In an era where Hollywood and the media masses enforce the narrative of time travel doing more harm than good (looking at you, The Flash), it's always a relief that we can always fall back on Chrono Trigger for a simple, feel-good time travel story.
One popular review on Backloggd cited disinterest towards Chrono Trigger due to its overly simplified mechanics. That review weighed heavily on the back of my mind as I began my own playthrough of the game, and initially, I would've been inclined to agree. But as soon as I unlocked the first Dual Tech, everything suddenly began to click. The rest of the playthrough flew by and I was left astoundingly impressed by the entire experience. Yet somehow, that reviewer was also right in their critique of Chrono Trigger.
The most apt comparison I can make to Chrono Trigger is, interestingly enough, 'fundies' characters from fighting games. See, 'fundies' characters tend to have very simplistic movesets and techniques that make them easily approachable by newcomers. These characters also serve an ulterior purpose - they allow players to gradually grasp the fundamental aspects of a fighting game and develop their skills in all the core mechanics incentivised by the game. The skill floor for 'fundies' characters is just low enough that anyone can pick them up and play expertly with them in a short period.
That same philosophy can also be applied to Chrono Trigger, as weird as it is to say.
The 'Dream Team' made Chrono Trigger a simple RPG at its core. It has all of its foundations and fundamentals set in stone, most of them being general key elements present in most RPGs - setting, story, gameplay, and obviously the soundtrack and graphics. What makes the game stick out amongst its peers, however, is the fact that it was developed with not just dedication and heart, but professional expertise. Its world is so minimalistic it can be considered a sandbox standing amongst its more advanced siblings from the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series, yet every landmark and timeline is crafted with so much expertise that it sticks out more to casual players. Throughout your playthrough of the game you'll mostly end up listening to the same few tracks, especially the battle theme, but they're all so expertly composed that the soundtrack continues lingering in your mind - in a positive manner. The story is rather simple for RPG standards, especially in contrast to the grandiose tales told in the Final Fantasy games, yet is handled with utmost care and polish that the time travelling somehow leaves no plot holes whatsoever within the narrative. Everything is seamless and feels natural, further backed by tightly paced sequencing and a forgiving and respectful attitude towards the target audience's time. The strategies and gameplay loop stay consistent throughout the experience, never once throwing random curveballs at unsuspecting newcomers (except Son of the Sun, I'm looking at you you RNG ass boss fight); and while they are indeed simplistic, have a strong basis to build upon, with the implementation of Techs providing veteran RPG players fancy toys to tinker around with. The biggest and strongest standout of my Chrono Trigger experience, however, was easily its expertly designed spritework. Hands-down some of the most expressive, fluid and drop-dead stunning spritework and graphics from 16-bit hardware, and I mean that full-heartedly.
Chrono Trigger is simple, yes, but simplicity isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, its this simplicity that I believe has earned Chrono Trigger its widespread acclaim. The game itself is rather easy compared to its more technically advanced siblings, but I believe that's why so many people have fond memories of it, owing to its difficulty making it much more approachable as an RPG. In some ways, one can view Chrono Trigger as a phenomenal introductory medium into the genre, as its simplicity simply entices the gaming audience to experiment with their interest towards RPG as a whole. It's easily accessible mechanics and basic implementation of the Active Time Battle system serve as the perfect groundwork for newcomers to delve within, and ease them into more challenging titles in the future.
Speaking of the ATB system, while most of my writings may infer that Chrono Trigger is a game that relies solely on its strong fundamentals, but that is far from the truth. Chrono Trigger is also innovative: not only did it help popularise Square's modus operanti - the Active Time Battle system, as well as the concept of New Game+, but it also proved that a game revolving around time-travelling as part of its core narrative can be executed properly without the caveats and risks that come with it (COUGH COUGH SONIC 06). In fact, New Game+ further increases the replayability of Chrono Trigger compared to most RPGs at the time, since players are not only encouraged to experiment with different characters or different strategies, but also different pathways to reach the 12 different endings that are achievable through various means.
I do hold one specific criticism towards Chrono Trigger, though - while it does execute whatever character interactions they include in the game well, what we have overall is slightly lacking, honestly. Magus, in particular, feels like an afterthought despite his great backstory and integral role in the game's biggest twist, his addition to the party feels too late. The game also doesn't capitalise on the potential of Frog and Magus being on the same side, with the two barely sharing any character interactions. I brought Ayla to the primal dancing area of the festival, only to be disappointed by her lack of reaction towards her culture being preserved or perhaps even disapproval at the shallow replication of her culture. Chrono Trigger is clearly capable of stuff like this - Marle actively reacts to Crono's antics whenever you participate in a game at the festival, and even has a unique conversation exclusive to her when Queen Leene is rescued, so its a bit of a let-down, to say the least.
However, for the game that alongside Final Fantasy VII, redefined and popularised RPG in the faces of the media, it feels like I'm asking for a cherry on top of a wedding cake. Chrono Trigger is comfort food - its easy to dig into, have a good time with, and leave with a smile on your face. It's simplicity is complemented by the expertise of the hands that carefully unleashed it onto the world, and much like the characters its story dictates, transcends eras and time itself.
