EDIT: "Star" ratings replaced.
For gamers who know of this title by reputation alone but have been unable to track down a copy to call their own! For gamers looking for a great portable RPG that don?t include the words ?Final? or ?Fantasy?! For gamers who don?t feel like rummaging thru the ol? attic to locate their favorite RPG due to a sudden outbreak of nostalgia! Chrono Trigger has finally come to the Nintendo DS!!! Two questions remain however?Is the DS version THE version of arguably the greatest RPG ever released? Is it worth the $40 price tag? The answers are ?Yes? and slight pause followed by ?Yes?wait no?.uh...yea?.
Gameplay/Controls - Great
Chrono Trigger still plays remarkably well even by today's standards, and even does somethings better than some JRP's today (no random battles for example)! You can see and in most cases avoid any battles you may encounter with the exception of an occasional ambush. Once you clear a area of the monsters, they will not reappear until you reenter the area (this is a god-send if your low on health and are searching for a save point). The only issue is that you have to work much harder to find enemies to battle if you ever feel the need to level up your party a bit. All battles take place in the same map you encounter the enemies in rather than breaking to a different battle screen. Players gain Exp as well as Tech Points from battles, which allow characters to learn different Techs and even combine them with other characters Techs to execute combo attacks. Techs affect either a single enemy or multiple foes depending on the attacks range and how the enemies are lined up. For example, a Tech that affects a circular range (like a bomb) is most effective when enemies are huddled together.
Combo attacks are gained when 2 characters learn a certain Tech and then fight alongside each other for a brief period (you don?t need both characters in the same party when they learn the abilities). For instance, When Chrono learns ?Cyclone? and Lucca learns ?Flame-thrower?, they gain a combo attack called ?Fire-Whirl?. The combo attacks are obviously more powerful, but you have to wait for all characters involved to be ready. Since battles are active rather than turn based, combo attacks are not recommended when speed is a main concern. Familiarizing yourself with the Techs and combos at your disposal before battling is also a must, because searching thru all the options you?ll have available is an invitation to get your shit rocked by the enemy. You will lose many a boss battle in this setting by simply not planning and wasting time searching for the right tech or even by not organizing your items ahead of time. These two elements not only add plenty of strategy to the battles, but also encourages players mix up their party (which can be done at any time) to gain the best combos available.
For the most part it?s the same game that was originally released some 13 years ago (more on that in a bit); however this game does a decent job of taking advantage of its new host. Walking can now be done using the touch screen by pressing on the either side of the map displayed on the screen, but this tends to feel very clunky so I just use the d-pad. This is the lone category in which the touch screen isn?t on par or an improvement over the original controls. Menu shortcuts can be set and selected on the bottom screen and trust me when I say you will never use the d-pad to navigate thru your inventory again once you have used this feature. You can also use the touch screen to navigate thru commands while battling by choosing ?DS? as your Game Mode. This is highly recommend over the classic mode because it allows for a less hectic navigation of your different abilities and items during battles, which can become a real hassle in the latter stages of the game.
Graphics/Sounds - Poor
My only real issue with this game is on the presentation side. This game is by no means ugly or unbearable to listen to. In fact I would argue this game features some of the best music in gaming, and listen to the theme for 2300 A.D if you don't believe me. However nowadays the 16bit looks are anything but timeless and this game definitely shows its age when it comes to character models and some animations. While the music is great, the sound affects are a mixed bag of dated and atrocious. One of the low-point is when you kill an enemy and they make a sound that can only be described as some kind of low-pitched fart. I understand that none of the issues I mentioned will be deal breakers for this game or anything a typical JRPG fan will care too much about. What I just don?t understand is why Square decided against polishing the looks and sounds of this title when they clearly had no qualms about updating FF3 and even went as far as adding voice-overs for FF4 (with great results and admiration from fans and media alike I should add).
