Chrono Trigger’s reputation precedes itself. If you haven’t played Chrono Trigger yourself already, you’ve surely heard tales of its legend. A 30 year old game made in the golden era of RPGs. Back when Square Enix were separated into SquareSoft and Enix. Legendary creators in of themselves. It is no wonder why this game is heralded as one of the best RPGs ever made, if not the best for many. As an RPG lover this was a game that I have been wanting to play but never got around to. I didn’t play many SNES or NES games growing up. My childhood gaming was spent on the N64 and original playstation. It’s been a blindspot for me forever. And now to play the game for the first time, to experience this legendary game for the first time with 29 years of game design between when it originally released to now, it’s astonishing to me that this game not only stood the test of time, but feels incredibly fresh and more modern than some modern RPGs.

TLDR at the end

Modern Sensibilities

Part of this is that it’s filled with modern interpretations that games just recently started incorporating. Things like your entire party getting experience from fights, all fights being on screen or scripted, and I think what really sets the game apart from the rest being the dual techs and how enemies move around and that affecting certain attacks. It’s crazy to see these ideas so early in games when there’s easily 15-20 years until that becomes a modern practice in RPGs. It’s also crazy to see choices impacting the game as well. That’s still not even common in JRPGs as a whole. It’s largely specific styles of RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Mass Effect that heavily employ that. While I don’t think Chrono Trigger has it as in depth as those games, the court scene still blew me away. That mixed with just how each encounter feels so thoughtful. The encounters are quick but a majority of the enemies have mechanics to them and not just higher health values of resistances. And how it organically tells you. Early on in the prehistoric area of the game there’s an enemy type that is resistant to physical attacks, and you only have Crono, Lucca, and Marle. So naturally after the first physical attack doesn’t do much you’d use your newly acquired magic and Crono only has lightning. Then lightning decreases its defense. It’s not even a status effect. It’s just a mechanic of the enemy. Which I found incredibly engaging. The creators were so ahead of their time with so much of the game.

Old Mixed with the New

Not to say there aren't some old school designs or ideas in Chrono Trigger. It is still a product of its time. But I feel these older school design philosophies are feeling fresher again. It’s an old school style JRPG with the overworld map and different areas to visit within said map. There’s old school side mission design with no quest log really, there’s no way points, there’s just NPCs with directions and hints. And I honestly think this is a welcomed change of pace. I think the popularity of Elden Ring and the souls games have brought to the limelight the joys of figuring things out. When the game opened up and provided a variety of side quests I had a lot of fun tracking them down, figuring out when, where and what to do for it. There were just 2 quests I looked up hints for. After looking them up I realized I had already been given the hints in the game but just didn’t register that they were connected to the quests. Which for an SNES title to only have to look up 2 things for just side quests and nothing more was really impressive. Since a lot of the older games tend to have some parts where things just feel obscure. This old school hands off approach feels incredibly refreshing now and I feel is returning to the gaming zeitgeist.

Pacing Perfection

This game on top of feeling so ahead of its time is just masterfully crafted. Chrono Trigger’s pacing is so incredible. Starting at the millennial fair, then quickly getting thrusted into medieval times and stumbling into an apocalyptic future sets up a tone and cadence that just doesn’t slow down or get boring. I think what helps in the pacing is that the game is also shorter compared to a lot of RPGs. This game can easily be finished in 20ish hours in a first playthrough. It took me 30 hours to finish the main game and side quests. Really the only critiques to the pacing could be that the millennial fair takes a little bit to figure out what to do, but it’s largely about exploring the fair. And the end sequence can have just a lot of bosses. But these are more like nitpicks rather than actual critiques. This is one the best paced games I’ve ever played.