Final score: 10/10
Focus: How Chrono Trigger's simplicity is enhanced by expertly handled game design
Theme: Simplicity & Expertise
One popular review on Backloggd cited disinterest towards Chrono Trigger due to its overly simplified mechanics. That review weighed heavily on the back of my mind as I began my own playthrough of the game, and initially, I would've been inclined to agree. But as soon as I unlocked the first Dual Tech, everything suddenly began to click. The rest of the playthrough flew by and I was left astoundingly impressed by the entire experience. Yet somehow, that reviewer was also right in their critique of Chrono Trigger.
The most apt comparison I can make to Chrono Trigger is, interestingly enough, 'fundies' characters from fighting games. See, 'fundies' characters tend to have very simplistic movesets and techniques that make them easily approachable by newcomers. These characters also serve an ulterior purpose - they allow players to gradually grasp the fundamental aspects of a fighting game and develop their skills in all the core mechanics incentivised by the game. The skill floor for 'fundies' characters is just low enough that anyone can pick them up and play expertly with them in a short period.
That same philosophy can also be applied to Chrono Trigger, as weird as it is to say.
The 'Dream Team' made Chrono Trigger a simple RPG at its core. It has all of its foundations and fundamentals set in stone, most of them being general key elements present in most RPGs - setting, story, gameplay, and obviously the soundtrack and graphics. What makes the game stick out amongst its peers, however, is the fact that it was developed with not just dedication and heart, but professional expertise. Its world is so minimalistic it can be considered a sandbox standing amongst its more advanced siblings from the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series, yet every landmark and timeline is crafted with so much expertise that it sticks out more to casual players. Throughout your playthrough of the game you'll mostly end up listening to the same few tracks, especially the battle theme, but they're all so expertly composed that the soundtrack continues lingering in your mind - in a positive manner. The story is rather simple for RPG standards, especially in contrast to the grandiose tales told in the Final Fantasy games, yet is handled with utmost care and polish that the time travelling somehow leaves no plot holes whatsoever within the narrative. Everything is seamless and feels natural, further backed by tightly paced sequencing and a forgiving and respectful attitude towards the target audience's time. The strategies and gameplay loop stay consistent throughout the experience, never once throwing random curveballs at unsuspecting newcomers (except Son of the Sun, I'm looking at you you RNG ass boss fight); and while they are indeed simplistic, have a strong basis to build upon, with the implementation of Techs providing veteran RPG players fancy toys to tinker around with. The biggest and strongest standout of my Chrono Trigger experience, however, was easily its expertly designed spritework. Hands-down some of the most expressive, fluid and drop-dead stunning spritework and graphics from 16-bit hardware, and I mean that full-heartedly.
Chrono Trigger is simple, yes, but simplicity isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, its this simplicity that I believe has earned Chrono Trigger its widespread acclaim. The game itself is rather easy compared to its more technically advanced siblings, but I believe that's why so many people have fond memories of it, owing to its difficulty making it much more approachable as an RPG. In some ways, one can view Chrono Trigger as a phenomenal introductory medium into the genre, as its simplicity simply entices the gaming audience to experiment with their interest towards RPG as a whole. It's easily accessible mechanics and basic implementation of the Active Time Battle system serve as the perfect groundwork for newcomers to delve within, and ease them into more challenging titles in the future.
Speaking of the ATB system, while most of my writings may infer that Chrono Trigger is a game that relies solely on its strong fundamentals, but that is far from the truth. Chrono Trigger is also innovative: not only did it help popularise Square's modus operanti - the Active Time Battle system, as well as the concept of New Game+, but it also proved that a game revolving around time-travelling as part of its core narrative can be executed properly without the caveats and risks that come with it (COUGH COUGH SONIC 06). In fact, New Game+ further increases the replayability of Chrono Trigger compared to most RPGs at the time, since players are not only encouraged to experiment with different characters or different strategies, but also different pathways to reach the 12 different endings that are achievable through various means.
I do hold one specific criticism towards Chrono Trigger, though - while it does execute whatever character interactions they include in the game well, what we have overall is slightly lacking, honestly. Magus, in particular, feels like an afterthought despite his great backstory and integral role in the game's biggest twist, his addition to the party feels too late. The game also doesn't capitalise on the potential of Frog and Magus being on the same side, with the two barely sharing any character interactions. I brought Ayla to the primal dancing area of the festival, only to be disappointed by her lack of reaction towards her culture being preserved or perhaps even disapproval at the shallow replication of her culture. Chrono Trigger is clearly capable of stuff like this - Marle actively reacts to Crono's antics whenever you participate in a game at the festival, and even has a unique conversation exclusive to her when Queen Leene is rescued, so its a bit of a let-down, to say the least.
However, for the game that alongside Final Fantasy VII, redefined and popularised RPG in the faces of the media, it feels like I'm asking for a cherry on top of a wedding cake. Chrono Trigger is comfort food - its easy to dig into, have a good time with, and leave with a smile on your face. It's simplicity is complemented by the expertise of the hands that carefully unleashed it onto the world, and much like the characters its story dictates, transcends eras and time itself.
Final score: 10/10
Focus: How Chrono Trigger's simplicity is enhanced by expertly handled game design
Theme: Simplicity & Expertise
C_F
8 months ago
Regarding Son of Sun, if you use the hidden character he can absorb the flames into his black hole and reduce the RNG factor, though I always just use flame absorbing vests anyways lol. Yeah the character interactions aren't the most verbose granted but I kinda prefer the subtle touches like the hidden character turning in fear when Frog's sword is powered up in his sidequest. Maybe give Radical Dreamers a try since it has some characters from Trigger in a VN format sequel? The official new translation is great.
And well said about the way time travel is portrayed here!