Story - Amazing
The story begins with Chrono (if you don?t abuse the ?name your character? section) waking up to discover he overslept and is now late to the millennium festival he was apparently so excited about. You end up bumping into a cute girl who calls herself Marle at the festival and agree to escort the young lass for the remainder of the event. The pair eventually runs into Chrono's 'best buddy' Lucca (who is surprised and slightly jealous to see Chrono in such lovely company) while she is presenting her latest invention THE TELEPORTER! The main theme of Chrono Trigger's story deals with time travel so anyone can guess what happens when Marle volunteers to test the device. The time travel element adds a very interesting twist to the game. Rather than creating one humongous world for the play to explore, players experience those same locations through different periods in time. This does a good job of making the story feel more focused and eliminates a lot of situation in which players wander around aimlessly in the world map hoping to run into the next plot point (looking right at you FFVIII)!
I won?t spoil any of the story for those new to the title, but take my word for it when I say it will be one of the best you'll experience and definitely the most interactive, making it a true RPG. Many of the choices you make, whether they seen large or small, do have consequences that also vary in scope. This is very effective at immersing you into the game because you do end up wondering what you could have possibly done to prevent a terrible event from happening or if one of your actions caused the event in the first place.
Replay Value - Great
I am not a perfectionist by any means, but if you love the story of this game like I do then the 13 unlockable endings might keep you busy until you get the one that?s just right. An unnecessary multiplayer mode was added though you probably won?t touch it after one use. There is also a monster arena where you can raise and battle with any monster you kill, but it?s not nearly as interesting as the one you?ll find in Dragon Quest VIII.
Overall - Buy It!
Though it certainly isn't an elite game by today's standards, gamers looking for some classic RPG goodness could do a helluva lot worse than picking up Chrono Trigger. The gameplay and story is top-notch and it will suck you in if you can overlook some of the more dated elements of this title. Even so, a mixture of laziness and apprehension on the developers? side will have you to wondering what could?ve been. Instead, we?ll just have to take it for what it is?The definitive version of a timeless game.
For gamers who know of this title by reputation alone but have been unable to track down a copy to call their own! For gamers looking for a great portable RPG that don?t include the words ?Final? or ?Fantasy?! For gamers who don?t feel like rummaging thru the ol? attic to locate their favorite RPG due to a sudden outbreak of nostalgia! Chrono Trigger has finally come to the Nintendo DS!!! Two questions remain however?Is the DS version THE version of arguably the greatest RPG ever released? Is it worth the $40 price tag? The answers are ?Yes? and slight pause followed by ?Yes?wait no?.uh...yea?.
Gameplay/Controls - Great
Chrono Trigger still plays remarkably well even by today's standards, and even does somethings better than some JRP's today (no random battles for example)! You can see and in most cases avoid any battles you may encounter with the exception of an occasional ambush. Once you clear a area of the monsters, they will not reappear until you reenter the area (this is a god-send if your low on health and are searching for a save point). The only issue is that you have to work much harder to find enemies to battle if you ever feel the need to level up your party a bit. All battles take place in the same map you encounter the enemies in rather than breaking to a different battle screen. Players gain Exp as well as Tech Points from battles, which allow characters to learn different Techs and even combine them with other characters Techs to execute combo attacks. Techs affect either a single enemy or multiple foes depending on the attacks range and how the enemies are lined up. For example, a Tech that affects a circular range (like a bomb) is most effective when enemies are huddled together.
Combo attacks are gained when 2 characters learn a certain Tech and then fight alongside each other for a brief period (you don?t need both characters in the same party when they learn the abilities). For instance, When Chrono learns ?Cyclone? and Lucca learns ?Flame-thrower?, they gain a combo attack called ?Fire-Whirl?. The combo attacks are obviously more powerful, but you have to wait for all characters involved to be ready. Since battles are active rather than turn based, combo attacks are not recommended when speed is a main concern. Familiarizing yourself with the Techs and combos at your disposal before battling is also a must, because searching thru all the options you?ll have available is an invitation to get your shit rocked by the enemy. You will lose many a boss battle in this setting by simply not planning and wasting time searching for the right tech or even by not organizing your items ahead of time. These two elements not only add plenty of strategy to the battles, but also encourages players mix up their party (which can be done at any time) to gain the best combos available.
