated to a visual feast as a beautifully-rendered pendulum swings across the screen followed by gorgeous scenes showing different places and times. The characters were designed by acclaimed artist Akira Toriyama and they look great. The graphics look fantastic, especially during the 'Day of Lavos' in 1999 A.D., when earth is destroyed. The sound is also superb with the music suiting the current events of the game. Sad music plays when characters remember painful times, relaxing music plays as you travel on the main map, and quick upbeat music plays during battles. All seven characters even have their own theme. A soundtrack CD was released in Japan and can be found at amazon.com. Graphics: 10/10; Sound: 10/10
Gameplay
The gameplay in Chrono Trigger is excellent. The controls are easy-to-learn and you can ride a jet bike, travel in time gates or fly through space and time in your very own time machine. A unique aspect of Chrono Trigger is the combo attacks which combine two or three characters' attacks into one hit that does a lot of damage. You can find rocks throughout the game that, when equipped, allow you to use triple attacks (the Black Rock in Kajar, the Gold Rock in the Denadoro Mountains, and so on). Another interesting thing is that the battles take place right on the screen where you walk around; there's no separate battle screen. One thing I like about the game is that you don't have to randomly stumble into invisible enemies on the map like in most RPGs and you can sometimes avoid battles with the enemies you do see. After beating the game for the first time you can begin a New Game + and start over with the levels and weapons you had when you completed the game. The game features over ten different endings and most can only be found in a '+' game. Gameplay: 10/10
Chrono Trigger is definitely one of the best RPGs for any system. The time-traveling aspect and the game's unique features make it exciting and fun; the multiple endings and New Game + option give it high replay value. I highly recommend buying the game (it's usually available on eBay) even though it's a little expensive because it's definitely worth it.
© LH 2004
Recommended:
Yes
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brendan2
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