When I play a game, I always take into account the time it came out and how it looked in comparison to other games on the console. I like to imagine if it would have been one of the few games that was worth actually paying the full price, rather than just renting. Something worth the extra money, just for the security of knowing it can be your copy.

Chrono Trigger absolutely is a must play for those interested in the SNES library. It’s what you dream of accidentally discovering when picking out a game to rent for the weekend, rather than getting stuck with something totally shit. But not this time, instead deciding to bring home Chrono Trigger guarantees you everything to satisfy that itch of having a nice lazy weekend with a good-ass game (and hopefully some good-ass pizza, too - or if you’re me, good-ass Top Ramen with an egg).

The gameplay is fine, nothing to complain about, nothing to write home about either. The dual and triple techs are fun to experiment with, though my EarthBound-obsessed brain kept forgetting I could use them. The visuals are gorgeous while also getting the kind of colorful chibi graphics that I always was obsessed with in the SNES, the exact ones that drew me to A Link to the Past and EarthBound. The story is satisfying in making me feel successful as a hero, while making me feel comfortable in additional roles as well, taking an unheard approach to RPGs I could appreciate. Overall, these important aspects of good game making made Chrono Trigger stick out amongst many other SNES titles in comparison.

The real joy that got me to absolutely fall in love with the game were the side quests. I must admit that the part with Lucca and her mother hit me very personally. Having your one wish with the power of controlling all of time to fix a terrible mistake you felt you caused your mother. It caught me by surprise, and was again, so out-of-the-place personal that it felt almost a direct call out to me. Obviously, this is just a coincidence, but it affected me enough to feel additional love for the game.

Overall, Chrono Trigger is a great game, though there’s definitely some controversy on how much praise it seems to get. As someone who has never played a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game, there was nothing I could really directly compare Chrono Trigger to, as my friends who have played those series were often telling me elements that were reused or heavily inspired by past Square Enix games. As someone who has never played either series, it might have impacted my score more positively, though who knows. After I play them, I might end up changing my score, but as of now a 4.5 seems right for my experience.

Does it have the best story ever written? No.
Is the story compelling and fun to follow? Absolutely.
Does it have the best music on the entire system? No.
Is the music memorable in a way that makes me happy? Yeah.
Is it the best RPG ever made in the history of ever? Hell no.
Was it a really fucking good SNES rpg that made me really feel accomplished, challenged and always wanting to find out more? Yeah. It was.

And overall, maybe that’s just what you needed for a lazy-gaming weekend.