GENRE
	RPG
	DEVELOPER
	Square Enix
	PUBLISHER
	Square Enix
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Square Enix has been on remaking spree lately; they began by porting Final Fantasy I, II, IV and VI to GBA, and then moved on to giving Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV 3D facelifts for Nintendo DS. For this holiday season, however, Square Enix has taken a break from the polygons and returned to the world of sprites and pixels by breathing new life into one of gaming’s sacred cows: Chrono Trigger.

In 1995, Squaresoft and Enix were different companies that specialized in making critically and commercially acclaimed RPGs, when the most talented members of each developer sat down together to create the definitive 16-bit RPG. The final product of this dream team was Chrono Trigger, an instant classic that has demanded respect ever since gamers first put the cartridge in their Super Nintendos. Rather than completely reconstruct Chrono Trigger from the ground up, Square Enix has wisely chosen to simply polish this gem with a new translation, some interface tweaks, and a dash of new content before letting it reaffirm its place as the king of Japanese RPGs.

visuals

The Super Nintendo’s many sprite-based RPGs might no longer be the prettiest games, but Chrono Trigger was always the exception; every map and character is handcrafted with an uncanny attention to the smallest detail, from animated shadows to the sparkle of a mountain stream. Recent Castlevania games have raised the bar for 2D graphics, but Chrono Trigger holds up amazingly well with its solid animation, detailed environments, strong use of then cutting-edge effects, and amazing artistic design from famed Dragonball and Dragon Quest artist Akira Toriyama.

While the DS version’s main contribution is the use of the bottom screen to make the main screen less cluttered with menus during battle, animated cut scenes from the PlayStation remake have also been added. While there are only a handful of these scenes, the picture quality is quite good and they help bring the characters to life by really showing off Toriyama’s designs in a much more grandiose manner.

audio

Chrono Trigger’s credits read like an all-star roster of Japanese RPG developers, and that includes the music. Most people will immediately recognize famed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, but he is joined by Yasunori Mitsuda, whose later works set the mood for many other great games, including the Xenosaga series, Xenogears, and Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger’s oft-forgotten sequel. This pair managed to put together one of gaming’s greatest musical scores for Chrono Trigger, there are no bad songs throughout the entire game and many of the themes are catchy and memorable. The battle theme for the last couple bosses is especially outstanding. The only bad thing to be said about the soundtrack is that it is all digital and not recorded with a live symphony, but given the memory demands for recorded music, this is unfortunate but necessary.

gameplay

Probably the best thing about Chrono Trigger is its simplicity; it never gets bogged down in its mechanics or story. The set up for the adventure begins with the typical missing princess scenario before turning into a roller coaster ride through time that touches upon many classic fantasy, steam punk, and sci-fi foundations. The game’s themes make for an experience that is largely universal but still manages to offer a variety of humorous, surprising, and touching moments. Fans of modern, melodrama-laden RPGs might be turned off by this simpler set of woven-together stories, but these concepts have been storytelling foundations for several millennia for a reason.

Much of Chrono Trigger’s gameplay is also simple yet compelling. Like most other RPGs, characters level up by earning experience in battles, learn new techniques over time, and can be upgraded with better weapons and armor either found in treasure chests or bought in shops. The battle system also works similarly to earlier Final Fantasy titles; characters have to wait for a bar to fill up before they can act. Chrono Trigger differs in two key ways: characters can combine techniques for double and triple attacks, and battles are not random. Most enemies in the game are visible and can be avoided, but some prove to be more aggressive and chase after you. The occasional ambushes, however, are unavoidable but never frequent enough to be annoying.

These two aspects of Chrono Trigger work together to define the key to define the game’s secret to success: its pacing. Chrono Trigger flows along beautifully from beginning to end; the main story moves at an exciting clip and the difficulty curve is set up to limit the need for level grinding. Also, the game starts by guiding the player along a relatively linear path, but as things progress, more and more of the game opens up, and by the three-quarters mark, the player is free to take on any side quest or jump straight to the final boss. Just focusing on the main events in the story should take about 20 hours, but partaking in all the side quests will easily add another 10 hours. Compared to some other RPGs, this 20-30 hour range might seem a little light, but beating the game opens up a “New Game +” mode that allows you to replay the game with your stats and items from the previous play-through; this mode is an absolute necessity for discovering each of the game’s 15 possible endings. Altogether, dedicated gamers could easily spend 100+ hours with Chrono Trigger.

Another noteworthy aspect of Chrono Trigger is the impact of time travel on the game. The story covers a number of time periods, from the era of cave men and dinosaurs to a bleak, post-apocalyptic future where mankind is walking the fine line between recovery and extinction. Not only does this set-up offer a variety of unique locales and situations, but it also allows your actions in one time to have an effect on the future. For just one small example, some treasure chests exist in multiple eras, and by choosing not to open a chest in the past will result in a more powerful version of its contents if opened in the future. While many of these situations are quite subtle, they definitely add to the uniqueness of the game and show how far ahead of its time Chrono Trigger was in 1995 and how it is still able to hold its own today.

Finally, to the longtime Chrono Trigger enthusiast, there are several new features that really make this remake worth picking up. First and foremost, this version has an entirely new translation that improves upon the already solid translation from 1995. While many lines have been completely changed, the spirit of the original remains intact while enriching characters' personalities. Second, two new areas have been added to the game that feature several hours of new quests, enemies and characters. The second new area opens up after completing the game and unlocks a brand new ending that answers one of the game’s biggest questions from 13 years ago. Finally, these new areas feature some ridiculously awesome new weapons and armor that will make longtime fans salivate. For example, one character gets a piece of armor that completely nullifies all elemental damage and another gets a weapon with a 90% critical hit rate.

multiplayer

Another addition to Chrono Trigger is a feature similar to Pokémon or Monster Rancher. Relatively early in the game, you get the ability to train a monster that can be pitted against other monsters in-game or those belonging to other players. This mode is only available via local wireless play and is a nice distraction for a while, but it fails to have the same addictive appeal of Pokémon. The biggest problems are very little control over a monster in battle and raising it is a very passive activity: you simply send it out to train as you go about other business. Your monster’s stats and attacks are defined by the items it holds and where you send it to train, so there is a fair amount of customization, but the main quest remains significantly more compelling.

overall

Chrono Trigger remains one of the best, if not the best, RPGs ever made; everything about it is simple enough to be accessible by gamers of any skill level but there are enough features to satiate devoted RPG fanatics. The story is an engrossing mix of time-tested archetypes, clever twists, and unique ideas, while the gameplay features the best aspects of 16-bit RPGs, trimmed of excessive grinding and random battles. The end result is a streamlined game with strong visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and an incredible amount of replay value.

Of course that is just talking about the original game. The DS version improves the presentation with animated cut scenes, cleans up the interface by moving menus to the bottom screen, and adds enough new content to justify a purchase by gamers who have already dumped hundreds of hours into the game’s other incarnations. Regardless of whether or not you have played Chrono Trigger before, the DS remake is an absolute must-own for any RPG fan and is easily one of the year’s best releases.

10.0/10