Setting, Style, and Vibes

I love sci-fi and time travel settings. I was raised on watching Back to the Future so time travel has always been a favorite science fiction idea of mine. Getting to explore the same few continents and how they chance as eras change is so fun to see and experience. And the vibes and art of each era is so beautiful. And if it wasn’t clear already, the art for this game was done by the legendary Akira Toriyama. (May he rest in peace) It’s honestly incredible how defined his art style in this. It’s not just in the animated scenes and cover art (I played this on steam so I got those, they weren’t in base Chrono Trigger) but it so clearly bleeds into every aspect of the game. The backgrounds, the pixel art. You can really tell upon seeing the fiends, dinosaurs and the final boss. Such beautiful art provides so much life to this game. And possibly even more renowned than the game itself is the game's soundtrack. I heard the chrono trigger soundtrack before seeing the game or playing the game. The iconic soundtrack and vibes of it are unparalleled. From the music in the woods to the music of antiquity. It’s so beautiful and so tranquil. If you haven’t listened to the music of Chrono Trigger I highly recommend checking it out.

TLDR

Chrono Trigger feels so fresh playing it even today which is an incredible feat. This game stands the test of time and it is no wonder why it has inspired so many. This game is simply a treasure and is a must play for anyone but especially any RPG fan. Built by the dream team of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama. This game’s legacy is well earned and deserved. A masterpiece ahead of it's time.

Chrono Trigger is probably one of the best games ever made, and it is definitely one of the best JRPG ever made. The way it handles time travel is unique, fun, and somehow not that confusing to wrap your head around. It does minor things so well with the core theme of time travel, such as heading back in time to manipulate events for side quests. It does a lot of interesting things that you don't see in many games honestly, and the gameplay is actually fun to boot. Also unlike a lot of old JRPGs, I didn't feel like I needed a walkthrough for a majority of the game, and 70% of the time I was able to do things. (I'm glad I did have a walkthrough though, so I could take advantage of those Sealed Chests optimally)

I don't have any problems with Chrono Trigger, but I suppose my main critique would be that I wasn't really in love with any of the party members. I like them, but they aren't as engaging as even other old JRPGs. But I don't think it detracts enough from the game to really give it flak for that.

I also have issues with the PC port but I can't dock points from the game itself. I had to revert to a 2018 build because the 2023 build has a weird stuttering bug when you walk diagonally. The port also doesn't have proper button prompts for PlayStation controllers, so I wasn't sure what to press at some points of the game. When it came to the part where you have to play Simon Says in the fair to get (spoiler item) I kept failing and just grinded for 60K to buy it instead.

But even that doesn't change the fact that Chrono Trigger is one of the greats and a must-play JRPG.

Score: 95

Chrono Trigger's portrayal of fundamental human values, growth, bonds, and heroism in the journey through time contrasts with the unsettling concept of time travel, revealing how minimal changes can profoundly impact events. It puts you in a place where you understand all the faults of the past and how they accumulate to serve a result, whether good or not, offering a cheerful and inoffensive experience that combats pessimism with hope and will.

As it may seem Chrono Trigger stood the test of time as it’s still being hailed as one of the best JRPGs to ever release. Definitely a profound unforgettable journey filled with moments that will stick with me for a good period of time.

However, I still have my issues with it, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. I wasn’t a huge fan of the combat, despite its visual appeal with clean animations and enjoyable combo mechanics; it suffers from a shortage of abilities. Additionally, the interruption of the timer during enemy attacks can lead to frustrating moments of inactivity that made me lose my mind. While you can fast-forward, it might cost you your turn if you're not careful with it, and since this game heavily focuses on team combos, you might lose the entire battle if you skip a turn by mistake.

Regarding characters, I wasn’t fully attached to them. They never seem to have those moments between them. I’m not saying those moments do not exist, but they were definitely lacking. Compared to FF6 where it really felt like you are journeying with a party. The limitation of only three characters per time period hinders opportunities for meaningful party interactions. It's a good thing that they are viable via side quests, which I recommend doing because it adds a lot to their characterization and the story.

As for the story, it didn’t grab me at all at the start of the game, but it became more interesting as we moved forward. However, at some point, near the end, I got bored again. The pacing was amazing, considering it’s a 20-hour JRPG after all.

Rating is between 3 – 3.5. Will see if it grows on me or not.