For the most part it?s the same game that was originally released some 13 years ago (more on that in a bit); however this game does a decent job of taking advantage of its new host. Walking can now be done using the touch screen by pressing on the either side of the map displayed on the screen, but this tends to feel very clunky so I just use the d-pad. This is the lone category in which the touch screen isn?t on par or an improvement over the original controls. Menu shortcuts can be set and selected on the bottom screen and trust me when I say you will never use the d-pad to navigate thru your inventory again once you have used this feature. You can also use the touch screen to navigate thru commands while battling by choosing ?DS? as your Game Mode. This is highly recommend over the classic mode because it allows for a less hectic navigation of your different abilities and items during battles, which can become a real hassle in the latter stages of the game.
Graphics/Sounds - Poor
My only real issue with this game is on the presentation side. This game is by no means ugly or unbearable to listen to. In fact I would argue this game features some of the best music in gaming, and listen to the theme for 2300 A.D if you don't believe me. However nowadays the 16bit looks are anything but timeless and this game definitely shows its age when it comes to character models and some animations. While the music is great, the sound affects are a mixed bag of dated and atrocious. One of the low-point is when you kill an enemy and they make a sound that can only be described as some kind of low-pitched fart. I understand that none of the issues I mentioned will be deal breakers for this game or anything a typical JRPG fan will care too much about. What I just don?t understand is why Square decided against polishing the looks and sounds of this title when they clearly had no qualms about updating FF3 and even went as far as adding voice-overs for FF4 (with great results and admiration from fans and media alike I should add).
Story - Amazing
The story begins with Chrono (if you don?t abuse the ?name your character? section) waking up to discover he overslept and is now late to the millennium festival he was apparently so excited about. You end up bumping into a cute girl who calls herself Marle at the festival and agree to escort the young lass for the remainder of the event. The pair eventually runs into Chrono's 'best buddy' Lucca (who is surprised and slightly jealous to see Chrono in such lovely company) while she is presenting her latest invention THE TELEPORTER! The main theme of Chrono Trigger's story deals with time travel so anyone can guess what happens when Marle volunteers to test the device. The time travel element adds a very interesting twist to the game. Rather than creating one humongous world for the play to explore, players experience those same locations through different periods in time. This does a good job of making the story feel more focused and eliminates a lot of situation in which players wander around aimlessly in the world map hoping to run into the next plot point (looking right at you FFVIII)!
I won?t spoil any of the story for those new to the title, but take my word for it when I say it will be one of the best you'll experience and definitely the most interactive, making it a true RPG. Many of the choices you make, whether they seen large or small, do have consequences that also vary in scope. This is very effective at immersing you into the game because you do end up wondering what you could have possibly done to prevent a terrible event from happening or if one of your actions caused the event in the first place.
Replay Value - Great
I am not a perfectionist by any means, but if you love the story of this game like I do then the 13 unlockable endings might keep you busy until you get the one that?s just right. An unnecessary multiplayer mode was added though you probably won?t touch it after one use. There is also a monster arena where you can raise and battle with any monster you kill, but it?s not nearly as interesting as the one you?ll find in Dragon Quest VIII.
Overall - Buy It!
Though it certainly isn't an elite game by today's standards, gamers looking for some classic RPG goodness could do a helluva lot worse than picking up Chrono Trigger. The gameplay and story is top-notch and it will suck you in if you can overlook some of the more dated elements of this title. Even so, a mixture of laziness and apprehension on the developers? side will have you to wondering what could?ve been. Instead, we?ll just have to take it for what it is?The definitive version of a timeless game.
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